As a brand with a long history, Hennessy boasts a very old and meaningful logo. Although the design has its roots in the family coat of arms of the founder, it wouldn’t look so modern if it wasn’t tweaked by professional and highly skilled designers.
The main Hennessy logo, which can be seen on every bottle, is called “Bras Armé” in French, which is loosely translated in English as “the Arm & Axe.” It was borrowed from the family crest of Richard Hennessy (1724-1800), the company founder. The military theme seemed quite natural for him, as he spent a lot of time in the war.
Interestingly enough, it was not Richard Hennessy who actually decided to use the arm logo, it was adopted long after his death, in 1856.
What is Hennessy?
Hennessy is the iconic brand of French cognac, which was established in 1765, and today is owned by the two largest companies in the beverage market, LVMH, and Diageo. The name of the brand has bovine synonymous with the cognac of the highest quality.
The original coat-of-arms included a rather realistic depiction of a pig. Although the animal was lean enough to satisfy even modern taste, the brand owners decided to get rid of it. When all is said and done, a pig by any other name (and after a costly designer upgrade) would smell as disgusting.
One of the designs used on the cognac package, is the letter “H” in a rhombus. The brand mark itself, as well as the pattern used on it, was developed by the creative studio NR2154. The firm established by Jacob Wildschiodtz and Troels Faber has offices in New York and Copenhagen. NR2154 listed creating identity codes for Hennessy among the projects it has fulfilled.
The typeface deserves special attention. It was created specifically for the company by the NR2154 studio, which also developed the “H” brand mark. The typeface is called NR2653 Hennessy. Actually, the project included several different fonts.
The Hennessy logo can be given in a variety of colors. Typically, the symbol is given in golden or silver shades. The choice depends on the overall design of the bottle and package.