Columbia is a famous American brand of sports-outerwear and shoe manufacturers. It was established in 1983 and by today is one of the most popular produces of activewear across the globe.
Columbia is one of those brands, that value their history and keeps using the iconic symbols, created for them at the beginning of their existence, as the main part of the visual identity. The brand, founded in 1938, used a simple wordmark until the introduction of the geometric emblem in 1978. It was a rhombus, composed of eight equal rectangles, which aimed to represent the woven textile.
The Columbia logo, created in 1990, boasted a bold emblem placed on the left from the elegant and smooth serif inscription in a title case, with a “Sportswear Company” tagline, executed in smaller letters of the same font, with almost no space between two words. The typeface of the logotype was very similar to ITC Gaillard Pro Roman, a sophisticated font with rounded lines and thick soft serifs.
The emblem, composed of four pairs of parallel rectangles, had its contours clean and neat, showing the textile pattern, and pointing to the company’s fundamental approach and attention to materials and their quality.
The redesign of 2011 changed the logotype of the Columbia visual identity, keeping the composition and emblem almost untouched. The iconic rhomboid emblem was just slightly smaller than on the previous version, while the wordmark, which is now composed of just the “Columbia” part, got enlarged.
The Columbia logotype, introduced in 2011, is executed in a title case of a sleek and bold custom font with smooth lines and serifs, which pointed to the right on the bottom edges of the lines, and to the left — on the upper ones. The typeface is close enough to such fonts as Serat Demi Bold and P22 Wedge Bold, but with its lines modified.
As for the color palette, the official one featured a black and white combination, but the brand often uses light blue inscription and emblem, placing them on a white background. Another option for the Columbia logo is yellow lettering on black. All three variants of color scheme represent a reliable and strong brand, which is ready to change with the need of its customers yet keeps its traditional approach to quality of design and fabrics.
What does the Columbia logo mean?
The iconic Columbia logo, which has been in use since the end of the 1970s, is a graphical representation of the standard weave method of textile yarns, a classic pattern, which is known as the Bug logo.
Is Columbia brand from Columbia?
Columbia is an American brand, although, it has nothing to do with the District of Columbia. The company was established in Portland, Oregon, the city, which is located in the Columbia River, hence the name of the famous activewear brand.
What is the Columbia Pictures logo?
The official logo of the Columbia Pictures company depicts an image of Columbia, a female symbol of the United States of America, which was the number one signifier of the country before the appearance in the Statue of Liberty.
Is Columbia Made in USA?
Yes, Columbia is a clothing brand from the United States. Established and headquartered in Oregon, today the company has its stores all over the globe, but all the clothes of the brand are manufactured in the USA.