Oldest Logos That Are Still Relevant & Exist

Last updated on March 6th, 2023

Logos are memorable visuals that we associate with a brand or service. Consumers first see a logo to identify a product as genuine from a brand they trust. That proves the power of a logo in helping people make the right buying decisions. So, an older logo becomes a symbol of trust and authority. Many old company logos have been around for centuries. They are now part of the culture.

Once businesses operated and ran successfully without extensive marketing campaigns, advertisements, television commercials, social media, and other such means. In those times, a company’s logo was a chief promotional tool.

But with the changing times, most brands have dramatically modified or completely changed their old logos. Sometimes, such design changes become inevitable when a brand redefines its business.

Often, expert logo designers advise against frequent modifications in a logo design. This is because its audience has built some emotional attachment to the logo over the years.

Many brands boast of having old logos that are at least a century old. These logos have kept their core visual elements the same for decades and hundreds of years. For example, Stella Artois, the oldest company in the world, had a horn in its logo design as its iconic feature. The horn is still unchanged in the logo after many centuries.

But companies keep their original logo designs intact for a reason. They see their old logos as their most effective selling point. Old logos are symbols of trust and authority. So, companies use old logos to win customers’ faith. With such logos, brands have a decisive edge over their new competitors.

Here Are The Oldest Logos Whose Design Stays The Same After Hundreds of Years

01. Stella Artois – Unchanged For 659 Years

Stella Artois is a Belgian beer brand widely recognized as the best-selling beer in the world. The company started its business in 1366. Its logo also is one of the oldest logo designs surviving today. The original design had a horn which is still a prominent feature of the logo.

The company kept its original horn logo the same over hundreds of years, though many management changes took place. Nevertheless, the horn used to beckon travelers in Belgium in those days continues to be the chief design feature of the logo.

02. Twinings Tea – Unchanged For 236 Years

Twinings is one of the oldest tea brands from the U.K., distributing tea in more than 100 countries. Its logo has remained unchanged for over two centuries after it was first designed in 1787. The logo has the company name in capitalized font, and a lion crest is above the brand name. The design has been unchanged for the last 236 years, making it one of the oldest logos.

03. Peugeot – Unchanged For 174 Years

Peugeot is amongst the world’s leading automakers and was also active in the bicycle business once. Its logo originally had a standing lion, which underwent some design modifications. The lion in the modern logo is in its natural pose on four feet. But the central element lion continues to be the chief attraction of the logo.

04. Bass Ale – Unchanged For 158 Years

Bass Ale is one of the leading beer producers in England. Its logo is also among the oldest designs and has been used since 1876. It was also the first logo that the British government registered as a trademark.

The company’s logo design is still more or less unchanged. Its triangular shape has been the chief feature and identity throughout the decades. While the initial design appeared in black and white enclosed in an oval shape, the modern design still retains the triangle but in red. Except for the company name, the rest of the text is missing, which makes it a simple but memorable logo of all times.

05. Heinz Logo – Unchanged For 150 Years

Heinz is among the world’s oldest food companies, and so is its logo design. The company launched its business in 1869 by selling the founder Henry Heinz’s mother’s garden vegetables. It sold bottles of horseradish in the U.S. markets, sold condiments in 1876, and introduced its ketchup products worldwide.

The Heinz logo looks almost the same today as it was in 1869. The original bottle shape of the logo design has always been kept the same by the company. Its shape, font, and size remained more or less unchanged. Today, the logo appears in green, red, yellow, and black.

06. Levi Strauss & Co. – Unchanged For 148 Years

The denim jeans producer company Levi’s logo, was first launched in 1886. The logo depicted pulling a pair of jeans in opposite directions to show the strength of the fabric. At that time, this horse logo design was popular with the masses.

The logo was so popular with customers that they would buy these pants by asking shopkeepers for “those pants with two horses.” As a result, there have not been many changes in Levi’s logo design.

07. Johnson & Johnson – Unchanged For 136 Years

Johnson & Johnson is known worldwide for producing and distributing sterile surgical dressings. The company was founded in 1886 and started using its now-famous logo in 1887. Its logo is in script font and was initially based on the company’s founder James Wood Johnson’s signatures.

Now the well-designed red signature is one of the most recognizable images in the world. The logo has not been modified much since its first use 136 years ago.

08. Prudential – Unchanged For 127 Years

Prudential Financial Inc. is today one of the leading global financial organizations, conducting its business in 40 countries. It is amongst the world’s prominent life insurance companies, founded in 1875. The company launched its ‘Rock of Gibraltar’ logo in 1896, with the rock symbol appearing first in a newspaper.

At that time, the company advertised its business with the tagline ‘The Prudential has the strength of Gibraltar.’ One of the reasons for adopting the rock design was that it stood for the company’s motivation of ‘strength, stability, expertise, and innovation.’

09. Shell Oil – Unchanged For 122 Years

Shell, a leading petroleum oil conglomerate, is amongst the largest energy companies. The company started operating in 1900. But its logo design’s modern standing shell shape originates from the logo adopted in 1904. Previously, the logo was a flat shell design.

The company logo has remained the same for over a century. The only difference between the original and modern Shell logo is in colors and refined shape. The shell shape is now a well-proportioned and elegant design created with a design grid. Yellow and red colors catch the eye and make the design unique and attractive.

10. Sherwin-Williams – Unchanged For 118 Years

Sherwin-Williams is among the world’s leading paint manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, with more than 4,000 stores worldwide. Its logo designer is unique and has mostly stayed the same for nearly 118 years since its first use.

The company first created this ‘cover the earth’ logo in the 1890s. But the concept of a canister pouring out the color on the entire globe was not acceptable to the officials immediately. The company officials had some reservations about the design. They officially started using the logo in 1905. The design perfectly illustrates the company’s proliferating global business.

So, these are some of the oldest logos with their design unchanged after hundreds of years. They are the symbols of authority and trust among consumers.

When creating your brand’s logo, you can get ideas and inspiration from these old iconic logos. If your budget is insufficient to hire an expensive logo designer or agency, don’t worry! You can still create a professional logo using a logo maker DIY tool. It takes just a few minutes to create a logo on your own, no matter whether you’re a novice or a pro designer.

Wrapping Up

Many companies have kept their logo designs the same for centuries. These old logos are great brand identities that people trust. These are some of the oldest logos that companies still use. It proves that a business can still do a roaring business by keeping old logo designs.

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