The LEGO logo, a Danish manufacturer of children’s toys and iconic construction sets, was first introduced in 1934, and its graphics are eye-catching and inviting to play. The emblem is built on focusing on the brand name, which is an abbreviation of two words – Leg and Godt.
LEGO: Brand overview
Founded: | 1949–present |
Founder: | The Lego Group |
Headquarters: |
Denmark |
Website: | lego.com |
Meaning and History
The logo is based on the company’s name, formed from two abbreviated stems: Leg (play) and Godt (good). They are used in all variations of the branding, of which there are about fifteen.
1934 – 1936
The very first sample was used in business papers and stamps. It was the word “LEGO” in the same spelling. All letters in it are capitalized, with serifs and thickened lines on the left side.
1936 – 1946
This mark first appeared on products. To obtain suitable labeling, the management redesigned the logo and received an italic name with two parallel lines on both sides. Inside the stripes is the phrase “Fabriken Billund.”
1946 – 1950
This period belongs to two different types of emblems. One is subtle: it consisted of the words “LEGO” at the top and “Klodster” at the bottom. The first was written in orange, the second in black italics.
Another logo included three-dimensional lettering in an open box for children’s toys. They marked children’s cubes.
1948 – 1955
In parallel, a version was developed for plastic prefabricated blocks, which were launched into mass production in 1949. The name of the company is taken in a black oval positioned slightly diagonally. On the right was a fragment of yellow-orange color, matching the letters.
1952 – 1953
The logo of that time looked like a stylized circle made up of several words: LEGO (center), Billund (top), and Danmark (bottom). The first was figured and was on a round white background, and the other two were on the surrounding black stripe.
Until 1953, another version was in use – in the form of a rectangle with its name, where a white border surrounded each letter. The background is colorful.
1953 – 1955
At the end of the multivariate period, a yellow rectangular emblem appeared with red letters inside. The word “LEGO” is elongated and does not contain serifs.
1954
In 1954, the toy manufacturer got the so-called “sausage logo.” Customers first saw it in the LEGO Mursten catalog. The image contains a dark red vertical oval. Inside is the name of the company, written in an original children’s style bubble font. All letters are capital and slightly italic. To create a contrast, the designers made them white and outlined each edge with a wide black stripe. Behind the word, a horizontal white line is drawn, which ends on both sides with medium-sized round dots.
1955
The company introduced this logo in 1955 at the world’s largest international toy fair, Toy Fair Nürnberg. The structure is not much different from the previous version. But the letters have become bolder, and their outlines are now so wide that they touch in some areas. The rear stripe and side circles have been repainted black, the latter markedly enlarged in diameter. The size of the background oval has also changed: it has turned into a narrow ellipse. At the same time, the red color of the base acquired a scarlet hue.
1955 – 1960
This is a time of searching, when the developers turned to the logo’s oval shape, trying to find the optimal modification. They experimented with the lettering’s appearance, changing the font, border thickness, and the size of the background element. The letters were italicized, white, with a black line at the edge and a red horizontal ellipse.
1960
The LEGO System logo has evolved in parallel. Both words were oval and were variegated crimson.
1960 – 1964
In 1960, a modernized version of the previous logo appeared, where instead of an oval – a rectangle, and instead of crimson letters – white. “System” is written in yellow italics.
1964 – 1972
The emblem of that period contained several vertical stripes of different colors. They were on a separate square to the left. On the other was the phrase “LEGO System.”
1972 – 1998
The designers removed the striped cube, leaving only one – with the brand name. The result is a minimalistic sign: white lettering with a double yellow and black outline on a red background.
1998 – today
In 1998, the letters were slightly corrected, making them denser. And the free intersymbol space was painted black.
Font and Colors
Throughout its existence, it has gone through many transformations but has always been associated with the company’s name, bright red color, and geometric shapes. Gradually, the rectangle used as the background turned into a square.
The text part has also been constantly evolving. As a result, thin, elongated letters have become more magnificent and friendlier. This style first appeared in 1954. The combination of red, white, black, and yellow has been around since 1960. It brings the logo to life and fulfills its main function – it draws attention to itself and invites to the game.
LEGO color codes
Lust | Hex color: | #e3000b |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 227 0 11 | |
CMYK: | 0 100 95 11 | |
Pantone: | PMS Bright Red C |
Canary Yellow | Hex color: | #ffed00 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 255 237 0 | |
CMYK: | 0 7 100 0 | |
Pantone: | PMS 102 C |
Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |