Yokogawa Electric Corporation, the Japanese measurement and control technology company, has used the same corporate trademark since October 1986. The mark combines a diamond-shaped corporate symbol with a wordmark, and it remains in use today alongside the company’s corporate brand slogan “Co-innovating tomorrow,” introduced in 2015. [1] [2]
Design and History
Yokogawa’s current corporate identity dates to the mid-1980s. In 1983, the company merged with Hokushin Electric Works, a move that expanded its business areas and increased the number of group companies, creating a need for a unified corporate image. [3]
Japanese art director Rei Yoshimura led the development of the new corporate identity, overseeing a team that included designers from XICO, Fuki Ito, and typographer Taro Yamashita. The effort culminated in the publication of a formalized Yokogawa corporate identity manual in 1986. [3]
The new logo was described as a “flag-like image” intended to reflect Yokogawa’s values and ideals, and to serve as a “powerful emblem” for employees to rally around. Like a lodestar that points where one should go, the logo was meant to represent the corporation’s obligation to society and reason for existing. [3]
Yokogawa’s official brand page describes the corporate symbol at the top of the trademark as a flag expressing the company’s philosophy and ideals, and as a signpost indicating its social mission, reason for existence, and direction of action. [1]
In 2015, to mark its 100th anniversary, Yokogawa created a special anniversary logo. The design used a gradation from yellow to blue, described by the company as the Yokogawa colors, to express determination to contribute to a sustainable society and grow together with stakeholders. [4] The same year, the company established its corporate brand slogan “Co-innovating tomorrow.” [2]
Meaning and Symbolism
Yokogawa’s official description of its corporate symbol explains that the sharp straight lines of the upper half represent the precision, accuracy, and sophistication of the company’s products and solutions, while the soft curve of the lower half expresses the kindness and warmth of the company. The symbol is presented under the image of a yellow “sun,” under which the company aims to realize a sustainable society. [1]
The logo was inspired by the sun as a constant provider of energy to all living things on earth. The diamond shape as a whole was described in the brand manual as exhibiting balance and stability, expressing Yokogawa’s determination and confidence, its aim of working toward a sustainable society, and, like the sun, benefiting all humankind through the development of the industrial sector. [3]
The bright yellow of the logo referenced the sun and was known as “Yokogawa Yellow,” representing energy and benevolence. Yellow was used alongside a sky blue, an earthy green, and industrial grey as further articulations of conscientiousness and industriousness. [3]
Typography and Design
The 1986 logo was combined with a “light” logotype set in all uppercase Helvetica, which then served as the corporate typeface throughout. [3]
Yokogawa’s current brand page also describes a key graphic element called the “Leading Square,” a square in the symbol color Yokogawa Yellow visualized as radiating light. The square represents both the precision, accuracy, and sophistication of products and solutions, and a “plaza” that connects people and creates co-innovation, expressing the “Co” of “Co-innovating tomorrow.” [1]
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