Danone is a French brand of a food producer and distributor, which was established in 1919 by Isaac Carasso. Danone is one of the largest corporations in the world, which sells its products in more than 130 countries across the globe.
Meaning and history
The Danone logo is a sign of quality, a reflection of the company’s trustworthy and loyalty. As one of the world’s biggest manufacturer of dairy products, the company has a perfect reputation and aims to provide their consumers with the best foods possible.
The Danone logo hasn’t changed much during the brand’s history, it was always composed of a stylized wordmark and only in the 1990s the graphical emblem was created.
1919 – 1968
The original Danone logo, designed in 1919, has stayed with the company for almost half a century. It was a solid red uppercase lettering in a stable geometric sans-serif typeface, with the horizontal bar of the “A” replaced by a small triangle pointing down, and the middle bar of the “E” — by a solid red circle.
1968 – 1980
The first redesign of the Danone logo was held in 1968, and it was a complete change of style and mood. First of all, the intense red color of the lettering was changed to deep blue. Secondly, the wordmark was rewritten in a totally different typeface — with the softened arched shapes of the characters and straight cuts of the bars. The new “O” was drawn in the shape of an egg.
1970 – 1995
The first logo was designed in 1968 and was composed of a white all-caps lettering placed on a purple horizontally located oval, which bottom side was separated by three white lines, the purple “Danone” in capital letters is placed beyond the oval.
1971 – 1994
The color palette and shape changes. The white wordmark is located on a blue hexagon with all angle rounded except the top and the bottom ones. The hexagon is composed of two parts — the upper one with the wordmark on it is in deep blue, while the bottom smaller part is executed in a friendly light blue color.
1992 – 2004
The red curve appears on the logo. It is placed in the bottom part of a solid blue hexagon. The logo becomes brighter and stronger.
2004 – Today
The red ribbon transforms into a smile sign, placed under the wordmark in a modern white typeface. The hexagon is replaced by an oval with two sides cut and angles rounded. This version of the Danone logo is warm and evokes a sense of trustworthy and professionalism.
2013 – 2020
This Danone logo is based on the previous version, but the color are switched. Not the wordmark is blue and the background is white, and that makes the red smile element look more confident.
2020 – Today
In 2020, Danone introduced a refreshed version of its logo as part of a broader rebranding effort to align with its vision for sustainability and health-focused initiatives. The overall concept remained the same, but all the elements got simpler, hence stronger. The bars of the characters got thinner, and the gradient shades were replaced by solid blue. As for the recognizable smile underline, it was enlarged and brightened up.
The Emblem
For the most part of its history, Danone used only the logotype in its visual identity, but in the 1990s the brand decided to finally create an emblem, which would fully reflect all the company’s values and vision.
The 1990s
The emblem is an image of the boy’s face looking at the star. The boy is turned left and is executed in a solid white with his eye in blue, which is perfectly balanced by a blue circle of the background.
The figure of the boy is a representation of Daniel Carasso, who was the son of the brand’s founder.
2017 – Today
The color palette of the emblem is slightly changed, the blue color became lighter and gradient now. The boy turns his face to the right. The tagline “One planet, One health” appears under the image, executed in a handwritten styled all-caps lettering in a light blue color.
The Danone emblem is a reflection of the brand’s heritage and roots, as well as its aims and goals for a progressive future.
Font and color
The bold and elegant uppercase lettering from the primary logo of the Danone brand is set in a clean sans-serif typeface, which has somewhat in common with such commercial fonts as Noveau Poster JNL and Feltboard JNL, but with significant modifications of the contours.
The color scheme of the Danone logo remains consistent with Danone’s long-standing identity. Blue evokes trust, purity, and naturalness—qualities that Danone has built its reputation on over decades. And the red of the smile makes the logo more dynamic and reflects the company’s evolving role in the global marketplace.