Adidas sign

The world-famous brand has been dressing the world's leading athletes for almost a hundred years. The three stripes became an iconic emblem, first in the sports world and then in the rest of the world.. The history of the creation, rebranding and birth of the modern Adidas logo is strewn with thorns, but any obstacle motivated the authors to take further steps.

Background

In 1936, runner Jesse Owens received several gold medals. The athlete reports that his shoes play a major role in his luck. So Dassler sneakers become worldwide popular, and the brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler start production.

The Second World War makes its own adjustments to life. Adolf is returned home to produce shoes for the soldiers, but Rudolf remains a prisoner. This is what happens The greatest gap between brothers, which will lead to a historical event - the creation of the Adidas and Puma brands. We will talk in more detail about the symbolism of the first of them.

Logo appearance

The original version of the sign was pattern of laced spikes located on the letters “d” elongated upwards. Above the image in the shape of a semicircle was written "adolf dassler". And for a more precise designation, “sportshuhe” was added below. This logo lived until 1970.

Interesting! Adolf Dassler bought the three stripes logo from the Finnish sports manufacturer Karhu for $1,800. It seemed to him that this image symbolizes will and the desire to win. And he was not mistaken.

Global reconstruction

In 1970, Adidas was experiencing rapid changes. The logo becomes completely different. In 1972, in parallel with the Olympics in Munich, a presentation of a new sign was held, taking into account rebranding reconstructions. now this trefoil with the company name located at the bottom. The three cherished stripes are white and cross out the flower horizontally.

By the way! The shamrock symbolized the world map in a spread. If you imagine it, the first leaf will mean America, the second – Africa and Europe, and the third – Asia. This division indicated the main territories for the export of Adidas products.

Many celebrities supported the new brand. At that time, Adidas could be equated to a cult product and in popularity put on the same level with the music of such world idols as Freddie Mercury, Bob Marley, David Bowie and many others.

Fall from Olympus

In 1978, the founder of the company died. A dark period has come for the Adidas brand. The company was literally torn apart, new and new managers “pulled the blanket over themselves.” Meanwhile, competitors were not asleep. Reebok and Nike began to develop with incredible speed.

In order for the company not to go bankrupt, a global restructuring was needed. And we started with the logo.

Birth of a new logo

In 1997, the Adidas brand finally surfaced in popularity. Rebranding required clarity, awareness of one's own value, and power. The cherished three stripes have acquired a new, thicker appearance, the trefoil has been abolished for now, and the letters have become huge. The sign turned into a peak, which symbolized overcoming obstacles. This is how a new modern “mountain” logo appeared, which still works today.

About the sign: 8 interesting facts

1. The first logo was created taking into account the influence of German culture on society and its needs. The text was made in the form of elongated letters, popular at that time in Germany. The catchiness and constructivism inherent in this direction were prized and used by many brands around the world.
2. Writing in lowercase also makes some sense. According to the author's idea, this is a share of informality and diversity. That is the character of the brand is not strict and involves compromises.
3. Three stripes are a mega-scale and easily recognizable sign. Around the middle of the last century, Adidas began producing not only sports shoes, but also clothing and accessories. Long three stripes appear on the sleeves, sides of pants, and bags. So several geometric figures became epoch-making.
4. Logo No. 2 – shamrock - is still used in production. It denotes a collection Adidas Originals - sports equipment not only in classic, but also in street style. Sweatshirts, trousers, raincoats, sweatshirts, hoodies, T-shirts, tops and other sports-related items with a trefoil are offered to the attention of teenagers, hippies, casual and street followers.
5. Adidas Performance (Equipment) – a line of professional sportswear and footwear. It was on this that the management at one time relied. Sales of equipment for athletes jumped high when celebrities, including musicians, began to be invited for advertising. Marked "mountain".
6. Three horizontal lines and the brand name behind them are considered universal logo, meaning any type and nature of clothing, shoes, sports accessories.
   

   @nezihrumelihisari.com

7. Adidas never came up with a slogan for the logo. At one time advertising companies flashed “the impossible is possible", but the phrase never caught on. The position for slogan creator is still open.
8. Line Adidas Style – the most oriented towards the modern consumer. Collaborations with fashion designers took on new shapes, and the Adidas sign began to appear on clothes and shoes that were only distantly related to sports. The founder here can be called the legendary Yohji Yamamoto with his Y-3 collection. The logo represents a black circle crossed out by three white lines.

Adidas SLVR is another rare trend, also related to fashion and included in Adidas Style. Almost sports style, casual style, black color and leather are the main parameters of the genre. The shoes have a classic-innovative design.

Today three stripes – a universally recognizable sign. Despite its versatility and variety of modifications, clothes or shoes with it mean high quality, coolness, and recognition.