Converse Logo PNG
Athletes and fans of athletic footwear recognize Converse sneakers, whose logo symbolizes the brand’s rich history. The company produces high-quality athletic footwear that reflects the Converse logo, one of the world’s most popular and recognizable emblems.
Marquis Mills Converse founded Converse in 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts. The company first produced rubber-soled footwear for everyday use. In 1917, as basketball gained traction after its 1891 invention in nearby Springfield, Converse introduced the Non-Skid, a canvas basketball shoe with a diamond-patterned sole. In 1919, Converse renamed it All-Star.
In 1921, player Charles “Chuck” Taylor joined Converse after playing for an early Boston Celtics team. He proposed design changes to improve support and comfort. In 1923, his name appeared on the ankle patch, marking one of the first signature sneakers. Taylor promoted the shoe nationwide through clinics, turning All-Stars into standard gear. By the 1930s, his name appeared on nearly every pair.
For decades, Chuck Taylor All-Stars dominated American basketball. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in them in 1962. The US team wore them at the 1936, 1940, and 1948 Olympics. A low-top version appeared in 1957. Taylor entered the Hall of Fame in 1969, the same year he died.
In the 1970s, Nike and Adidas introduced advanced performance models, prompting players to move away from them. By the 1980s, Converse left professional courts. The shoe reappeared in punk, rock, hip-hop, and alternative scenes from the late 1970s through the 1990s.
Financial decline led to bankruptcy in 2001 and factory closures in the US. In 2003, Nike acquired Converse for $305 million. Instead of redesigning the product, Nike kept Chuck Taylor largely unchanged and focused on collaborations with Comme des Garçons and Maison Margiela. By 1997, Nike had sold over 550 million pairs, and sales continued to grow under its ownership.
Meaning and History
The company, founded by entrepreneur Marquis Mills Converse, is named after him, as reflected in the logo. The brand boasts one of the most recognizable visual identifiers, which debuted in 1963.
The brand has six logo variants, although it initially lacked a consistent label. Instead, the manufacturer used different inscription styles until 1932, when it launched the All-Star shoe line. It gained incredible popularity, so the company switched to the Star sign. In 1962, the company created a permanent star-based logo.
What is Converse?
Converse is an American shoe company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It was formed in Malden in 1908 as a family business. Its founder is entrepreneur Marquis Mills Converse, after whom the company is named. It is a well-known manufacturer of athletic shoes, particularly fabric sneakers in various colors. The company sells its products through a network of over 100 stores.
1908 – 1963
The American footwear brand Converse is named after founder Marquis Mills Converse. Established in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1908, his company initially produced rubber footwear before moving into shoes with fabric uppers. Its basketball line debuted in 1917 under the name Non-Skid. In 1919, the company introduced a brown fabric version called All Star. The star later appeared in company logos and on individual shoe models.
The early Converse emblem placed an outlined five-pointed star beneath an arched wordmark. White letters on a dark rectangular background resembled a hand-painted sign, with rounded forms and slightly flared stroke endings. An enlarged initial “C” wrapped around the neighboring “o,” while the remaining letters varied in angle and proportion. This lettering and star combination survives on the soles of All Star shoes, where the early logo is still used.
1963 – 1977
The next Converse logo placed the name and star inside an elongated rectangular panel with a thin border. A horizontal line of text replaced the arched wordmark, and tall, narrow letters replaced the hand-drawn forms. The name appeared in lowercase sans-serif lettering with uniform stroke widths.
A small, solid black five-pointed star sat on the left against a light gray background, with the dark “converse” wordmark to its right. The star and letters filled nearly the entire height of the bordered field. The star represented the brand’s superiority and the exceptional quality of its products.
1977 – 2003
Converse began using an emblem with the star above the name in December 1976. Robert J. Tiedemann of King-Casey created the design. Its launch is generally dated to 1977, and the combined symbol and wordmark was registered as a US footwear trademark that November.
A white five-pointed star occupied the center of a black square with rounded corners. Giving the star its own field allowed it to grow larger relative to the name below. The lettering was custom-designed in a sans-serif style with wide, bold forms and tight spacing. Rectangular sections mixed with rounded corners, while sharp edges and thick strokes recalled Display Pump. A lowercase-style “n” stood out among the capital letters.
The logo became one of Converse’s longest-lasting and appeared on numerous products, including Weapon basketball shoes. An italic version with an abbreviated name was developed for the CONS line in the 1980s. The line began with basketball footwear and later expanded to shoes for other sports.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Converse lost ground to Nike, Adidas, and Asics. Management and marketing mistakes, shifts in the athletic footwear market, ownership changes, and mounting debt coincided with frequent changes to the brand’s appearance. In 1999, Converse tried to regain its footing with the radical Stay True campaign but continued to fall behind its competitors. The Chuck Taylor ankle patch served as the main Converse identifier during this period. The star-in-a-square emblem continued to appear on most products outside the Chuck line, including athletic shoes, clothing, and jerseys for the Colombian soccer club Atlético Nacional. The club sponsored Converse from 2001 to 2002.
