Black Flag Logo PNG
Black Flag has been known as America’s oldest insecticide brand. While the corporate website states it was founded in 1833, other sources mention another year, 1883. In 2011, the brand was acquired by Spectrum Brands.
Meaning and history
The symbolism behind the Black Flag logo has always been transparent. The design literally features a black flag. It’s interesting, though, to trace how it has been modified over time.
1900 – 1925
While the insecticide was introduced in 1833 (according to the brand’s website), it’s hard to say when the first real logo was made. One of the earliest examples of the package featured a gray logo. Here, you could see the name of the brand in large sans serif letters. The wordmark looked clean and perfectly legible due to the classic shape of the glyphs. The choice of type was somewhat unusual for the era when beauty was associated with refined and elaborate details and so many logotypes were very cluttered.
However, the overall design wasn’t very clean, too. That partly resulted from the way the flag looked. It was placed between in the middle of the wordmark and had a rather realistically-looking uneven edge. There were characters “IP” inside and the lettering “trademark” below. All this created some visual noise.
As if to make matters worse, a tagline was placed below. It featured an italicized serif typeface, which couldn’t boast the minimalist look of the main wordmark.
What is Black Flag
Products sold under the Black Flag brand provide tools for insect control. The range has two types of products. Some of them kill insects without any poison, whereas others use insecticide.
1925 – 1975
The design was simplified. The updated logo would have looked modern even in our time. The flag was made larger, which meant that the logo now better worked even in small sizes. Also, the flag was colored black, to better fit the name of the brand.
The light yellow of the wordmark stands out over the black background almost as good as white. And yet, due to this color, the design gets a unique touch impossible for a black-and-white palette.
1975 – 2003
The emblem was simplified and grew brighter. The edges of the flag became straight – it was almost a proper square now. The letters became larger and bolder – they now occupied more space.
The yellow of the letters became brighter, more saturated. As a result, the palette lost the refined touch of the previous one. It was more aggressive now.
Also, a gray outline was drawn for the flag, which added some dimension.
2003 – 2013
This design has more depth than the previous one. This partly results from the wave on the flag and partly from the gradient on the flag and the letters. Also, the letters have 3D sides and shades.
Another important update is the addition of a sharp end on the pole holding the flag. This element emphasizes the aggressive nature of the product sold under this brand.
2013 – present
The aggressive theme couldn’t be more straightforward. Showing the body of dead tarragon might be off-putting, but probably we should take into consideration the niche – people who want to start a war with the unwanted insects. Then again, there is also a truncated version without the tarragon.
The type got sharp “fangs,” to contribute to the “aggressiveness” theme. The flag was redrawn, too.
Colors and font
There has been some playing around with the shades, but on the whole, the palette has almost always consisted of yellow and black.
Historically, the Black Flag was based on a rather clean sans. The 2013 logo is more of an exception. Here, the sans serif type adopted “sharper” elements to better fit the product.
