Sanyo Logo PNG
Sanyo Electric Co was an electronics company headquartered in Osaka, Japan. In 2009, Panasonic purchased a 50.2% stake in the company. In 2011, Sanyo became its wholly-owned subsidiary.
Meaning and history
Sanyo was born out of the huge Matsushita Electric Corporation, which was one of Japan’s largest industrial enterprises.
Shortly after World War II, the occupation authorities ordered Matsushita to be split into two smaller companies as part of a policy of industrial decentralization. In 1947, several Matsushita divisions were transferred to Toshio Iue, the husband of the sister of Matsushita’s founder. This is how Sanyo came into being in 1947, specializing in the production and export of bicycle generator lamps.
By the way, the name Sanyo in translation from Japanese means “three oceans”, and immediately denotes the plans of the owner of the company for international expansion.
The development of Sanyo was really rapid. So, in 1952, the company presented the first radio receiver in the history of Japanese electronics, for the manufacture of the case of which was used plastic. In the next few years, the company mastered the production of televisions, stereos, and various household and climatic appliances. All the innovations led to the fact that at one point in its history, Sanyo was part of the so-called “Big Three S’s” along with Sony and Sharp.
In the 1990s, Sanyo also successfully entered the field of LCD projectors, which were used for computer presentations. By 1998, the company held 15% of the world market, ranking second.
In the late 1990s, Sanyo worked with Philips Electronics to develop optical sensors used in digital cameras and digital camcorders. In February 1999, Sanyo allied with Eastman Kodak to jointly develop next-generation organic electroluminescent flat-panel displays.
However, the 2000s proved to be not so fortunate for the company. The Chuetsu earthquake in 2004 severely damaged Sanyo’s semiconductor plant. That same year, the company announced a restructuring plan, and another four years later, in 2009, Panasonic bought a 50.2% stake in Sanyo.
Initially, Panasonic planned to completely discontinue Sanyo-branded products but eventually decided to keep the familiar logo on some most loved items.
1947 — 1949
For the first two years of its history, the company used the National logo, which was then owned by what is now Panasonic Corporation.
1949 — 1953
The earliest Sanyo logo that featured the company name was introduced in 1949. Below the cursive script wordmark, there was a lightning bolt design.
1953 — 1955
This time, the script grew lighter. The wordmark looked as if it had been quickly written by hand. There was an emblem with Japanese hieroglyphs and a lightning bolt.
1955 — 1956
The designers opted for another script without changing the overall style. The wordmark still seemed to have been written by hand. It was now oriented not diagonally but horizontally.
1956 — 1958
The era of script logotypes lasted until 1956, when a logo in a simpler, cleaner type was introduced.
1958 — 1961
In 1958, the company adopted a script wordmark once again. It was unlike its predecessors because it was much bolder.
1961 — 1967
Eventually, Sanyo opted for a clearer font in 1961. This time, the wordmark was paired with a roundel housing three arrowheads.
1967 — Today
The current Sanyo logo looks perfectly legible due to its classic sans serif typeface. The unusual ends of the “N” resemble combs.
Symbol
The earliest logo that belonged to Sanyo itself and featured the company name was introduced in 1949. Below the cursive script wordmark, there was a lightning bolt design. The era of script logotypes lasted until 1956 when a logo in a simpler, cleaner type was introduced. Although in 1958 the company adopted a script wordmark once again, it eventually opted for a clearer font in 1961.
Font
The typeface bears an uncanny resemblance to the grotesque font Helvetica Neue Black Italic. It is a classic typeface developed by Eduard Hoffmann and Max Miedinger.
