Asics is a Japanese brand of sports footwear, which was established in 1949 by Kihachiro Onitsuka. Today the brand is one of the world’s leaders in the sportswear fashion market and is highly popular in many countries across the globe.
ASICS is a brand built around the philosophy of “A sound mind in a healthy body”, and everything in its indenting, starting with the name, and finishing with its emblem, is a symbol of balance, wellbeing, and harmony.
The iconic emblem, designed by Herb Lubalin in 1977, was aimed to represent not only a sports track or a disc but also the growth and progress of a person, engaged in sports activities.
The original ASICS logo which has become iconic throughout the years was introduced in 1977 and featured a sleek edgy emblem placed on the left from the bold lowercase logotype, executed in a custom sans-serif typeface. The smooth lines of the logo symbolize motion and speed, reflecting the thoughtful concept of the brand and its values of health, success, and wellbeing. The bright blue color palette of the ASICS visual identity reflected the brand as a reliable and trustworthy one, pointing to freedom, lightness, and friendliness.
One of the most recognizable icons in history, the ASICS emblem featured a stylized letter “A” in the lowercase, Fran as a diagonally oriented oval with the upper part of the letter having its end curved and sharpened.
Though the company’s logo was almost perfection and stayed with the brand for more than twenty years, in 2003 ASICS decides to redesign it, sleeping the iconic emblem untouched, but changing the color palette and the typeface of the lettering.
The current ASICS logo boasts a modern italicized sans-serif typeface with thick lines and solid progressive shapes, evoking a sense of energy and dynamics. The new dark blue color of the logo adds confidence and seriousness, showing the fundamental approach of the brand and its value of quality in everything.
As for the color palette, the bright and dark shade of blue looks luxury and expensive, showing the strong sides of the brand and elevating the look of the whole logo. Blue stands for professionalism, expertise, and power, along with the reliability and loyalty of the company to its customers.