San Miguel Corporation, the Philippine food and beverage conglomerate founded in 1890, uses a shield-shaped emblem known as the escudo as its corporate logo. The escudo is based on the old seal of Manila that appeared on the Spanish Royal Grant of Authority to brew beer, the document that established the original San Miguel Brewery.[1]
Design and History
The escudo served as San Miguel’s corporate logo for nearly nine decades, from 1890 until 1975, when it was replaced by a leaf-droplets design.[2] The company adopted the new logo to reflect its growth and diversification beyond brewing.[3]
Recognizing the escudo’s historic significance and long association with the company, San Miguel readopted it as the corporate logo in June 1999.[2] A Philippine Daily Inquirer article from June 10, 1999, titled “SMC bares new corporate logo,” documented the change.[4] In 2012, the escudo design was further streamlined, a version that remains in current use.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The escudo, which means “shield” in Spanish, is the corporate logo of San Miguel Corporation and graced the document conferring the Spanish Royal Grant of Authority to brew beer on the original brewery.[6] The seal is based on the 16th-century coat of arms of the city of Manila.[7] Enrique Barretto y Ycaza, who founded the brewery in the Manila suburb of San Miguel, adopted the seal as his brewery’s logo after seeing its significance on the royal grant document.[1]
The escudo also serves as the brand logo for all San Miguel branded beer products and is the corporate logo of San Miguel Corporation and the San Miguel Brewery companies.[8]
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