Emerson Radio Corporation is one of the major volume consumer electronics distributors in the United States. Also, it is very proud of its brand – the company has had a recognized trademark in continuous use since 1912. Emerson Radio creates and sells various product lines in different corners of the globe.
The company was incorporated in 1915 under the name of Emerson Phonograph Co. Five years later, it opened its first factories in Chicago and Boston.
What is Emerson Radio?
Emerson Radio is the name of an American manufacturer of home appliances, which was established in 1912. At the very beginning of its history, the company was mainly focused on the manufacturing of radios, hence the name of the brand.
The original Emerson logo was created in 1948 and featured a monochromatic composition with the full name of the company set in a bold italic serif font with an elongated and curved line of the “E”. The lettering was set on a transparent background and underlined by the “and Television”, set in a smaller size.
The overall structure of the Emerson logo has remained unchanged for the last half a century. If you take a look at the previous logo, you will see it still features a musical note and the wordmark, like the current one. Yet, the typography and the shape of the note are different.
On the old emblem, the note is oriented vertically. It is placed inside a white circle. In its turn, the circle is placed inside a black square. Also, in the center of the music note, there is a black circle inside a white circle, which, in its turn, is encircled by a ring. This element brings to mind the old radios and, therefore, creates the link with the name of the company and the industry in which it works.
The typography looks elegant and dynamic. The letters imitate cursive handwriting, although they don’t have links between them. The strokes have varying widths, like in classic calligraphy. Also, the ends of some of the letters (the “r,” the “s,” and the “n,” for instance) have decorative dots. The dots seem to have been formed by the ink that gathered there when the ink pen stopped.
However, on the whole, the type looks generic, except maybe for the “E” with its elongated top bar.
The updated Emerson Radio logo looks more dynamic and unique.
The note has been tilted, which added some motion. The combination of circles and rings in its middle resembles an old gramophone record. In this way, the company hints at its long history (in addition to the “music” message, which has come from the previous emblem).
The motion effect also comes from the italicized type. The wordmark has been redrawn from scratch, and now has a more streamlined style. The letters are now formed by the glyphs of equal width, and there are no more decorative dots at the ends. Interestingly, some of the glyphs on the Emerson logo still stand apart, like in the previous version, while other glyphs have been connected (the “e” and “m” and the “e” and “r”). This approach adds an individual touch.
The smooth and futuristic title case lettering from the primary badge of Emerson Radio is set in a custom sans-serif typeface with italicized glyphs, rounded angles, and clean contours. The closest fonts to the one, used in the Emerson badge, are, probably, Conthrax Italic, Korataki Book Italic, and Shary ISemi Bold, but with most contours modified.
As for the color palette of the Emerson visual identity, it is set in a classic combination of black and white; with no bright accents. The monochrome scheme makes the Emerson logo timeless and elegant and allows placing it on various backgrounds, and ornate decorations.