The Decathlon logo is made in a geometric style, in which everything has a clear structure, straight lines, and a rigid style. This is probably due to the type of its activity because it produces and sells goods for sports, where things must meet the principles of comfort, convenience, and functionality.
Decathlon: Brand overview
Founded: | 1976 |
Founder: | Michel Leclercq |
Headquarters: |
Villeneuve d’Ascq, France |
Website: | decathlon.com |
Meaning and History
The corporate logo echoes the name of the company, which means “decathlon.” This word perfectly conveys the type of her activity: the manufacture and sale of ammunition for most sports areas. The versatility is also underlined by a graphic symbol, which is placed in a bright blue rectangle.
The lettering is in upper case, in bold, similar to Avant-Garde Bold. The signs are very close to each other, so many are fused and form a single structure. The letter “D” is connected with “E”, “C” – with “A”, “O” – with “L” and “N”.
The company uses its name as a trademark. Some of the letters are combined in it, demonstrating the spirit of support and the desire to help find everything you need to practice any sport.
The most interesting merge is at “C” and “A.” The leg of the second symbol does not touch the surface and is located above the rest. It has a smooth, rounded transition and looks like a skateboarding ramp or a high wave in surfing.
What is Decathlon?
Decathlon is a chain of stores specializing in the sale of equipment, accessories, and gear for swimming, tennis, basketball, snowboarding, soccer, and other sports. The company was founded in France in 1976. Over time, it has opened stores in more than 50 countries and has become one of the largest sports goods retailers in the world. It owns about 20 brands and several research centers where new products are developed.
1976 – 1980s
The first version of the logo is the word “Decathlon” with horizontal lines of different colors. The stripes are separated by the letter “A” and are located at the top and bottom. The inscription was immediately executed in a recognizable style, which is still used today – all signs are even, strict, geometric. At some points, they have connections: the letter “O” merges with the adjacent “L” and “N,” “A” – with “C,” “E” – with “D.” Moreover, the front leg “A” does not reach the common lower boundary – it ends slightly higher.
1980s – 1990s
The designers removed the stripes, repainted the title from black to green, and added the bottom inscription “A FONT LA MARQUEE.” The letters in it are unevenly arranged: due to the height difference, they look like jumping. Moreover, the symbols at the end of the phrase are shown much larger than at the beginning.
1990s – today
After a radical change of the image, the trademark received an updated emblem: the letters became white, the background – light blue, the style – simple. The only thing that the designers have left unchanged is the spelling of the word “Decathlon.” The name in the emblem is original and looks the same as it did forty-five years ago.
Font and Colors
The word is written in plain white sans serif typeface. Set against bright blue background with a subtle neon tint. This contrast energizes, invigorates, and conveys the desire to move forward. As conceived by the developers, such a label is an exact expression of vitality.
Decathlon’s official palette consists of light blue (background) and white (letters). And unofficially, it can be in a variety of combinations because the symbols are painted in turquoise, white, dark blue, or black.
Decathlon color codes
Blue | Hex color: | #007dbc |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 0 125 188 | |
CMYK: | 100 34 0 26 | |
Pantone: | PMS 7461 C |