The black horse seen in the Lloyds logo was inspired by goldsmiths, who are considered the forerunners of our modern banks.
John Bland, a goldsmith from Lombard Street, adopted the black horse as his emblem by 1728. In 1884, Bland’s firm (which was already known as Barnetts, Hoares & Co) was taken over by Lloyds Bank. Lloyds, which already had an emblem of its own (a beehive), added the horse to its logo. By the 20th century, only the horse remained.
The horse looked pretty similar to the way it is depicted in the current logo, although the front legs were pretty low.
A thick ring featuring an intricate pattern appeared around the horse.
The legs were now quite high, and there was a ribbon symbolizing that the horse is the winner.
The ring disappeared.
The horse is placed inside a white circle, which, in its turn, is placed inside a green shape with black trim. The name of the bank in a traditional sans can be seen next to it.
The background featuring green and blue appears.
The background disappears.
The background featured in this logo looks similar to the one seen in the 1998 version, just it looks blurred.
The words “Lloyds bank” are green and feature a sans serif type. The horse has lost the box and has moved to the right. There is a couple of subtle alterations in the way the animal is depicted.
In the fall of 2013, Lloyds TSB demerged. This event did not affect the company’s visual identity much, although the name “Lloyds Bank” replaced the name “Lloyds TBS.”
This version may appear identical to its predecessor, yet if you take a closer look, you may discover subtle modifications. For instance, the “y” is symmetric, while in the previous Lloyds Bank logo, it was asymmetric. The color looks somewhat different, too.