Finish Line is the name of the sports apparel and footwear retail company, which was established in 1976 in the United States. Today the company has almost 700 of its owns branded stores across America and also operates through one of the biggest retailers in the region – Macy’s.
The visual identity of the American retailer hasn’t changed much since the day of the company’s establishment. Everything, from the color palette to the style of the lettering, we see today resembles the original version.
The very first logo for Finish Line, created in the 1970s, was composed of a black wordmark with a stylized running man between the two parts of the nameplate. The figure was colored deep blue, a color of reliability, and trustworthiness. As for the inscription itself, it was executed in a smooth and modern sans-serif typeface with clean lines, evoking a sense of movement and progress.
The logo we all know today was designed in 2016 and is a simplified version of the previous one. The wordmark is now written in all capitals of a contemporary sans-serif font, which is pretty close to Bullish Bold Oblique, with the letters slightly italicized and its contours soft yet confident.
The graphical part of the visual identity was removed, but the blue color now became the part of the logotype — while the “Finish” is drawn in black, “Line” has a pleasant light and calm blue shade.
The combination of black and blue represents the professional approach and responsibility of the company, and when set on a white background, this palette also reflects the power and a good reputation.
The Finish Line’s visual identity is strict and minimalist, yet it has something that makes it instantly recognizable and evokes a sense of confidence in the quality of its products. The simplicity of the logo makes it timeless and memorable, and its modest color palette — trustworthy.