Equinor, originally known as Statoil, is a Norwegian multinational energy company that primarily focuses on oil and gas exploration, production, and renewable energy. It is the largest oil and gas company in Norway and Northern Europe. The company is one of the largest suppliers of crude oil and gas on the world market. It provides about 60% of Norway’s offshore hydrocarbon production. The company has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning towards a more sustainable energy future.
Statoil was established on July 14, 1972, as a state-owned enterprise in Norway. Statoil played a significant role in developing Norway’s oil and gas sector. The name Equinor, which was announced in 2018, was formed by combining “equi”, the first part of words like equal, equality, and equilibrium, and “nor”, the part that reminds the company that it is proud of its Norwegian origins. It better reflected the company’s shifting focus to renewable energy. This was the first time in world history that a state-owned oil company has drastically changed its name. In 2022, it became Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas. The company joined the world’s largest oil and gas companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP. In 2024, Equinor acquired 9.8% of the Danish company Ørsted, a global leader in offshore wind energy, which shows that the company is expanding its activities and taking a course towards renewable energy.
What is Equinor?
Equinor is Norway’s largest oil company and one of the largest such companies in Europe. It focuses on a balanced energy portfolio that includes oil, gas, and renewables. Norway is Equinor’s largest shareholder.
The original logo features a professional, minimalistic design. The brand name is printed in white on a blue rectangle. This contrast and use of deep blue made the company look trustworthy and stable from the very start. The inscription is done using a bold, sans-serif font and all caps, which enhances the impression of a strong company. To the left of (sometimes above) the name, there is a drop-like yellow symbol. It became closely associated with the brand over the more than 20-year period that this logo was used.
A modernized logo design was introduced in 2007. The inscription is the only element in the logo. The company moved to a more distinctive shade of blue that gave it a unique look. The font has also been changed. It features a clean, modern sans-serif design with bold, uniform strokes. The combination of diagonal and straight terminals as well as small arches makes the inscription look sophisticated and distinct.
The design of this logo is quite unexpected for a company that deals with oil and gas on a large scale. Yet, its striking appearance surely makes it stand out among other logos. The name is done using a modern, clean font with balanced proportions and smooth curves. The black color of the company looks professional and well-established. The extra-large illustration that resembles a flower is done in a fuchsia gradient and has a three-dimensional appearance. It adds a dynamic and energetic element.
The new logo features a bright red color palette that gives it a bold weight, providing a strong and assertive appearance. The new font has smooth curves and slanted cuts. The characters are well-balanced with consistent stroke widths. The designer flipped the flower-like illustration and made it look flat and slightly smaller. The design turned out smooth, stylish, and modern.
In the early years, when the company was known as Statoil, it used a bold, sans-serif font that resembled Frutiger Cyrillic 75 Black font. In 2007, the font was changed to one that looked like Etelka Medium font and Accord Alt Bold font. Later, it switched to a different sans-serif font similar to Solitas Contrast Ext Regular font and Canossa-Book font. One of the most recent versions uses a font that looks like
As the company grew and evolved, so did the color palette. The original color palette looks standard, yet does a great job representing the company as serious and trustworthy. It features deep blue, yellow, and white. More than 20 years later, the logo had only a muted sky blue color. Next, it featured a combination of a strong, classic black and fuchsia, a vibrant, eye-catching color that combines elements of pink and purple. Fuchsia can symbolize confidence and empowerment and inspire innovation. In 2018, the color palette changed to a bold and powerful shade of red.