British Gas Logo PNG
The emblem burns like a torch, demonstrating the company’s gas reserves. The British Gas logo symbolizes life and growth, made possible by the supply of electricity and blue gas.
British Gas traces its roots to April 30, 1812, when George III granted a royal charter to the Gas Light and Coke Company, founded by Frederick Albert Winsor. The company opened its first gasworks in 1813 and supplied gas for London street lighting. At the time, gas was produced from coal. By 1829, Britain had about 200 gas companies. GLCC grew by absorbing local operators, from Aldgate Gas Light and Coke Company in 1819 to Southend-on-Sea and District Gas Company in 1932.
On May 1, 1949, the Gas Act 1948 nationalized more than 1,000 private and municipal gas businesses. GLCC became part of the North Thames Gas Board. In the 1950s and 1960s, oil-based feedstocks replaced coal, and then North Sea natural gas changed the industry again. Around 35 million home appliances were converted over about ten years. The Gas Act 1972 merged twelve regional boards into British Gas Corporation, a state monopoly covering production, transmission, and retail.
On December 8, 1986, Margaret Thatcher’s government privatized it as British Gas plc, with support from the “If you see Sid, tell him!” campaign. Competition opened gradually in the 1990s and reached household gas customers by 1998. On February 17, 1997, British Gas plc split into Centrica, BG plc, and infrastructure operations. Centrica kept the British Gas brand for consumers.
Centrica bought AA in 1999, sold it in 2004, and expanded through Direct Energy in 2000. British Gas later entered the electricity supply market and became the UK’s largest household electricity provider. Still, by 2024, Octopus Energy had overtaken it.
Meaning and History
After privatization, the company changed its corporate style several times with great care. Its leaders did not want the new identity to distort the organization’s essence, so experimenting with logos was limited to modernizing the type and design. The main elements of the “British Gas” lettering and the flame took on different shapes and colors over time.
Now it is a public utility company that provides household services, and provides homes with gas and electricity. However, it continues to call itself British Gas and uses the fire emblem. The commitment to tradition reflects the company’s 200-year history, which began in the gas industry. Once, the brand owners tried to add a globe to the logo to embody international status and global aspirations. But this attempt was unsuccessful: the new symbol, rejected by society, was not even used.
What is British Gas?
British Gas is a utility company that serves the population of the United Kingdom. Despite poor reviews and low ratings, the company provides gas and electricity to around 12,000,000 customers and remains a market leader. Its history dates back to 1997, when it separated from BG Group. At that time, the retail brand British Gas became the property of Centrica.
1986 – 1995
Following the Gas Act 1986, which allowed the privatization of gas supplies, the British Gas Corporation was replaced by British Gas plc. The new organization adopted a black-and-white logo that featured its name. The words were written together, but the capital “B” and “G” visually separated them. Above Gas was an abstract flame of five sinuous lines.
1995 – 2011
In 1995, two years before the collapse of British Gas plc, there was a small readiness. The fire has taken on a teardrop shape. Moreover, this version consisted of three parts: red, dark blue, and blue. On the left, as before, was the company name. But now, there is a gap between the words, and the font is blue and italic. The logo has been in use for 16 years and has not changed, even after it was split into several parts, and Centrica took over the British Gas brand.
2012 – today
The company modernized its corporate identity in the fall of 2011. The changed look was implemented by January 2012. The logo was developed by the marketing agency CHI & Partners, which had previously worked on advertising for British Gas. The flame has taken on a more abstract form after the update: it looks like a blue-green ribbon with space inside. The lettering is also unusual because the designers have created a stylized typeface with rounded and cut strokes.
Font and Colors
Although British Gas has long since expanded its business, its emblem still features fire. True, it is leaf-shaped, reflecting its broad offerings in the energy industry and its environmental awareness. Negative space forms another flame, a smaller one.
Older logos used the classic Helvetica font first in straight, then in italic. The new typography has been redesigned to replace the British style with custom designs. The narrowing of the “G” gives the impression that “a” and “s” are moving. The dots above the “i” are neither round nor square. They correspond in shape to the cut-and-rounded tops “r,” “t,” and “h.”
The logo’s color scheme looks fresh. It includes several shades of blue (#0490D7 to #0462B4) and green (#AFCC43 to #299940), presented as a gradient. The inscription, in turn, is dark blue (# 012973).