Blue Circle Group was the corporate identity adopted in the mid-1960s by the British cement manufacturer Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers Ltd (APCM), which had grown through amalgamation and international expansion into the world’s largest cement manufacturer by that decade. The group’s visual identity, built around a simple blue circle, became one of the most recognised corporate marks in British industry.
Design and History
In 1966, APCM commissioned Henrion Design Associates International (HDA International), led by partner FHK Henrion, to develop a new corporate image. The brief arose from a period of post-war diversification that had created a complex web of subsidiaries and products, resulting in inconsistent trademarks and a confusing brand structure. HDA International worked to unify the organisations under the name Blue Circle Group and develop a cohesive brand identity system. [1]
The principle design element was simply a blue circle, drawing on the past but pioneering and progressive in its application. The Cement Marketing Company, prior to 1967, had been using a blue circle as its trademark, and from this various configurations had been introduced to hold together the subsidiaries and products. [1]
HDA International created four different variations of the logo to account for optical inconsistencies when the logo was scaled up and down. These variations counteracted an optical effect: the appearance of the circle’s negative space seeming bigger as the logo was made smaller. [1]
In 1978, the company’s name was changed to Blue Circle, and the renaming and new logo marked the start of diversification. [2] The company was eventually bought out in 2001 by Lafarge. [1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The logo’s effectiveness derived from its consistent and systematic approach. As noted by FHK Henrion in IDEA Issue 114, “in many corporations the appearance overall gives a rather bad impression, usually because it has never been treated as a whole. A few good aspects are lost in a mass of poor neglected ones.” [1]
The dimensions of the circle, from its centre point to its outside diameter, was twice the distance as from the centre point to the inside diameter. [1]
The logo was described in 1994 as “a simple blue ring against a bright yellow background” that helped to enliven the grey product and bestow upon its parent an enviable corporate identity, a motif described as “bold and ageless.” [3]
Typography and Design
As noted in the Blue Circle Group Design Manual, the logo was not to be implemented in a solid black. Instead, four tonal versions of the logo were created for single colour printing. These were made up of a varying number of concentric rings which were rendered in different weights. [1]
The blue circle was printed using ‘Blue Circle Blue’ and placed on ‘Blue Circle Yellow’. This yellow would flood the context it was used in, whether that was signage or directional board or a whole cement truck or packaging. A further palette of secondary colours was created and used to help delineate between a vast number of products. [1]
The logo was used alongside a bespoke typeface in four different styles. Blue Circle Number 1 was used for copy titles and product names. Blue Circle Number 2 was a condensed version used on cement bags and general signage. Blue Circle Number 3 was a lightly outlined version of Number 1 and used for The Blue Circle Group and its subsidiaries. Blue Circle Number 4, a slightly more heavier outlined version of Number 1, was used for The Blue Circle Group and its subsidiaries when applied to transport and special display materials and print. [1]
In 1973, the Design Department of the Blue Circle Group received a Duke of Edinburgh Award for Design Management and Design Achievement. [1]
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