Texaco is the USA petroleum company, which was established in 1901 in Texas and is a significant part of Chevron Corporation since 2001. The brand is widely known for its fuel stations, performing all over the globe.
Meaning and history
1901
The original logo featured a red five-pointed star. While the design was iconic and impressive, it was also too impersonal. The fact it has been associated with communist ideology is not a positive connotation, too.
1907
The connotations problems were resolved in a very simple way: the logo was loaded with so many new details that they almost hid the star. In addition to the words “Made in Texas” that appeared over the star, the authors of the emblem added the smaller lettering “The Texas company” and a blue ring.
1909
The visual “rubbish” mostly disappeared from the design leaving only the red star and the stylized “T.” We should mention, though, the “T” was positioned in a slightly awkward way, with its top bar partly coinciding with the outline of the star.
1913
The “T” adopted more logical proportions. Yet, this time, the designers cluttered the logo with the word “Texaco” hiding the shape of the upper ray of the star.
1936
The lettering around the star disappeared leaving the emblem slightly cleaner and easier to grasp, although it still felt overloaded.
1963
The word “Texaco” in a simple sans became the centerpiece of the logo, while the star moved below.
1981
Once again, the star moved to the forefront. The “T” across it looked very much like a hammer. This only reinforced the communist connotation as it reminded the hammer and sickle, the Soviet emblem.
1999
The name of the company disappeared from the Texaco logo leaving only the star and the “T.”
Font and color
The bold and strict sans-serif logotype from the Texaco visual identity evokes a sense of power and stability, with its clean straight lines and distinct cuts. The typeface of the wordmark is very close to such modern yet simple fonts as TT Hoves Black and Genera Alt Heavy.
The combination of red and white colors in the Texaco emblem is a celebration of passion and power, which also shows the company as a professional and trustworthy one, and points to its value of quality in everything.