Fashion logotypes

Chanel's significance in fashion branding was its adoption of a sans serif typeface. "Set in black sans serif capitals against a white field and applied to the cubic apothecary-like bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume, it aligned itself with the avant-gardism of Le Corbusier and the industrial vernacular." (Eyemagazine.com, 2017)

The sans serif approach is a neutral logotype that allows the audience to put their own meaning onto the brand through their interpretation of the fashion. The clean, geometric lines of the typeface doesn't necessarily communicate the long history of the house however, it does remain modern for longer which prevents the brands image from becoming dated. 

The spaced tracking of the logo type slows down the reading and emphasises the name of the brand on the product. 

(insert business card)

These qualities are extended to the business card design, maintaining their brand image. Elements of luxury, elegance, refinement are represented through the wide tracking, thin fonts and spacious leading. 

The soft emboss of a lion adds a level of detail whilst the unique stock is soft to the touch and textured to engage the reader. 

Unlike Chanel, Dior adopts a serif typeface that communicates a history and elegance for the fashion house. Serifs are seen as 'traditional' typefaces, when used for fashion branding, it gives a sense that the brand has been around for a long time and its continual exposure in mainstream fashion has made it respected.

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Balenciaga recently underwent a logo rebrand by studio Bureau Mirko Borsche. They are a studio that are focused in using and creating unconventional typography, which is ideal as the creative director of Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia, is likened to making postmodern fashion. 

Gvasalia exaggerates traditional proportions in his designs and has helped create the current trend of 'ugly' being the new cool, similarly to the 'cult of the ugly' term coined by Shaughnessy on the emergence of unconventional design. Therefore the collaboration between these two are ideal as they share similar directions in their field.

What is unique abut the rebrand is that it was implemented in stages. 


Balenciaga Website 2017 from Bureau Mirko Borsche on Vimeo.

Prior to the adjustments made on the logotype, their website was given a radical redesign. The new typographic and minimal art direction serves to give clarity to the user when browsing the site, making it easy for the user to view the collections. The website feels modern and contemporary, which aligns itself more towards its target audience of young to middle aged adults. The large white spaces evoke 'a clean slate' Balenciaga are taking with their brand redesign, appropriate considering Gvasalia's recent joining in 2015. 

Another small detail that is rarely done is the application of the brand name into the backdrop of a fashion shoot. This is an example of how the fashion brand can communicate its name and identity across its channels. 

Balenciaga's new logotype is a "timeless" redesign of the original. Univers's neutral characteristic give the logotype versatility and lengthens its ability to stay current as time goes on. Similarly to Chanel's logotype, the spaced out letterforms slow down the reading and emphasise each letterform as a shape. 

However the redesign does remove much of the character the previous logo had which people recognised and set the brand apart. And interestingly, it is the complete opposite to the kind of clothes Gvasalia designs. 

Compared to the sans serif approach by Chanel, Balenciaga looks 'cold' and functional. The rounded letterforms of Chanel make the brand feel soft and approachable, given their predominantly female audience. 

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Similarly to Balenciaga, a rebrand was done at Calvin Klein soon after he was named its new creative officer in 2016. 

Raf Simons employed Peter Saville for the rebrand, who he has collaborated in the past and continually uses today in his fashion shows with New Order and Joy Divisions music and album cover designs. 

A change from lowercase Futura to all caps ITC Avant Gothic is subtle, yet gives the brand a more contemporary look that is better suited sitting alongside the new art direction they've chosen. 

"Its a celebration of Calvin Klein’s iconic underwear and jeans, acknowledging their status as Pop and showing them in the world of art,” Simons explains. 

The adoption of an all caps sans serif logotype after the naming of a new creative director seems to be a common theme. This is most notable in the rebranding of Yves Saint Laurent to Saint Laurent after the appointment of Hedi Slimane.

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What was most interesting in this rebrand was the removal of 'Yves', a controversial move that inevitably paid off as Saint Laurent rose to mainstream conscious. Removal of any element in a previous logo, ruins the years of equity has built up. As Vignelli explains, "When a logo has been in the public domain for more than fifty years it becomes a classic, a landmark, a respectable entity and there is no reason to throw it away..."

However in this case, the redesign has been regarded as a respected and intelligent rebrand with consideration to Mr. Yves Saint Laurent. 

The new logo is a nod to the original "Saint Laurent Rive Gauche" but is updated for a new era in the brands history. "The name Rive Gauche disappeared in the past then resurfaced several times. It seems intrinsic to the universe of Yves Saint Laurent, without it being useful to refer to it literally today. We thus went to the essential, a name that is written as it is spoken every day: Saint Laurent, unequivocally." Hedi Slimane

Some fashion brands for example don't necessarily opt for a design that entirely reflects the brands direction. Designed in 1978, Ikko Tanaka took the branding of Japanese designer Hanae Mori through his fondness of Kandinsky. Using inspired forms and layout with a geometric drawing of a butterfly, akin to Japanese abstract interpretation of nature that was characteristic of post-war design of that period.

Geometric drawing of a pair of tulips

The combination of the graphic with Bodoni creates a very elegant and refined look for the brand. 



Eyemagazine.com. (2017). Eye Magazine | Feature | Through thick and thin: fashion and type. [online] Available at: http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/through-thick-and-think-fashion-and-type [Accessed 27 Oct. 2017].