{"id":27037,"date":"2023-10-13T15:51:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T19:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-715453-3009179.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=27037"},"modified":"2023-10-15T21:45:11","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T01:45:11","slug":"adidas-logo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-715453-3009179.cloudwaysapps.com\/blog\/adidas-logo\/","title":{"rendered":"The Adidas Logo: A Look Behind the Stripes"},"content":{"rendered":"
Whether you\u2019re an avid runner, outdoorsy in your own right, or just someone who enjoys a nice stroll in athletic shoes, chances are you own a pair of Adidas. And if you don\u2019t own a pair? You probably have a few friends or family members who do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The iconic Adidas logo can be found across all of the brand’s sportswear and apparel and is instantly recognizable in its many forms today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Adidas logo has a rich and interesting history. Let\u2019s travel back in time to a small town in Germany and unpack the evolution of the Adidas logo.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The (pre-) Adidas brand began under an entirely different name. Known then as the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory, or <\/span>Gebr\u00fcder Dassler Schuhfabrik,<\/span><\/i> the company was named after the two cobbler brothers who started it all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The original logo under the brother\u2019s surname looked vastly different from what we\u2019re used to seeing today – no bars (or stripes, as they\u2019re also referred to) were anywhere to be found.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspired by the Dassler family crest, the shoemaker\u2019s very first logo dons a bird in flight with a large wingspan and a single shoe in its beak. Adolf and Rudolf Dassler (known as Adi and Rudi respectively) chose this <\/span>symbol<\/span><\/a> to represent an athlete\u2019s perseverance in the face of challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n Little did the two brothers know at the time, they would face a few challenges of their own.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Despite forming the shoe company together with good intentions, there was trouble in the air. Tensions arose between the Dassler brothers, leading not only to a split but to a full rebrand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There have been many theories as to what exactly caused the feud. One theory claims that the brother\u2019s wives did not see eye to eye, causing friction in the family. Another theory claims their rift grew out of war-related matters.<\/span><\/p>\n Adi would solely take over the company by 1950, renaming it Adidas (the combination of his first and last name – <\/span>Adi<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Das.)\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n From here, it was clear to Adi that a logo update was needed. It was time to differentiate his new Adidas brand from what it previously was as \u201cDassler.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The very first, albeit short-lived, Adidas logo included Adolf Dassler\u2019s full name at the top, as well as the new Adidas brand name with <\/span>sportschuhe <\/span><\/i>(<\/span>sports shoes<\/span>) at the bottom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The symbol in the middle was <\/span>a shoe with the tell-tale track and field spikes on the side. The sports shoe was nestled between two elongated \u2018d\u2019 tails growing out of the word \u2018adidas\u2019 at the very bottom. It\u2019s all in the <\/span>details<\/span><\/i>, after all!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the company gained traction, the name and its logo both simplified and amplified further, showcasing only the white lowercase \u2018adidas\u2019 <\/span>text<\/span><\/a> encased in a bold, black rectangle. The font remained similar to its previous look, with a slight thickening for an added emphasis or \u2018pop\u2019 effect. Truly unmissable!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Adidas logo in this format would carry over into the logo we all recognize today. Similarly, the monochromatic <\/span>color<\/span><\/a> scheme would remain unchanged (whether its black, white, or their iconic shade of blue.) Only short-term, future campaigns would incorporate other colors, i.e., a rainbow.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n From this point forward, the company went on to produce more than just sports shoes. Branching into other sportswear and apparel, the brand included several iterations of the Adidas 3-stripe logo over a vast period of time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 1967, the wordmark logo morphed once again, though very minimally: inverting the colors, removing the framing, and altering the <\/span>font<\/span><\/a> to a specific <\/span>sans serif<\/span><\/a> called<\/span> ITC Avant Garde Gothic<\/a>. The previously sharp ends of the <\/span>a\u2019s <\/span><\/i>were blunted, the tails on the <\/span>d\u2019s<\/span><\/i> were shortened, and the rounded dot above the <\/span>i <\/span><\/i>became a square.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This more compact version of the Adidas logo is as simple as it is effective and can be found on all of their brand materials today.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the 1970\u2019s hit, Adidas began to branch out from being just a <\/span>sports shoe<\/span> company and entered into the realm of sportswear. As their product offering expanded, so too did their logo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This was the first time since the brand\u2019s inception that a symbol would (re)appear alongside the <\/span>wordmark<\/span><\/a>. Unlike the original track sneaker icon, however, this new symbol would remain in permanent circulation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The steadfast trefoil logo, representing a 3-leaved plant, has the trademark 3-stripes covering its bottom half (noticing a trend with 3\u2019s?) This logo would begin to appear on Adidas clothing as of 1972, and shortly thereafter on their shoes as of 1976.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The trefoil symbolizes the vast product line Adidas offers. Used consistently through the 1990\u2019s, the logo had a resurgence in 2001, lasting from then until the present time. Indeed, you\u2019ll often see the icon worn by many celebrities today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\nThe evolution of the Adidas logo<\/h2>\n
1924 – 1949: A symbol of family<\/h3>\n
1949 – 1950: Sibling rivalry<\/h3>\n
1950 – 1971: Adidas shoes land on two feet<\/h3>\n
1967 – Today: Plain and simple<\/h3>\n
1971 – Today: Unveiling the iconic trefoil logo<\/h3>\n
1991 – Today: Climb every mountain<\/h3>\n