The English fashion brand Burberry was started in 1856 and as a brand with a legacy of over 100 years, it has seen a number of business cycles. Playing an important part in this journey has been the Burberry logo meaning it has recently seen an update. The company originally focused on outdoor attire but then graduated to the high fashion market.
| Burberry Group plc Information | |
| Founded | 1856 |
| Founder | Thomas Burberry |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Official website | www.burberryplc.com |
Burberry released a new logo and monogram in August 2018. Created by graphic designer Peter Saville, the new Burberry logo heralded the brand’s new innings under chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci. The new Burberry emblem was quite radical since it did away with the age old “Equestrian Knight” and named the label in a bolder and more contemporary font. The new minimalistic Burberry emblem stated the brand name in all caps followed by a smaller “LONDON ENGLAND” below it. In a sense, the brand took the well-traveled path of minimalistic design approach followed by Louis Vuitton, Céline, Tom Ford, Fendi, and Chanel.
The creative duo also came up with a pattern of interlocking Ts and Bs to make a “TB” monogram, inspired by the initials of the brand’s founder, Thomas Burberry. The monogram, which will feature prominently in advertising, brought together a striking combination of orange honey, classic white, and the well-known Burberry beige. The monogram was the result of Tisci’s visit to Burberry archives and dates back to 1908.
In a way, the brand’s first experiment in nearly 20 years, was a balanced approach of ditching a globally well-known design element (Equestrian Knight) and bringing up something from the archives (Monogram).
Burberry Logo Meaning – The Equestrian Knight
Although the Burberry logo was established in 1856, it was only in 1901 that the Equestrian Knight appeared for the first time in the company’s clothing range. The Burberry emblem was accompanied by the Latin word “Prorsum” meaning “forward”.
The equestrian stands for nobleness and honor while the shield refers to protection. The latter is a direct reference to the immense protection gabardine fabric offered from snow and water. Thomas Burberry – the founder of Burberry – invented the waterproof fabric in 1879 and it turned out to be quite a game changer from the then-popular Mackintosh raincoats which were heavy and movement-restricting.
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In order to distinguish its products from cheap imitations, Thomas Burberry registered the Equestrian Knight logo in 1909, although it appeared for the first time in 1901. Over the years, there were small changes to the Burberry logo and the typeface but the Equestrian Knight maintained its visual identity until it was dropped in 2018.