Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is a Japanese electronics company founded in Kyoto in 1944 that designs and manufactures ceramic-based electronic components, communication modules and power supply modules. Its brand logo is a typographic wordmark built around the name “MURATA,” distinguished by a capital “R” that has been a defining feature of the mark since its early development.
Design and History
The Murata logo originated in the 1940s, when the company began hand-painting “MURATA” directly onto its products to indicate the manufacturer. In the 1950s, external collaborators helped conceive the design that became the basis of the current logo, capitalizing the “R” and placing “mu” and “ata” on extended underlines extending left and right. The design was changed to a bolder typeface in the 1960s to improve visibility in advertisements, product catalogs and recruitment brochures, a form that led directly to the current iteration. [1]
In 1979, on the 35th anniversary of Murata’s founding, the company established its Visual Identity (VI) and defined corporate colors: red to convey “the burning passion of the Murata organization” and blue to represent “innovative products spanning the world.” A two-color logo was introduced at that time. In 1994, to mark the 50th anniversary, Murata integrated its slogan “Innovator in Electronics” into the logo. [1]
On April 1, 2014, Murata launched a new visual identity with changes to the corporate logo and other key visual identity elements. The company described the changes as subtle rather than dramatic, intended to improve readability and visibility while conveying Murata’s progressive nature. The red box surrounding the logo was removed, and the slogan’s typeface was updated to a more modern, legible font. [2] [3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The capital “R” in the Murata wordmark represents the company’s commitment and passion for the Research and Development that drives its innovation. [1] In the 2014 redesign, the capital “R” was made more prominent to further emphasize this focus on R&D. [2]
The removal of the red box around the logo in 2014 was intended to convey Murata’s collaboration with customers and partners, its openness to new technologies, and its active contribution to the advancement of society and the electronics industry through innovative products and solutions. [2]
Typography and Design
In the 2014 visual identity update, Murata’s slogan “Innovator in Electronics” remained unchanged, but its typeface was updated to a more modern font, making it easier to read and better representing progress and innovation. [2] The company stated that the changes to the logo were subtle fine-tuning intended to improve readability and visibility rather than a dramatic transformation. [3]
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