San Pellegrino is a famous brand of bottled sparkling water, established in 1899 in Italy. Today the label is a part of Nestle Group and is one of the world’s most known and best-selling mineral water brands.
Meaning and history
San Pellegrino is not just another brand of sparkling water, but a true legend, without which no elite restaurant menu in the world can do without. By the way, in 2010 a record sales figure of 1 billion bottles of San Pellegrino was reached. But let’s talk about everything in order.
San Pellegrino was established in 1899 in the town of San Pellegrino Terme, located in Italy. And the Vita spring, from which the water for San Pellegrino comes, is over 600 years old. This water was discovered due to the unique geological conditions and rich mineral springs in the area. At that time, it was a very rare and valuable water that was only sold in exclusive places. By the way, originally San Pellegrino water was non-carbonated. Carbonization began to be applied by necessity, as the business gained momentum and there were orders outside Italy.
In 1932, San Pellegrino was acquired by Nestle, one of the world’s largest food companies. Nestle contributed to the development of the San Pellegrino brand by expanding production capacity and launching new projects. One of these projects was the carbonated fruit drink “Aranciata S. Pellegrino”, containing only orange juice, sugar, and carbonated water. In 1949, orange water was joined by drinks with other fruit flavors.
When it comes to visual identity, it’s all about values and tradition. The age of the legendary San Pellegrino green bottle coincides with the age of the factory itself: its design was created in 1899. However, the bottle was originally used for wine. The red star on the label has always acted as a kind of sign of quality, and the elegant building on the brand’s emblem is the famous casino building in the Terme San Pellegrino.
2003 – Today
The San Pellegrino visual identity is modest yet extremely elegant and powerful. Composed of a wordmark with an emblem above it, it is a celebration of Italian style and taste.
The “S.Pellegrino” inscription in all capital letters is written in an extra bold serif typeface with distinct lines and edges. The navy blue lettering features a white shadow with a thin blue outline, which adds geometrical structure to the logo.
The brand’s iconic emblem is a red star with a thin white contour inside. It looks simple and laconic, yet there is a lot of power in this perfectly executed symbol.
The San Pellegrino logo is an example of a timeless classic. It is a great reflection of a luxury brand with a rich history and heritage. The brand’s visual identity represents it as a reliable and trustworthy company with expertise in quality and design.
The red and blue color palette is a symbol of passion and professionalism, progress and stability. One of the strongest color combinations possible, it is perfectly accompanied by white details, which add a sense of purity and loyalty to the brand’s logo.
Current emblem
The modern version looks very much like many of its predecessors. The type is a rather bold one, with elegant thin serifs. It is in no way minimalist: the bars in the “E” have different lengths, the “R” has an unusual curved end, the ends of some of the glyphs are cut diagonally. The star is red with white trim.
The designers of the San Pellegrino logo have managed to preserve a balance: you can feel the heritage but the design does not look utterly old-fashioned.