For most of its history, the logo of the Japanese brand Shimano has featured the name of the company, either with or without an emblem.
Shimano, Inc. is a Japanese manufacturer of cycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment. The history of the company can be traced back to 1921. In 2019, Shimano sales constituted from 70 to 80% of the world’s bicycle component market by value.
Although it looks like this is a handwritten inscription, the calligraphic font looks almost perfect. All the letters are italicized and follow a specific pattern. The font resembles a sans-serif version of Stay Gold Regular with the letter “S” that looks more geometric and follows the same pattern as the rest of the letters. The perfection and pattern seen in this logo instantly create an association with a company that manufactures high-quality products and has all the processes well organized.
The emblem went through a complete overhaul. Not only the type was changed but also a pictorial emblem appeared.
The font was now a much better legible one. Each of the glyphs stood separately, and there was enough breathing space between them. The type looked distinctive enough due to its low horizontal bars on the “H” and “A,” as well as the shape of other glyphs, which was based on the rectangle with rounded corners.
The emblem, which was placed to the left, featured an ellipse decorated with symmetrical white swooshes.
This logo has a lot in common with the previous version. In fact, it features the same inscription but only in a blue (cerulean) color. The emblem to the left was redrawn but has a very similar idea. It no longer creates an eclipse but rather features two interconnected shapes that are a reverse mirror image of each other. It looked more dynamic, while the blue gave the logo the touch of reliability, quality, and trustworthiness the Japanese companies are known for.
The old Shimano logo featured an elegant script imitating handwriting. The first letter was capitalized, all the glyphs were connected with each other as if the wordmark had been written by hand. What made the design look unusual was that the shape of all the glyphs was based on the rectangle, which is unusual for handwriting.
The company has made only minor adjustments to the logo since 1965. It continues to use the same font for its name, which enhances the impression of stability and trustworthiness. The new logo features a lighter shade of blue (Police Strobe). It also has three lines stacked one on top of the other underlining the word. The very bottom line features a dark blue, while the middle uses a lighter blue very similar to the blue seen in the name. At the top, there is a grassy green. These colors are closely related to nature and create a very welcoming and environmentally-friendly brand image.