At least four versions of the brand’s mark appeared on products from the 1990s through 2003. A slanted-star logo was used on selected athletic shoes and the children’s Touch FX and Wild Things lines. Touch FX shoes featured color-changing toe capsules, while Wild Things included children’s hiking boots. Alongside the star, Converse used the Chuck patch, a sans-serif “CONVERSE” wordmark, and futuristic lowercase “converse” lettering introduced in the early 2000s.
In 2001, with debt exceeding $200 million, Converse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Later that year, Footwear Acquisitions, led by Marsden Cason and Bill Simon, acquired the brand. The rescue attempt failed. Nike purchased Converse in 2003 as it expanded.
2003 – 2007
Converse began working with Sandstrom Design in 2002. The designers were tasked with introducing younger audiences to the brand’s athletic history and connecting that heritage with Converse’s popularity in alternative culture. The new logo debuted in 2003, a few months after Nike acquired the company.
A thick black ring surrounded a smaller black five-pointed star, with open white space between them. The name remained beneath the circular emblem, but its stroke weight and letter spacing changed. The lettering became thinner, and the spacing widened. A custom typeface was developed with letterforms matching Zoria Bold. The “n” retained its lowercase construction, while the other letters remained capitals.
The star above the name connected the new version to the previous identity. Sandstrom Design also drew on All Star shoe construction, using the stripe along the rubber sidewall and the metal ventilation eyelets as references for the broader identity.
2007 – 2011
The Star Chevron emblem formed the basis of Converse’s 2007 logo update. Artist Jim Labadini developed the star-and-chevron combination in the 1970s, and Converse began using it in 1975. For many years, it primarily served as a product mark. In 2007, the company returned to the 1977 version, making it the main corporate symbol and pairing it with updated lettering.
A black five-pointed star stood to the left of two wide bands that met at an angle on the right. The chevron resembled an open triangle pointing right. The star was slightly rotated and rested on a single point. Instead of a surrounding border, it now had a separate chevron beside it.
The “CONVERSE” name appeared beneath the emblem. Its heavy, angular letters maintained a connection to earlier wordmarks.
2011 – 2017
Another Converse logo incorporated the star into the name, replacing the separate emblem above it. The “O” became a black square with rounded corners, containing a white five-pointed star. The familiar light symbol against a dark field became part of the wordmark. The other letters retained their heavy sans-serif forms, allowing the logo to fit on a single line.
Combining the name and emblem reflected both design trends and practical requirements. The star inside the “O” appeared in additional logo versions and became familiar internationally. The company name and artists’ names were enlarged against a white background. This wordmark with an integrated star preceded the Converse update introduced in July 2017.
2017 – today
The return of Star Chevron in 2017 connected Converse’s new identity to its 1970s emblem. After a six-year absence, the star and chevron returned above the name, replacing the version with a star inside the “O.” An internal team led by Adam Cohn, vice president of global brand design, led the project. British studio Sawdust contributed to the lettering and the arrangement of the logo’s elements.
The letters in “CONVERSE” received rounded, open forms. The entire name appeared in custom capitals developed from archival Converse wordmarks. According to Cohn, the final typeface combined features from four or five earlier versions. Its forms resemble Typold Extended Black. The star and chevron were reduced in size and rendered in charcoal black. The emblem and letters’ solid silhouettes contrasted with the white background. The logo worked across advertising brochures, fabric labels, and merchandise tags.
With the new identity, Converse expressed its intention to support younger generations’ boldness, physical activity, and cultural change. The right-pointing chevron signaled a focus on the future while staying connected to the archival emblem. The new system represented the company as a whole. At the same time, the circular Chuck Taylor All Star patch remained a separate emblem for the footwear line. It retained the basketball player’s name, which had been added to All Star in 1934.
Font and Colors
The five-pointed star is central to the Converse brand logo. It appears in every trademark version as a sign of premium-class goods. Initially, this symbol was located to the left of the name. Above it were two rows of dots, a square with rounded corners, or a circle. In the 2011-2017 version, the star was combined with the letter “O,” replacing the interlinear space. In the current emblem, which debuted in 2007, the star is slightly tilted to the right and stands on one ray.
The brand name is written in a simple sans-serif font. The color combination is monochromatic: black symbolizes integrity, elegance, and perfection, while white symbolizes charm and purity.
FAQ
What is the Converse symbol?
The Converse brand’s key symbol is the five-pointed star, which appears on every pair of branded shoes. However, this sign wasn’t always on the products: it didn’t appear until 1963, when the manufacturer switched to a single emblem; before that, there was no consistent symbol. The star was taken from the popular All-Star sneaker line, released in 1932.
Why is the Converse logo on the outside?
If the Converse symbol is on the outside, it means only one thing: you’re looking at a counterfeit. This brand marks its products from the inside, so you can’t find the round patch with the five-pointed star on the outside of an original pair of shoes.
Why does my Converse have a large logo?
On the original Converse sneakers, the large logo is on the back of the sole, right in the middle of the heel. On the original, it says “ALL STAR” with a star in the center, or “Converse All Star” (on newer models released after 2007). However, a different size, a mismatched shape, inaccurate labeling, and other errors indicate that the shoes are counterfeit.
Does Converse have a logo on both sides?
No, Converse shoes don’t have logos on both sides; the emblem appears only on the inside, around the black star. Therefore, the right sneaker is to the left of the lace, and the left sneaker is to the right. Other variants indicate a counterfeit.