Jagermeister, the most known product of the German company Mast-Jägermeister SE, is a digestif prepared out of more than 50 herbs and spices.
Meaning and history
The official explanation of the logo is based on the legend of the hunter Hubertus from Toulouse, who lived in the second half of the 7th century. Hubertus was a very greedy hunter until once he met an enormous white stage with a glowing cross between its antlers. The hunter realized that the creature was a sign from God. Hubertus gave up hunting altogether and became a missionary. The second part of his life was devoted to the church. He died as Bishop Hubertus of Liege in 727. From that time on, he has been considered the patron saint of hunters.
1937 – 1949
The Jagermeister logo from 1937 featured a vertically located rectangular banner in a thick green frame, with a solid brown circle in its upper part, a wide red banner, and lettering under it. On the circle, there was a gradient brown image of a deer with a cross between its antlers. In the red banner, there was a gothic-style nameplate in black, with a delicate tagline. Behind it — a green fir branch.
1949 – 1970
The lines of the emblem were refined in 1949. The frame was made smoother and thinner, while the colors of the main elements were darkened and elevated. The lettering gained some volume by the addition of gradient gold shades to its dark bodies, and the fir branches changed their color to light beige, balancing the background of the cross, between the antlers of the deer.
1970 – 1987
The frame of the brown circle became stronger and more visible in 1970, while the red banner with the nameplate gained a brighter intense shade. The lettering under the badge was changed but still executed in thin capitals of a traditional sans-serif typeface, and the same color palette.
1987 – 2002
The golden shape where the white cross was drawn got a visible texture in 1987. Now this gold figure with straight tin lines, resembling rays, looked like a luxury seal. As for the other elements of the Jagermeister logo, they were kept almost untouched, just the colors were elevated again and the contours — refined.
2002 – 2006
The shape of the badge was changed in 2002. Its upper side got arched from the center, while the angles of the bottom part got stricter. The brown emblem was redrawn in a more modern and sleek way, with gradient shades and more white lines. The cross now looked elegant and evokes a sense of a true miracle. The tagline was removed from the red banner, which made the logo neater and less overloaded.
2006 – 2016
The branches around the emblem were redrawn in gold gradients, looking voluminous and fancy. The brown shade of the circle was changed to a warmer one, with a slight pink touch, and it made the whole brand’s visual identity more friendly and welcoming.
2016 – Today
The redesign of 2016 changed the shape of the emblem back to a rectangular one. This year was also very significant for the Jagermeister logo, as it was the first timed when the brown circle of the emblem changed its color to gradient green, just like the one from the inner emblem’s framing. The red banner became a bit darker and the black lettering on it gained shadow and started looking more dramatic and bold.
Old logo interpretation
For a long time, many people supposed that the product’s logo symbolizes the exclamation “Oh dear God.” They claimed that the circle stood for “O(h)”, the stag was the “dear,” while the cross represented God. Now that you know the company’s official legend, you may see how far this explanation is from it. Moreover, chances are that the old interpretation was originally invented as a joke.
We can’t help but point out that the Jägermeister logo bears an uncanny resemblance to the logotype of the Milwaukee Bucks sport club.
Font
The Gothic lettering in the Jagermeister logo seems to be hand-drawn. Such types as Wilhelm Klingspor Gotisch, KochFraktur-Regular, and Deutsche Schrift Schmal are very close but no match.