Formica Logo

Formica Logo PNG

The Formica logo captures the essence of the company: producing composite materials. Everything is subject to this concept – the glyphs, the composition, and the palette. Together they form an atmosphere of care for the work, professional approach, originality, and high quality. Although the main elements of the mark are classic, they reflect the personality of the brand, its integrity, and confidence in the growth of production capacity.

Meaning and History

Production of Formica laminate was established in 1913. Still, it was not a familiar-facing material but a substitute for mica for electrical insulation. Hence its name: “For” plus “Mica.” It is consonant with the name of wood ants, from the acid of which scientists extract a special substance to manufacture resin. But it is melamine resin that is part of the classic Formica product.

The brand name was present in all four logos. First, the designers played with the first letter “F,” turning its top line into an arch. Then they made the word “Formica” solid and placed it to the right of the anvil shape. It is believed that Raymond Loewy invented this element.

What is Formica?

Formica is the name of the laminate and the company that makes it. The product is a multilayer material consisting of kraft paper with a special resin impregnation. HPL panels are manufactured by one of the Dutch group Broadview Holdings divisions.

1913 – the 1930s

The history of Formica began in 1913 when Herbert A. Faber and Daniel J. O’Conor patented a special composite material that was later used as a laminate for surface cladding. In the same year, a company called Formica Products Co. Her logo contained several inscriptions in black. At the top was the word “FORMICA”: the first was an “F” in the shape of an arch, and the rest of the letters were below it. Below the bottom was the phrase “Made from Anhydrous Bakelite Resins.” The bottom line consisted of three words: “SHEETS TUBES RODS.”

еhe 1930s – 1960s

In the 1930s, the designers made the company’s name more pronounced. To do this, they increased the arc’s curvature from the “F” and extended the rest of the letters vertically. All other inscriptions were removed and replaced with the italic phrase “Laminated Plastic,” aligned to the right.

еhe 1960s – 1970s

An unusual design appeared on the trademark logo called the “anvil.” It was a stylized letter “F,” with many horizontal lines. It looked like an archway. Beneath its arched part was the name of the laminate line, written in serif type. Even lower, the designers placed the word “BRAND” without serifs. The phrase “laminated plastic” has been moved to the bottom and aligned to the left. In this version, she became a little flattened.

еhe 1970s – today

In the mid-1970s, the designers improved the logo, retaining only the arched structure and the brand name. They removed extraneous inscriptions to focus on the capital letter “F.” In the current version, its drawn part is not striped, as before, but completely painted over in red. The word “FORMICA” no longer has serifs and uses a simple Helvetica-like font.

Font and Colors

The base of the logo is formed from two ovals of different sizes. One of them (the smaller one) is on the left and is located vertically, and the second (large) is placed on the right and flipped horizontally. These are hidden ovals – you can’t see them because they only create the silhouette of the red “F.”

The Formica brand name has traditionally been written in a bold serif typeface. And only after the 1970s have these serifs been removed. Judging by the shape of the glyphs, the creators of the logo used a Helvetica modification. And to emphasize the visual harmony of the inscription and the geometric figure in the form of “F,” they chose the most attractive combination of colors: red, black, and white.

Formica color codes