Nissan Chemical Corporation, a Japanese chemical manufacturer founded in 1887, introduced its current corporate logo on July 1, 2018, alongside a change of its official corporate name from Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. to Nissan Chemical Corporation. The company announced both changes in a June 2018 press release, explaining that the new name was adopted to better reflect its business content.[1]
Design and History
The 2018 logo was introduced as part of a broader corporate identity update. The symbol mark is designed in the motif of the letter “N” and a shining star. According to the company’s official announcement, the design describes “the integration of creativity and the accumulation of infinite ideas that makes Nissan Chemical continue to grow by new finding.”[1]
The Japanese version of the same press release elaborates that the symbol represents countless ideas overlapping to create new discoveries, opening a door to the future and showing a figure of growth.[2]
The company’s history dates to 1887, when it was founded as Tokyo Jinzo Hiryo, Japan’s first chemical fertilizer manufacturer, by Jokichi Takamine, Eiichi Shibusawa and Takashi Masuda. The company later changed its name to Dainippon Jinzo Hiryo, and in 1937 adopted the name Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd., which it used until the 2018 rebranding.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The official documentation describes the symbol’s color as emerald green, which the company states “shows intelligence and credibility.”[1] The Japanese press release similarly states that the emerald green color was adopted for its intellectual and trustworthy qualities.[2]
The “N” motif and star design are described as representing the fusion of creativity, with the accumulation of ideas leading to new findings and continued growth.[1]
Typography and Design
The 2018 rebrand also introduced a new corporate slogan, “WHERE IT ALL BEGINS,” which the company explains means that Nissan Chemical creates the “beginning” that realizes human hopes by exploring the future.[1] The slogan remains in use on the company’s official website as of the current corporate profile.[4]
A trademark filing for the stylized “N” mark describes it as consisting of the letter “N” in teal in stylized format, with bars in shades of teal parallel to and between the outside legs that become increasingly shorter and thinner toward the middle of the letter, creating a three-dimensional effect, with the color becoming lighter in the center of the letter.[5]
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