The IKEA logo is an abbreviation of the name of the place of birth, the name, and the founder’s surname. Today, the emblem reflects a commitment to the origins of its origins, despite the huge number of redesigns in the history of the company.
IKEA: Brand overview
Founded: | 28 July 1943 |
Founder: | Ingvar Kamprad |
Headquarters: |
Delft, Netherlands |
Website: | ikea.com |
Meaning and History
The company got its logo a year after its opening – in 1951. It is based on an acronym composed of the founder’s name and the name of the village where he was born. Therefore, IKEA stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd. Over the years, the company has had more than ten emblems.
What is IKEA?
IKEA is a Dutch company that manufactures furniture and household goods with their subsequent sale in an international chain of stores. The low cost of products is due to reduced assembly costs: buyers themselves have to assemble what they have purchased. The organization has existed since 1943.
1951 – 1952
The debut version looks like a classic postage stamp made with sealing wax. These used to be put on parcels, registered and valuable letters. This association is not accidental and stems from the fact that Ingvar has been doing business since childhood: he bought small goods in bulk. He sold them at retail, delivering them personally to their homes or sending them by post. The middle of the logo is the word “IKEA” in lowercase, and around it is in the capital “Kvalitets Garanti.”
1952 – 1957
During this period, the emblem was simplified, leaving a white inscription on the khaki background with the company’s name. It served as a trademark label.
1952 – 1953
In parallel, another variation was developed. It shows a brown background in the form of a spot and several inscriptions: the name of the company, the designation of the year of issue of the catalog, and the name of the founder’s native village. The three-piece “spot” is enclosed in a brown-beige rectangle with vertical stripes.
1953 – 1955
In 1953, the background was simplified by making it a single color (beige). Only the word “IKEA” was left in the central element, and “Agunnaryd” was placed at the bottom right.
1955 – 1956
The designers changed the colors and shape of the logo. It now looks like a black rectangle with yellow elements inside.
1956 – 1957
A year later, another option appeared: a beige square with a black line along the edge.
1957 – 1958
When the company changed its name to Möbel-IKEA, launching its furniture production, the logo was redesigned. The developers stepped up the base color to neon yellow and put a black background on it with a white IKEA lettering.
1958 – 1962
Those years’ changes affected only the color palette: bright yellow was replaced with black, and the background in the form of a “spot” was made a diagonal oval.
1962 – 1967
In 1962, the horizontal ellipse logo was launched. In the first version, the inscriptions were located above and below, in the second – below, but on a different background.
1967 – 2019
This is a legendary time in its history because it received its final name – IKEA without the Scandinavian sign above the letter “E.”
1981 – 1982
During those years, the brand used a red version of the main logo.
1982 – 2019
In 1982, all brand names were changed. But the changes did not affect the shape, details, letters – only the color of the logo was revised. It was then that the company first appeared with the legendary blue and yellow palette. Stockholm-based design bureau Seventy also created the trademark and alternative version.
2019 – today
The current emblem is lighter in color than all previous versions. There is a narrow oval in the horizontal rectangle, in which the inscription “IKEA” is located. The main highlight of the logo is the golden ratio with the ideal aspect ratio and verified proportions.
Font and Colors
Both early and late versions have one characteristic element – the company name in the center section. Depending on the year, it is always supplemented with some geometric shapes: an oval, a circle, a square, vertical lines, a rectangle.
The inscriptions on the logos are as simple as possible: the letters are smooth, strict, even sans serif. Since 1967, the word “IKEA” has become the predominant word written in a wide, massive typeface associated with heavy furniture.
The color scheme is not of the same type: in different years, brown, beige, gray, khaki, and red prevailed in it. After the 1982 redesign, the signature combination of yellow and blue appeared.
IKEA color codes
Medium Teal Blue | Hex color: | #0058ab |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 0 88 171 | |
CMYK: | 100 49 0 33 | |
Pantone: | PMS 2935 C |
School Bus Yellow | Hex color: | #fbd914 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 251 217 20 | |
CMYK: | 0 14 92 2 | |
Pantone: | PMS 108 C |
What does the IKEA logo represent?
The logo of the IKEA company is represented by its name, which stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd. The first two words denote the name and surname of its founder, the third and fourth – the place where he lived as a child. The combination of yellow and blue is a tribute to the color scheme of the flag of Sweden because the trade group was originally based in that country.
Why did IKEA change their logo?
Few know, but IKEA changed its logo in 2019 to make its name easier to read on physical and digital media. The designers slightly increased the in-letter space “A,” widened the spacing between the horizontal strokes “E,” decreased the letter spacing, and moved the registered trademark sign to the upper right corner next to the word.
What font is the IKEA logo?
The font used to design the logo for the trade group is called Ikea Sans. It was created for individual use and is based on Futura. It is a bold grotesque with contrasting line thickness.