Budweiser is the brand of an American lager beer, which is today manufactured by AB InBev. The lager was first introduced in 1876 and became incredibly popular across the United States. Today the famous beer is being distributed across the globe, being one of the leading world’s brands in its segment.
Meaning and history
Known as The King of Beers, Budweiser has a remarkable and instantly recognizable logo, which has gone through many redesigns during the history of the brand. Its bright color palette and minimalist sharp shape make it look decent and modern on any background.
The first three versions of the famous beer’s logo were very ornate, basing on the seals and coat of arms, with a lot of additional lettering. But in 1952 the company started to make it more minimalist and bold, in order to satisfy the tastes of the young audience and the overall progress.
1876 – 1910
The very first Budweiser logo was composed of a rectangular badge with cursive lettering, where the “Budweiser Lager Beer” was placed on the top line and featured the largest size. The ornate red coat of arms was located above the rectangle and had two wide ribbons coming out of it. It was an elegant and traditional for its time tag.
1910 – 1945
In 1910 the color palette was changed to red, blue and white, where the bold cursive lettering on a white background was placed inside a scarlet red rectangle with the coat of arms and ribbons in its upper part.
1945 – 1987
The label got more refined contours in 1945, and the rectangle was now vertically oriented. The inscription was now in a modest serif font, with additional lettering in a thin and fine cursive with curves and vignettes.
1952 – 1957
The redesign of 1952 brought modern minimalism to the beer’s visual identity. The white bold wordmark was placed in a red abstract geometric figure with a thick black outline. The Anheuser-Busch seal in thin white lines was placed above the wordmark, while the “King of Beers” tagline in all capitals was under the main inscription.
1957 – 1961
The iconic red bow-tie first appeared in 1957. It was placed inside a white rectangle with yellow and green triangles. The wordmark was still in white but enlarged in comparison to the previous version, and the Anheuser-Busch symbol was now executed in red and placed on a white part of the logo.
1961 – 1963
The version of 1961 featured a red bow tie with the white wordmark, placed on a white background with five thin egg-like contours in blue and gold. It was a light and playful logo, which stayed with the company for only two years.
1963 – 1968
For the next five years, starting in 1963, the company uses a single inscription, without any graphics. The husking letters are written in a bold serif typeface and feature three different colors: red, purple and green. The logo looks unique and friendly, evoking a sense of creativity and a welcoming feeling.
1968 – 1987
The bow-tie was brought back in 1968 and stayed for another twenty years. It was a neat and minimalist logo, with a simple white wordmark on a red background. Nothing else, no frames, outlines or additional letterings.
1987 – 1994
In 1987 the bow-tie was refined, gaining a black thin shadow. Its left part is now significantly smaller than the right one. As for the inscription, it also has a thin black shadow now, and the serif letters are italicized, reflecting progress and elegance.
1994 – 1999
The flat design came back in 1994. No shadows, no outline, just a red bow-time, and white wordmark. The only extra of this version was “Biere. Beer” tagline written in red capitals under the emblem.
1996 – 1999
A completely new emblem was designed in 1996 but stayed with the company for only three years. It was a red rectangle with a black outline. The logo resembled an aviation badge.
The white inscription was executed in an extra-bold italicized serif typeface with the rounded end of the letter “R”. It was a short experiment, and in 1999 the company comes back to an iconic bow-tie.
1999 – 2016
During the 17year period, the brand redesigns its logo a few times, but all the versions have a lot of things in common. They are all composed of a red bow-tie with a white cursive inscription and a gold crown above it. In the first version, the outline was red, which was changed to white in 2011.
2016 – Today
The current Budweiser logo is a simplified version of the previous one. The flat two-color design has no additional details, only the red background, and the white lettering. It looks sleek, professional and very modern, despite the use of an old-style script typeface.
Budweiser king of beers logo
Font
What does the Budweiser symbol mean?
The symbol of the Budweiser beer brand, which can be found in every can and bottle of the product is the seal of the Anheuser-Busch company, owning the famous brand. The seal depicts the ancient brewing traditions, showing barley and wheat spikes. As the graphical symbol is accompanied by the “King of Beers” inscription, which also refers to the historical heritage of the brand.
What shape is the Budweiser logo?
The iconic red and white Budweiser logo is executed in a unique recognizable geometric shape — a bow with slanted sides. The clean contours and sharp angles of the Budweiser bow represent the sharpness, progressiveness, and stability of the brand, which has been on top of the world beer ranking for decades.
Is the Budweiser logo a bowtie?
Yes, the famous Budweiser badge is executed in a modified bow-tie shape, with the sides slightly slanted, representing motion and development. The Budweiser bow is an internationally recognized insignia, which by today has already become synonymous witha beer of high quality. The original version of the iconic bow tie was introduced by the company at the end of the 1950s.
Why did Budweiser change its logo?
The latest redesign, held by Budweiser in 2016 was all about minimizing the concept of the beer’s badge. The new logo became brighter and cleaner, more laconic and distinctive, evoking a sense of professionalism and determination. This was made to show the brand’s growth, and its ability to change. Also, the new badge looks better on digital materials and web icons.
When did Budweiser change its logo?
Budweiser is a brand with a long history, and it’s only logical, that the logo of this brand was changed several times throughout the years, reflecting the motion and growth of the company. The very first redesign of the Budweiser logo (created in the middle of the 1870s) was held in 1910, introducing a banner, which stayed untouched for more than thirty years. From the middle of the 1940s to the middle of the 1960s the badge has been changed five times, with the modern and bright bow tie introduced in 1968. Since then, the badge of Budweiser has undergone several more changes, with the last redesign held in 2016.