Photo by Aleksei T.
MasterCard Incorporated is one of the largest US financial services corporations. It is based in New York, while the Global Operations Headquarters are located in O’Fallon, Missouri.
What is the symbol of MasterCard?
The symbol of MasterCard is a bright geometric composition, formed by two solid circles in orange and red, overlapping each other. The circles symbolize cooperation and unity, with the color palette of the symbol standing for growth, energy, and motion. The symbol of MasterCard is considered to be one of the most iconic emblems in history.
Meaning and history
The international company boasts one of the most iconic and stylish logos in history. Once designed in 1966 for MasterCharge product, its concept has never been changed, it was only evolved and elevated throughout the years of the brand’s existence.
What is Mastercard?
Mastercard is the name of an international financial corporation, known as one of the world’s largest payment systems providers. The company was established in the United States in 1966, and today has its credit and debit cards issued by banks all over the globe.
1966 – 1979
The predecessor of today’s famous banking product, MasterCharge, was developed by Interbank in the 1960s, so the very first logo was comprised of the corporate emblem, a white “I” in the lowercase, placed on a solid black circle. The “Interbank” nameplate in all capitals was written in black and placed under the emblem.
Two years later, in 1968, the bright emblem, reflecting the collaboration of several American banks, was designed. It featured two overlapping circles, red and orange, with a white inscription on them.
The inscription was composed of two parts — “MasterCharge” in the lowercase and “The Interbank Card” under it, written in capitals.
It was a simple yet extremely memorable and modern logo, which color palette reflected the passion, energy, and progressiveness.
1979 – 1990
The name “MasterCard” appeared in 1979 and the logo was remade, according to the new naming. The only lettering above two circles featured two capital letters and the same white color, as the previous version.
1990 – 1996
The redesign of 1990 brought a brighter color palette — the orange was shifted to yellow, which made the emblem look more friendly and dynamic. The middle section of the overlapping circles now had horizontal stripes of both yellow and red colors on it.
The white wordmark was also changed — it was now italicized, looking more elegant and progressive, and showing the company’s progressive approach and constant development.
1996 – 2016
The yellow circle gained a more intense shade and the number of horizontal lines in the middle part of the emblem was reduced, which made the whole logo look more minimalist and strict. Another thing that changed in the 1990s was the inscription, which now has a black shadow. This logo can still be seen on some of the brand’s products.
The corporate edition of the logo was created in 2006 and stayed with the group for ten years, until the next redesign. It was composed of the same emblem, but with one more, half-transparent circle above it. The “MasterCard Worldwide” inscription was placed under it in black and set in two levels, with the main part in bigger and bolder lettering.
2016 – 2020
The redesign of 2016 was accompanied by the name transformation of the company, which now is called “Mastercard”, with only one capital letter, “M”. As for the logo, the new inscription was executed in the lowercase of a neat contemporary sans-serif typeface, which is very similar to FF Mark Std Premium and Helios Antique Semi Bold fonts.
The emblem was also refined — the horizontal lines were gone and now the style was back to the original design of 1968, yet the color palette was taken from the versions of the 1990s.
2019 – Today
The recent logo is definitely the most minimalist amongst all the versions ever created for the iconic banking brand. It features a single emblem — two solid overlaying circles in red and orange, with no additional details and lettering.
It looks bright and modern, being one of the most remarkable and well-known logos in the world and reflecting all the fundamental messages the company sends to its customers, showing it as a passionate, energetic and progressive.
Font
The MasterCard logo incorporates the wordmark featuring the FF Mark type family. The typeface is minimalistic and clean. There are no unique elements: it’s all about legibility.
Color
The combination of red and orange has been a distinctive feature of the emblem since 1990. Prior to it, the overlapping circles looked almost the same, but the shade of red was darker, and the golden color was used instead of orange.
What does the Mastercard logo represent?
The MasterCard logo is based on two circles, and the circle is a commonly known symbol of unity and connection. In the case of the MasterCard badge, it is believed that the two circles stand for the Eastern and Western worlds, and their overlap is a sign of connection.
What is the font of the Mastercard logo?
The lettering on the MasterCard logo is no longer present, but in the beginning, in 1979, the wordmark on the badge was executed in the ITC Avant Garde Gothic font, which is one of the most famous modern sans-serifs. The lettering from the badge, used by the company in the 2010s was set in FF Mark, which is also a modern geometric sans-serif typeface.
What does the Mastercard logo mean?
The logo of MasterCard symbolizes the connection and unity between the Eastern and the Western parts of the world, showing, that the payment system has no borders, and equally operates everywhere.
