Zojirushi Corporation, the Japanese manufacturer of vacuum bottles, rice cookers and other kitchen appliances, has used two distinct visual identities in its history: the long-running elephant mark and the romanized “ZOJIRUSHI” wordmark introduced through a corporate identity program in the 1980s. The company’s name itself derives from the Japanese words for “elephant” (zō) and “mark” (jirushi), meaning “elephant mark.” [1]
Design and History
The elephant was adopted as a trademark in 1923, when the company began manufacturing and selling vacuum bottles. [2] In 1961, when the company changed its name to Zojirushi Mahobin Corporation, it adopted a revised elephant mark with a shortened trunk, described in company history as a “cute” elephant, as its corporate symbol. [3]
In 1984, the company’s president issued a corporate identity declaration, setting four goals: innovation, technical strength, fashionability and internationality. [4] The corporate identity program was developed with Japanese design firm PAOS and advertising agency DENTSU, with the intention of revamping the company’s image for the “post-thermos” era as it expanded into general household electrical appliances. [5]
The new identity was formally introduced in June 1986, when the elephant mark disappeared from Zojirushi products except for glass vacuum bottles. [4] The romanized form of the company’s name, “Zojirushi,” was selected as the basis for the new corporate symbol, which became a visual distillation of the four corporate ideals. [5]
PAOS’s design strategy stressed the “ZO” in “Zojirushi,” creating a shorthand symbol that could work across print, packaging and advertising contexts. [5] The final design was selected on the consensus that a red ring around the “O” best symbolized an advanced consumer services brand and suggested “diversity” and “dynamism.” [5]
Although the elephant mark was widely recognized, it was considered ill-suited to conveying innovation or technological prowess. It was refined and simplified for use in select instances to maintain continuity with the new symbol. [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The elephant mark, adopted in 1923, carries meaning rooted in the Japanese language: “ZO” means elephant in Japanese, which the company describes as symbolizing strength, intelligence and familiarity. [1]
The red ring around the “O” in the current wordmark was developed into a formal design element named the “Inter-link,” produced in three weights to accommodate different sizes. Used with color, this element allowed the corporation to delineate between growing product categories, with blue and red forming the brand’s core palette. [5]
The elephant mark was later revived. After President Norio Ichikawa took office in 2001, the symbol gradually returned to use over the following years. [6]
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