IH Logo PNG
The IH logo lets you see the company’s equipment from above and appreciate the miracles it can perform in the field, embodying harmony, completeness, and compactness. The emblem reflects the ability to design and build new machines.
International Harvester traces its roots to 1831, when Cyrus McCormick developed a mechanical reaper for American farmers. By the 1880s, McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and Deering Harvester Company were locked in a price war across the Midwest. Both firms had large production capacity, aggressive sales networks, and growing losses from competition.
After years of failed merger talks, J. P. Morgan’s banking house helped settle the deal. On August 12, 1902, McCormick, Deering, Milwaukee Harvester, Plano Manufacturing, and Warder, Bushnell & Glessner merged to form the International Harvester Company. The new firm had $120 million in capital and controlled about 85% of the U.S. harvesting-machine market.
That dominance brought legal pressure. In 1912, the Justice Department filed an antitrust case, and in 1914, the Supreme Court ruled against IH under the Sherman Act. A 1918 settlement forced changes to dealers and merged the McCormick and Deering lines under the McCormick-Deering name. At the same time, IH expanded into trucks with the 1907 Auto Wagon and, later, full-truck production in Fort Wayne in 1923.
In 1924, IH introduced the Farmall tractor, built for row-crop farming and small family farms, while John Deere remained a major rival. In 1931, the company supplied trucks for the Hoover Dam and produced military equipment during World War II. Later, Scout and Travelall moved IH into civilian utility vehicles, but financial strain weakened the company. After selling Cub Cadet, construction assets, and the farm division to Tenneco, the remaining company became Navistar International Corporation in 1986.
Meaning and History
The logo features a game of spatial models, pointing to drawings, diagrams, and construction. The emblem demonstrates the company’s ability to create compact, stable, and productive equipment, offering thoughtful, multifunctional machines. The emblem shows the scale of the view and the assessment of problems, creating effective proposals for their resolution.
What is IH (International Harvester)?
This well-known American manufacturer has influenced the automotive and agricultural industries, producing everything from tractors and agricultural equipment to pickup trucks and SUVs. The company’s headquarters is located in Chicago. It produced durable vehicles, such as the well-known Scout SUV, and remained a significant player in the agricultural machinery market, offering a wide range of tractors and harvesting equipment. Through an extensive manufacturing network, it produced equipment and vehicles known for reliability and practical design, suited to both urban and agricultural needs.
1902 – 1938
The logo is a fanciful arrangement of the company’s initial letters. The manufacturer’s first registered name was International Harvester Company.
- The largest letter, C, creates an unfinished circle around the sign. She represents openness to new ideas. It looks like a sickle used for harvesting. The manufacturer’s first machine was the Reaper mower.
- Inside C, a wide H is inscribed, like a car chassis. Most models had four wide-spaced wheels.
- The largest letter sits at the center of the composition, representing the company’s equipment engines.
Three letters indicated the emergence of a firm from the merger of three parties:
- McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which produced the Reaper harvester.
- Deering Harvester Company developed the first tractor.
- Three small partners who produced tools, equipment, and mowers.
The letters’ glyphs directly bear an inscription with the company’s full name. The word “International” is placed in the foreground, highlighting the manufacturer’s large-scale claims.
1938 – 1985
The company acquired a defense plant in Kentucky and set it up to produce modern versions of its A, B, and 340 series tractors. American industrial designer Raymond Loewy developed the machines’ appearance and the new logo.
The sign consisted of two superimposed letters, H and I. The company gradually dropped the word “Company” from its name, and the organization was increasingly referred to simply as “International Harvester”.
According to Loewy’s design, the tractor’s working part was elongated and narrow, in red. The wheels were large and black. In the center, two black stripes, H, and a red stripe, I, resembled a top-down view of the tractor.
Red symbolized the progress and development the conglomerate sought. The all-purpose tractor for farmers, Farmall, became a bestseller for the next 50 years.
Below the abbreviation was the company’s full name.
1973 – 1985
In 1973, IH stopped producing its famous Farmall series, marking a new stage in the enterprise’s life. New lines appeared in most areas. The Pro Ag tractor model, the Axial-Flow rotary harvester, and the CO-4070/4090 tractor were presented.
The logo was also updated, but only slightly. The red color was darkened, and the letter H was split in two, with an I inserted between them. In general, the image and concept were preserved. Innovations showed:
- Several areas of work.
- Separation of past models and new ones.
- Extensive experience in their field.
The letter I was the prototype for trucks and tractors; when viewed from above, they looked like a rectangle with a dot cab in front. The two halves of H looked like caterpillars.
Overall, the sign showed the company’s ability to adapt to new conditions and offer special equipment that stood out from other brands.
In 1985, all manufacturer divisions were sold, and the company ceased to exist. Navistar International Corporation continued producing trucks and buses under its brand, and Tenneco bought the name rights and renamed it Case IH.
Font and Colors
The logo’s main colors are black and red, which contrast sharply. They convey style and innovation, which are central to the company’s work. They also convey the scale, dimensions, and strength of its large equipment. The shades indicate leadership and superiority over competitors. In the 1930s and 50s, the company’s technology was second to none. Up to 12,000 dealers from across the country attended the presentation of new models, and every 2nd or 3rd farm had IH equipment.
The font is strict, with rectangular shapes and sharp corners, suggesting machines that can overcome any obstacle. The title is done in Akhbar Bold.