Who does not know about Samsung? Samsung is a massive electronic brand that offers a wide range of products in the technology sector, such as mobile phones, washing machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and more. Samsung has been established for almost a century, and since then it has been innovating continuously.
Samsung’s strong brand identity undoubtedly contributes to its lasting presence in the market. The Samsung logo we recognize today has undergone numerous transformations throughout its development, ultimately establishing a powerful brand presence in the minds of people worldwide.
Recently, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced their achievement in entering Interbrand’s “Global Top 5” for five continuous years. So, what is their strategy? What makes Samsung longlasting?
This article will explore Samsung in depth, beginning with the iconic Samsung logo and examining how it achieves brand recognition that has driven it to the forefront of industrial technology today. Let’s dive right in!
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Samsung is a combination of two words, “Sam” and “Sung,” which in Korean means “three stars.” This name was directly chosen by Samsung’s founder, Lee Byung-chull, with the hope that the company would become great, strong, and eternal like the stars in the sky.
“Sam” means three. In Korean culture, the number three is often associated with something big, plentiful, and strong. Meanwhile, “Sung” means star, representing something bright, powerful, and eternal.
Some might wonder—if “Samsung” means “three stars,” then where are the stars in the logo? We’re all familiar with the iconic dark blue, oval-shaped Samsung logo, right? But long before this version, Samsung’s identity was defined by a three-star symbol that dated back to its founding in 1938 and remained until 1993. Since then, the logo has evolved, reflecting the spirit of each era. This article will explore in detail the fascinating transformation of the Samsung logo over the years.
In today’s dynamic technology landscape, a brand’s visual identity will continually evolve to stay in tune with the latest trends. The Samsung’s iconic logo has undergone significant transformations over the years. Every transformation showcases the brand’s commitment to innovation and highlights the remarkable evolution in industrial technology.
The evolution of the Samsung logo tells the brand story of combining tradition and modernity, representing growth and advancement of the ever-evolving electronic industry. Below is the evolution process of the Samsung logo across generations:
The first Samsung logo looked like a stamp that had various elements in it. This initial logo used a brandmark logo that gave a classic and traditional vibe. Back then, the Samsung Group was originally a trading company with no main logo at all. It utilized a Hanja, or Korean character, written as “sam-seong,” which means “three stars,” with a circular frame and a wheat symbol. The Samsung logo initially looked like that because the company’s early focus was on the agriculture and trade sectors.
During this period, the Samsung logo was simplified to cater to the growing Western market. Here, Samsung removed the wheat symbol elements and retained the three-star symbol in the simplified logo, transforming it into a logogram and adding the Samsung lettermark.
Samsung had adopted a clearer and more modern design in this period. It simplified the logogram by removing the frame around the stars and using a bolder typography, making the logo more modern and straightforward.
The Samsung logo from this era resembled its previous version, with only a slight modification in boldness. The Samsung lettermark had been enhanced to reflect the brand’s global ambition and dedication to innovation.
The redesign in this era was a major breakthrough from Samsung, boldly removing its iconic three stars to create a lettermark logo. The logo was designed to be minimalist yet modern, featuring a blue oval shape that symbolizes the company’s global ambitions and values, including stability, reliability, and technology; it also displayed the word “Samsung” with the horizontal line in the letter “A” removed. Samsung chose this major breakthrough to demonstrate its focus on expanding its global reach and the company’s future innovations.
The newest Samsung logo removes the iconic oval frame and chooses to utilize a clean, bold, and modern lettermark. The meticulous design pays attention to the letter spacing to enhance the logo visibility. Additionally, this version expresses a much more contemporary feel by maintaining the absolute balance between visual and typography.
The Samsung logo has been around for almost a century. Therefore, Samsung has undergone several transformations that emphasize firmness and simplicity and demonstrate the company’s seriousness in reaching a global audience. Here is the meaning behind the Samsung logo:
Let’s talk about the Samsung logo from the years 1993 to 2005 before we transition to the current design. The legendary Samsung logo from that time became so renowned that many individuals mistakenly think it remains the latest version, rather than the current lettermark design.
The Samsung writing is placed in the form of a blue ellipse. The ellipse is not just a decorative shape, but it represents a global perspective and emphasizes Samsung’s role as a global leader in the international market. Overall, the elliptical shape represents the following:
Samsung created a visual symbol that aligned with its mission at the time, which was to connect people around the world while promoting innovation and momentum.
The blue color of the current Samsung logo is the right choice to represent the meaning of trust and technology while also unifying the company’s brand identity. This blue color has been chosen by Samsung since it was still using the iconic blue oval logo and has been maintained until now. The blue color used by Samsung represents the following values:
Since changing to the elliptical logo, Samsung has started creating its own typography. Samsung’s typography is an important element in representing its brand identity, reflecting the values of modernity, simplicity, and innovation. Therefore, let’s take on the meaning of the typography of the Samsung logo.
The success of the Samsung logo lies in its versatility, harmony, and simplicity with the core values of the brand. Its clean design ensures it is easily recognizable, and its timeless elements allow the Samsung logo to adapt to changing trends.
Moreover, its global influence in technological advancement has positively impacted the global market, thereby strengthening Samsung’s reputation as a trusted leader in technology.
The Samsung logo is more than just a visual identity. It is a symbol of values, vision, and a long journey into the future. From its beginnings as a trading company to becoming a global technology giant as it is now, Samsung continues to develop its branding to resonate with the global market.
The blue color of the current Samsung logo signifies innovation and stability, while the typography emphasizes simplicity and professionalism, supporting the company’s vision and mission for technological development in the global market. All elements unite to form a cohesive identity that represents Samsung’s technological capabilities and demonstrates its dedication to connecting people and shaping the future.
As briefly mentioned earlier, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced its achievement of re-entering the Interbrand “Global Top 5” for five consecutive years. Interbrand, a global brand consultancy, releases the “Best Global Brands” list every year, and in this year’s list, it was revealed that Samsung’s value reached US$100.8 billion, growing 10% year over year.
In conclusion, Samsung is one example of a brand that has successfully endured, evolved, and innovated with the changing times; there are still many other brands that have also succeeded. Therefore, it is important for us as brand owners or designers to study the success stories of well-known brands, from brand identity, logo evolution, and philosophy to branding strategies.
In this article, we have discussed the perspective of the Samsung logo, delving from the initial logo to the latest one, with the hope that we can understand how Samsung utilizes the power of the logo in its branding strategy.
The Samsung logo teaches us to always see and evaluate the end result. Many of us do not know the previous Samsung logos, when it was in the process of evolving and innovating to become the best. But now, who doesn’t know Samsung and its logo? Everyone knows it and can even recite it by heart.
So, keep growing and innovating until what you are working on becomes a world-renowned brand.
