Exxon Mobil Corporation Logo PNG
It’s striking that Exxon Mobil Corporation logos from different years are almost identical, despite the time gaps. It is red and austere, with the original “X,” which appears twice in the name. The designers used both glyphs to create a high-contrast emblem.
ExxonMobil traces its roots to 1870, when John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil in Cleveland, Ohio. By the late 1880s, Standard Oil controlled about 90 percent of US refining capacity through acquisitions, railway rebates, pipelines, and refineries. On 2 January 1882, 41 shareholders created the Standard Oil Trust, placing securities of 40 companies under nine trustees led by Rockefeller.
Two parts of that trust later became ExxonMobil’s core predecessors: Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, later Exxon, and Standard Oil Company of New York, later Mobil. Ida Tarbell’s 1904 investigation and federal pressure weakened the trust. In 1911, the US Supreme Court ruled that Standard Oil violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and ordered it split into 39 companies.
Jersey Standard expanded for decades under the Esso name. In 1946, it bought a 30 percent stake in Arabian American Oil Company, gaining access to Saudi oil reserves. In 1972, Standard Oil of New Jersey became Exxon Corporation. On 1 January 1973, Humble Oil became Exxon Company USA. The 1973 and 1979 oil crises pushed Exxon’s revenue above $100 billion by 1980.
On 24 March 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude oil. Exxon later spent $2.5 billion on cleanup and faced years of litigation. In 1990, the company moved its headquarters to Irving, Texas. On 1 December 1998, Exxon and Mobil announced a merger. After antitrust reviews, the deal closed on 30 November 1999, forming ExxonMobil.
Meaning and History
Exxon’s history is long and rich, dating back to the 19th century and tied to one of the world’s richest men, John D. Rockefeller. The Standard Oil Trust was the beginning of an influential corporation. At one point, it reorganized and split into two companies that became the forerunners of Exxon and Mobil, which later merged.
After the name “Exxon” was officially adopted, the brand received a new visual identity. This happened in 1972. Raymond Loewy, a well-known industrial designer, worked on it. He proposed a double “X” and developed dozens of variations, but only one was adopted. According to Designboom magazine, 76 pencil sketches of the future logo were created. Each specifically highlighted a double glyph.
Users see it as similar to many real, even iconic, elements. Some, for example, considered the Lorraine Cross, the Templars’ symbol, in the interlocking sign. In their opinion, the designer and the trademark owners were Freemasons. Others speculate that the duplicated “X” represents the scale of the car’s gas meter and that the emblem sends a subliminal signal to drivers that they have run out of fuel (XX is empty). In any case, nearly six years have passed between the first sketch and the final approved version offered to the public.
What is Exxon Mobil Corporation?
Exxon is an American oil and gas corporation founded by the Rockefeller family as Standard Oil. It is headquartered in Irving, but in 2023 it will move to Spring, Texas. The company’s current name is ExxonMobil; it adopted it in 1999 after merging with Mobil.
1972 – 1985
The Exxon logo was immediately textual, with the letters acting as graphic elements. The designer used the double symbol as a basis and connected the two glyphs with a single leg. The result is the element “XX,” reminiscent of the modern grid “#,” set at a slight slope with an elongated right side. The rest of the letters are usual: plain and smooth, with sharp extensions at the ends that replace the serifs. A blue stripe runs below the name. The thick line and the inscription are set in thin rectangular frames with rounded corners. This makes the emblem look like a business card.
1985 – 2016
After the redesign, the inscription’s color changed: previously, it was bright scarlet; now it is closer to crimson red. Another modernization updated the frame: the developer straightened the corners, giving it a perfectly rectangular shape. The wide blue stripe at the bottom was aligned accordingly.
2016 – today
The current emblem is a complete replica of the 2014 sign. The oil and gas company adopted it to match ExxonMobil’s overall logo for professional equipment (pumps and canopies). The badge’s main elements are the red name and blue stripe. The border is gone. The designers also simplified the font to make it more businesslike and flatter. The letters are lowercase, except for the first letter.
Font and Colors
This brand’s modern visual identity is based on the Esso logo, the original fuel brand of Standard Oil, Exxon’s predecessor. Its name also has a double consonant, which is used in its personal symbolism. The color palette and emblem structure are identical, but only in the first case; the inscription is in a circle, whereas in the second, it is in a rectangle.
The lettering used in the Exxon identity is custom-made because it is a key element of the logo. The closest font it resembles is the ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Bold. The oil and gas company’s corporate palette is bright, expressive, and dynamic. It uses two colors, red and blue, on a neutral white background.