Hugo Boss AG has come a long way from a small workshop to an international fashion group. The lifestyle company is based in Metzingen, Germany. It currently employs over 13,700 workers.
The history of Hugo Boss AG started in 1924. Initially it manufactured uniforms for Nazi Party before and during World War II. After the founder of the company, Hugo Boss, passed away in 1948, it switched to manufacturing men’s suits. In 1985 Hugo Boss launched a fragrance line, which proved to be rather successful. The same year the German fashion house went public.
The classic logo consisted of two parts. The first is the big word ‘Boss’ written in all capital letters using an elegant serif font. The second one was ‘Hugo Boss’ written below in thinner sans-serif letters. They were much smaller, and the words were stretched the width of the main wordmark, which left big gaps between the letters. Everything in the logo was dark grey.
In 2021, they only left the second wordmark. The gaps were, consequentially, reduced. It had a similar font to its predecessor, but in many places it was more abrupt and angular. These letters were also much bolder and were completely pitch black.
Basically, the company has 2 core brands, BOSS and HUGO. The BOSS range has three subdivisions, so eventually, there are 4 separate and distinctively positioned product lines with different target audiences:
Unlike many other fashion logos, the Hugo Boss emblem consists of nothing but the name of the company. An absolutely minimalistic typographical treatment looks elegant and refined.
The company’s designers opted for the black-and-white color scheme. Laconic and pure, it symbolizes elegance and excellence.
The Hugo Boss insignia features a slightly altered Univers font.