The earliest Reuters logo, with its shielded rider inside an oval shape, was somewhat reminiscent of a medieval coat of arms.
Meaning and history
1851 – 1858
The very first logo for Reuters was executed elegantly and traditionally. It was a vertically oriented oval medallion with a double black and white outline and a solid black background. Inside the badge, there was a white crest image and a horse. As for the lettering changed the “Reuters” in the uppercase of a modern sans-serif typeface was arched above the horse, while the “London E.C.” Was arched along the bottom line of the oval, written in smaller letters.
1858 – 1905
The redesign of 1858 changed the concept of the Reuters visual identity, making it composed of cursive lettering set in one line. The monochrome color palette and the elegant curved lines of the “Reuters Limited” inscription made the whole logo look timeless and sophisticated.
1905 – 1965
In 1905 the logotype was redesigned. The name of the company was shortened to just “Reuters” and the new nameplate was set in the uppercase of a bold and extended serif typeface with elegant contours of its massive wide letters and strong elongated serifs. The color palette remained untouched.
1965 – 1972
In 1965 the “dot” wordmark, which included 84 dots, was created by the British graphic designer Alan Fletcher. Most likely, it was inspired by teleprinter tape.
1972 – 1995
The sites became smaller and the Reuters logo got more air and lightness in 1972. The inscription was still composed of numerous solid black sports, forming the contours of the letters, but now the logotype was more readable and elegant, in comparison to the previous bold version. This logo stayed with Reuters for almost two decades.
1995 – 2001
In 1995 the black color of the dots was changed to a calm yet bright blue color and the logotype got accompanied by an abstract emblem. The emblem featured a solid circle, which was vertically divided into white and blue halves and had orange and white dot patterns placed over it.
2001 – 2008
The redesign of 2001 kept the design of the emblem untouched, but enlarged it and redrawn all of its elements more boldly and confidently. As for the logotype, the dot concept was gone, and the new inscription was set in the uppercase of a strong and confident sans-serif typeface with the letters written in thick lines.
2008 – Today
The current emblem was designed by the US brand consultancy firm Interbrand in 2008. It was possibly inspired by a depiction of a spiral staircase as seen from above.
Color
The current Reuters logo has four standard versions varying in terms of the colors:
- orange rings, grey text, white background
- orange rings, white text, black background
- black rings and text, white background
- white rings and text, black background.