Mandom Logo PNG
The Mandom logo features an Asian ^^ emoji and a stylized “M” for a Japanese cosmetics brand. The designers imbued the emblem with a joyful mood to convey happiness. However, the black color scheme somewhat reduces the symbol’s emotional impact, and the strict inscription at the bottom adds to that.
Meaning and History
Japanese businessman Shinpachiro Nishimura founded the Kintsuru Perfume Corporation in 1927 and began mass-producing cosmetics. Tancho Stick lipstick made it successful and gained wide popularity. In 1933, the company shifted to men’s skincare, but it still wasn’t as popular as lipstick, so management eventually renamed the business Tancho Corporation. This happened in 1959.
However, the second launch of men’s products was more successful. A Japanese cosmetics company introduced the series, called Mandom, in 1970, making it its first product released outside the country. For this, the manufacturer launched an advertisement featuring Hollywood celebrities. After a few weeks of marketing videos, the line became Japan’s #1-selling men’s grooming brand.
After receiving high demand for new products, the company changed its name to Mandom. This event is dated 1971. The rapid sales growth is significant and preserves the original identity. The fact is that the name of the series (and then the corporation) comes from the end of two keywords: huMAN (man) and freeDOM (freedom). Allegorically, this means respect for human dignity and freedom of choice.
Over time, the Japanese cosmetics manufacturer introduced other lines, each becoming an independent trademark. It became a public company in 1988 and expanded internationally in the 2000s. As a result, its symbolism is well known abroad today. In total, the brand has three emblems in its arsenal.
What is Mandom?
Mandom is a Japanese cosmetics corporation with several sub-brands that produce men’s and women’s skincare and haircare products. It owns Pucelle, Pixy, Bifesta, Lucido (two lines), and Gatsby. The company was founded by Shinpachiro Nishimura in 1927 and was initially called Kintsuru Perfume Corporation, then Tancho Corporation. It received its current name in 1971. Its head office is located in Osaka.
1971 – 1983
Mandom Corporation’s first logo is associated with a line of men’s cosmetics for maintaining personal hygiene. The sign uses a monochrome palette and looks like a silver print on a dark plate. This is the company’s “coat of arms”: a contour portrait of a serious man looking to the left. His head is located in profile and is composed of thin strokes. The background is a black rectangle with a white border. Below, the company name appears in bold capital letters. The symbols are large and geometric, with massive serifs.
1983 – 2021
After a 1983 redesign, the cosmetics company received a super-modern badge. It conveys continuous development, improvement, and forward momentum. The logo has become minimalist and abstract, made up of several turquoise shapes. It consists of two triangles and one parallelogram. They are interconnected to form the steps of a diagonal staircase leading up. Below them is the corporation’s name, composed of thin, elongated characters painted in a light gray tint. The Intra-letter space in each is a vertical rectangle.
2021 – today
The current version of the logo is even more stylish than the previous one. It is also allegorical, symbolizing the cosmetic corporation’s continued growth and progress. The new emblem consists of two elements that resemble upward-pointing arrows. They resemble victory signs (V) or the letter “M,” with fragments placed close together. The text reads “mandom” in lowercase, sans-serif. The letterforms are rounded, smooth, and graceful, with a vertical stripe on the “d” cut diagonally.
Font and Colors
The evolution of the Mandom logos shows continuous simplification. If earlier the visual identity contained few graphic elements and many written ones (name + slogan), the opposite is true. It consists of several geometric shapes and only one inscription. At the same time, the designers focus on integrating the concept and identity, and they achieve this successfully.
Each of the three logos for this Japanese brand uses its own typeface, none of which is repeated across the options. So, the inscription is set in bold grotesque in the debut emblem. The Offroad Light font (developed by Grype) is used with rounded outer corners in the second case. The third version favors a typeface reminiscent of Alte Haas Grotesk Bold with a diagonally cut top at the “d.” The corporate logo palette is not numerous: it is dominated by black, gray, white, and turquoise.