● Shell Oil; a brief look into its origin and history.
● The progression of the logo. Over the years the iconic logo has had many changes made, resulting in the logo that we now see across the nation.
● Where is this logo now? One of the greatest logos of all time.
Our universe is filled with logos that have made lasting impressions. Some logos are so imprinted in our world that, without even knowing it, they have become substantial pieces of our culture. These are logos that have been a part of our world for so long that we subconsciously just expect them to be a part of it.
One of these is the iconic Shell Logo.
The Shell logo: the beginning
Although now many people recognize the iconic shell logo as their next service station stop, it wasn’t always that.
More than a century ago, in 1891, the shell logo began in a very humble beginning. Marcus Samuel and Company had begun to ship kerosene from London to India. They would bring back seashells for sale in the European markets as well. It wasn’t until 1897 that the decision was made to include Shell into the company name, and decided to incorporate a mussel shell into the logo.
Seven years later the company officially decided on a scallop shell for the logo. Shell continued to progress until 1915 when the company opened its first service station in California.
Along with the new service station came the red and yellow color scheme still used to this day. From a small kerosene shipping company to a now billion-dollar company with a revenue of $451.2 billion, this company has made huge strides since it’s the first day.
The Logo Progression
As any good logo does, the Shell Oil logo has changed drastically over the years. Let’s take a look at what these changes have been and how they have affected the company over the years.
The 1900s: When the shell logo first made its appearance in the early 1900s, it was a poorly drawn mussel shell. The mussel shell was drawn from an unattractive angle and lacked color. It was plain, poorly drawn and overall a poor representation of a mussel shell.
1909: The company decided that is was time for a re-do, but this was hardly an improvement. Although they had changed the mussel shell to a scallop shell (which considerably showed improvement), the logo still lacked a good color palette, leaving it looking dull and boring.
1948: This was, perhaps, when Shell Oil made it’s most impressive change. This is when colors were introduced and when we first see the logo become truly attractive. In the 1930s the logo had been redesigned to make the shell more appealing, but introducing color (in 1948) was what made the real difference.
Although the colors were an improvement, some of the earlier improvements introduced in the 1930s were missing in the new version. This gave the logo a fuzzy, hand-colored look.
1995: This was when, although the company kept their original colors, they decided on different textures and shades for it. These were friendly, easy tones of red and yellow. One of the reasons for this new, updated version was that the company had service stations in California and was making strides to stand out from their competitors.
1995 was also when the company made updates to the actual design, not just the colors. They chose to, although they kept the original design, trim the curves and make the shell truly stand out.
One of The Oldest and Greatest Logos Of All Time
Regardless of whether Shell Oil is your regular service station stop or merely an easily recognizable logo to you, there is one thing that we know for sure; this logo is well known across the nation and, over time has evolved to what we now know as an iconic piece of history.
Their logo has branded itself across their website, their service stations, and their culture.
Shell has approximately 25,000 Shell-branded gas stations throughout the U.S and serves thousands of people daily. The company has made great strides since it’s beginning in 1891 and, since then, has created a logo and brand that easily grabs people’s attention and leaves a memorable mark on them.
With many changes and a history that dates back to 1891 Shell Oil is most certainly deserving of a seat at the table of the world’s greatest and oldest logos.