Black & Veatch is a global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company founded in 1915 in Kansas City, Missouri. The firm is employee-owned and operates worldwide, with its corporate headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. [1]
Design and History
Black & Veatch was founded in 1915 when Ernest Bateman (E.B.) Black and Nathan Thomas (N.T.) Veatch, both former University of Kansas graduates, formed a partnership with 12 employees in a single office. [2] The company’s name derives directly from its two founders, and the firm’s identity has remained tied to that founding partnership throughout its history.
The company’s primary wordmark and logo have been documented through United States trademark registrations. A trademark for the “BV” monogram, described as “the letters B and V within a rectangle with the V placed to the right and over the bottom line of the B,” was filed on May 19, 1986, and registered under registration number 1434328. [3] This geometric BV mark has served as a core element of the company’s visual identity for decades.
In December 2020, Black & Veatch Corporation filed a new logo trademark application, which was registered on March 22, 2022, under registration number 6675316. [4] This newer registration reflects the company’s ongoing evolution of its visual identity.
The company also holds a trademark for its slogan “Building a World of Difference,” registered in 2003. [5] Photographic documentation from August 2015 shows a Black & Veatch logo sign displayed outside the company’s Overland Park, Kansas headquarters, confirming the firm’s branded signage at its corporate campus. [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The “BV” monogram trademark, consisting of the letters B and V within a rectangle, directly references the company’s founding partners, Black and Veatch. [3] The geometric construction of the mark, with the V placed to the right and over the bottom line of the B, creates a compact, structured emblem appropriate for an engineering firm. The company’s official slogan, “Building a World of Difference,” is itself a registered trademark and reflects the firm’s stated purpose. [5]
Typography and Design
The company’s current visual identity, as displayed on its official website, pairs a bold sans-serif wordmark with the geometric BV monogram. [7] The trademark registration for the BV mark describes its construction as the letters B and V within a rectangle, with the V positioned to the right and overlapping the bottom line of the B. [3] The 2020 logo trademark registration indicates that the company has continued to refine its mark in recent years. [4]
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