Gucci is a luxury Italian fashion brand, which was established in 1921 in Florence and named after its founder, Guccio Gucci. By today the brand has become a legend, producing men’s and women’s clothing, accessories, leather goods, and jewelry, which are highly valued all over the globe.
Meaning and history
Gucci is an Italian brand that produces luxury clothing, accessories, shoes, and perfumes. Today the brand is a part of the French conglomerate Kering, which in turn is the second-largest fashion company in the world after LVMH.
The fashion house was founded in Florence in 1921 and its founder, Guccio Gucci, was the chief designer of the brand until 1953.
Guccio was born in 1881 to a family ofcraftsmen, and at the age of 23, he decided to start his own business. So, in 1904 in Florence appears a workshop specializing in the production of horse harnesses. The workshop got the name “House of Gucci”.
However, the young and inexperienced Gucci was unable to set up his business properly, and, unfortunately, soon he had to close the shop due to accumulated debts. To earn a small capital for the new beginnings, Guccio leaves for London and works at the Savoy Hotel until 1921. On his return home, Gucci decides to try again and founds a new company.
Returning from London, where Guccio had worked as a porter, bellboy, and elevator operator at the legendary Hotel Savoy, he brought with him memories of the superb suitcases and bags he had carried for a dozen years behind the hotel guests. Combining the manners of English tailoring with the handiwork of Florentine craftsmen, he opened a small atelier and store in Florence, in Via Della Vigna Nuova, where he sold horse harnesses, riding boots, and suitcases. Even thoughGuccio made his products, not from very expensive materials,thanks to special dyeing and leather processing techniques he achieved very competitive results.
In the early years, the company was engaged in the production of luxury leather goods. By the end of the 1930s, the company expanded and opened its factory, allowing Gucci to start producing leather bags and accessories. A year later in 1938, the first boutique of the brand opened in Rome.
Already in the late 1920s, Guccio’s sons began to take an active part in the life of the company and one of them, Aldo, became the author of the legendary logo, which we can still see today.
Gucci is one of the brands which keep using its original logo, created in the first years of the label’s establishment, to show a strong link to its roots, legacy, and history, and to reflect the fundamental approach to quality, design, and beauty. Plus the legendary badge is also a family legacy, which high also tells a lot about the philosophy of the fashion house.
What is Gucci?
Gucci isa luxury Italian fashion brand specializing in clothing, shoes, and accessories for women, men, and kids. It also produces collections of decorative cosmetics and perfumes. The fashion house was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci and today is a part of the French conglomerate Kering.
Gucci Logo History
The history of the Gucci logo began the year the company was founded. Originally, in the 1920s, Gucci used an outlined logo depicting a tiny porter with a valise in one hand and a suitcase in the other.
Sometimes the figure of the character, inspired by Gucci himself, was depicted as a knight in armor, with both the valise and the suitcase still in his hands. In the knight’s attire, the man was usually placed on the classic coat of arms, which could be seen on most products of the new brand.
In 1933 Guccio Gucci’s son Aldo Gucci joined the family business. He was the one who outlined the now famous logo of the fashion house: two intertwined golden G’s – the proud initials of Gucci.
The Gucci Logo Evolution
A few years after the creation of the Gucci logo, it was embellished with silver and gold elements, which were reminiscent of Gucci checked in the Savoy Hotel. Also, the symbol could often be seen under or above the name of the Brand, written in different fonts in different years. It could be as a title case cursive font, looking similar to the Gucci signature, or an uppercase elegant serif lettering, with full-shaped characters and sharp serifs.
Over the years, the double G logo has become recognizable worldwide. And today it is instantly recognizable to anyone who loves luxury and fashion.
1933 – Today
Though the iconic emblem was created only in 1933, it stays with the company today, with almost no changes. The elegant black logotype in all capitals is accompanied by a strict and minimalist signifier, which is usually placed above the wordmark, or simply on its own.
