Although the Pantene logo has gone through numerous modifications since 1947, most of the versions have something in common: they feature a similar type and a stylized curl.
The history of the brand dates back to World War II, when in an attempt to find an effective remedy for wounds and burns Swiss scientists discovered provitamin B5 or panthenol. As it turned out, in addition to its antibacterial and healing properties, panthenol has the ability to repair damaged hair by thickening its structure. It’s these startling scientific findings related to panthenol that give Pantene its name.
The Pantene brand was born in 1947 in the laboratories of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Hoffman – La Roche. The first Pantene shampoo was launched by Hoffman – La Roche in 1948, but the first hair conditioner did not appear until 1973.
What is Pantene?
Pantene is the name of one of the world’s leading brand specialized in the production of shampoos, conditioners, and other hair care products, which was established in Switzerland in the middle of the 1940s. Today the brand is owned by Procter & Gamble.
The curl is already there, as is the name of the brand in a simple sans. In the same period, another logo was used. Here, the curl got a more realistic look, while the sans serif type was replaced by a handwritten script. That logotype also depicted a black rectangle with yellow lower part. The curl was placed in the black zone, while the name was located in the yellow one.
The cure was gone. The word “Pantene” featured a wider and thinner serif type. The background was also gone.
The type was replaced by a narrower one. You could see a highly stylized curl forming the letter “P.” It was placed on a black rectangle. The name had a black font with slight serifs. Also, they placed the ‘Pro-V’ inscription after the brand name.
The type was again wide, with barely noticeable serifs. The curl disappeared. On the front of the logo, there was the name, written on a black stripe. The background was a black square with ‘P’, ‘R’, ‘O’ and ‘-V’ characters colored white.
The font was slightly updated, although its overall style remained unchanged. The curl, in a new shape, reappeared in the Pantene logo. The bronze-colored curl was going through the blue name. It had a bold typeface with small serifs. Below it, we can see the ‘Pro-V’ lettering of a thin sans serif type.
There were a couple of subtle modifications in the type. First, the position of the curl and its coloring were renovated. Now the lighted curl was placed straightly. Second, the name color and font had changed. The name was recolored darker blue, and now all of the letters had a single size.
The curl was gone leaving nothing but the name of the brand. The coloring of the name of the brand in 2012 logotype turned to black. The shades of curl became darker as well.
The 2016 logo is just the brand name in the same font as it was in 2012.
Throughout the years, Pantene was jumping from one font to another, until the brand found its perfect typeface, which contains all the important qualities — elegance, power, and memorability. The font of the capitalized Pantene inscription looks pretty similar to Kertayasa Inside, Hlad Regular, and Regalese with their straight lines and sharp fine serifs.
The color palette of the brand is based around a timeless combination of black and white which sometimes is accompanied by gold details. It is a graphical representation of experience and expertise, along with sophisticated style and high quality of the product.