|
Perhaps the strongest example of “ less is more” is the Bayer cross.
Beginning life as an intricate heraldic shield, the logo became instantly recognizable only after its design was pared down to bare essentials.
Today:
The Bayer cross has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 75 years.
 1861:
Bayer’s first logo, which depicts a lion and grid, pays tribute to the coat of arms of Elberfeld, the Germany city where the company was founded.
1886:
The logo becomes more intricate. Numerous heraldic elements are added to project a heroic company image.
1895:
Bayer introduces a new logo featuring a lion hold a caduceus, the symbol of physicians, and resting one paw on a globe, an indication of the company’s self-confident and international intentions. Later, when public taste shifts away from such heroic designs, the Bayer lion is retired.
1900:
Hans Schneider, an employee in Bayer’s pharmaceutical department, sketches the company’s name in a cross-like configuration. Four years later, his design becomes an alternative trademark.
 1904:
In the European market the Bayer cross is used with the lion; abroad, the cross is used alone.
1929:
The Bayer cross is given its present-day appearance. Pared down to bare essentials, the design works equally, stamped on tiny aspirin tablets or lighting up the night sky, as it does in the giant illuminated sign atop the Bayer plant in Leverkusen. |