The logo with the double “G”was designed by Aldo Gucci, one of Guccio’s three sons. Aldo managed to create an elegant yet strong and confident monogram with his father’s initials on it.
The original version of the badge was set in flat black, but a few years after the introduction of the badge, Gucci started using glossy gold and silver shades for the monogram. These luxury textures were reminding Guccio of his work in Savoy and meant a lot to the designer.
As for the iconic ribbon with dark red and green stripes, it saw the light in the 1970s, evolving from the brown geometric figures, which stood for hemp fabric. (After World War II the fashion house was struggling with getting high-quality leather, so decided to replace it withhemp from Naples.)
The official Gucci logo was introduced only at the beginning of the 1930s, and before that the brand used various versions of the logotype, changing them depending on the mood, occasion, and wrapping, no official logo existed in the first brand’s years.
Elements of the Gucci logo design
The iconic sophisticated Gucci logo is never perceived as just two letters, but something more meaningful and elegant. The lines and silhouette of the monogram, the color palettes, used by the fashion house, and the materials, the badge is usually executed in — everything here is about luxury and chic. The Gucci badge brilliantly represents the style and aesthetics of the brand, and at the same time celebrates its heritage, and the family standing behind it.
Symbol
The iconic double G symbol of the luxury fashion house was created by Aldo Gucci, the son of the brand’s founder Guccio Gucci, in the 1930s. Two interlocked letters in a modern sans-serif typeface make up one of the most recognizable fashion logos in the world.
Throughout the years, the company used different variations of the intertwined monogram: the letters overlapped on their ends, or the contrary, on their arched parts, repeating the Chanel style. They were also various countries and shapes, depending on the models and collections it was used in.
The Gucci Symbol is not only a part of its logo but an inevitable element of each company’s product line, which can be seen on buckles of bags, belts, and shoes, on textile prints, and embossed leather.
The Flora Print
The Gucci visual identity is not only its logo, but also its color palette, which can be seen on straps, bags, and some of the garments of the fashion house, and recognizable prints. One of these prints is known as Flora.
The Gucci silk scarf, decorated with a floral pattern by the artist Vittorio Accornero, was made as a gift for Grace Kelly in 1966. The Princess of Monaco and her husband went to the boutique to buy the Bamboo bag that everyone was talking about at the time. There they were met by Rudolfo Gucci, son of the fashion house’s founder, who offered Grace the choice of any piece she wished. She wished for a handkerchief, but none of those presented in the store appealed to her taste. So, the next day Accornero drew a new sketch of a handkerchief painted with whimsical plants, Flora.
Icon
The icon of the legendary fashion house is also set in monochrome and composed of two intertwined letters G, which stand for the initials of Guccio Gucci, the founder of the brand. The monogram on the icon is placed against a white background without any additional lettering. There are two options for the “GG” — executed in elegant flat black lines, and the letters with white bodies in a thick black outline.
Font and color
The traditional and sophisticated Gucci logotype is executed in an elegant and smooth serif typeface, which is very close to such fonts as Golden book Bold and Mynaruse Flare Medium. It looks timeless and confident, reflecting the brand’s style and fundamental principles.
What font is used for the Gucci logo?
The elegant and chic Gucci logotype, written in all capitals, is executed in a fine and sophisticated serif font, which is very close to Questal SC Medium and Granjon Roman typefaces with thin lines and sharp serifs. As for the iconic monogram, it uses bold clean letters of a modern Sans-serif typeface with full circular contours.
As for the color palette of the Gucci visual identity, its official logo is executed in monochrome, which allows for placing it on various backgrounds and patterns. Though the brand also has its additional palette, which is as iconic as its interlocked emblem and can be seen on almost all the leather accessories, bags, and shoes of the brand — the three-striped pattern, consisting of two dark green horizontals and a red one in the middle.
The green and red combination stand for wealth, success, growth, and passion, and this is the feeling the brand tends to give to its customers, providing them with the latest trends in the brightest colors and the most elegant silhouettes.