BP, the global energy company formerly known as British Petroleum, introduced its current visual identity in 2000. The centerpiece of that identity is the Helios mark, a green, yellow and white sunburst symbol that replaced the company’s long-standing shield logo. The name Helios comes from the Greek god of the sun, and the mark was designed to represent energy in its many forms.[1]
Design and History
The Helios logo was launched in 2000 and was conceived as a dramatic break with tradition. Two decades later, BP’s own brand materials note that it remains unlike any other energy identity.[1] The identity was created by Landor Associates’ San Francisco office and replaced the BP shield, which had been in use for years prior.[2]
The sunburst design was adapted from a marble motif located on the ground floor of the company’s London headquarters, a building designed by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens more than 75 years earlier.[2] At the unveiling, BP chairman Sir John Browne described the new logo as intended to exemplify “dynamic energy in all its forms, from oil and gas to solar.”[3]
The rebrand also changed the company’s logotype from the uppercase “BP” to lowercase “bp,” a shift that coincided with the company’s repositioning around the phrase “beyond petroleum.”[2] The company spent £4.7 million on researching, designing and preparing the new brand, principally on legal and copyright protection, with additional signage and advertising costs of about £66 million per year.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
According to BP’s official brand materials, the colors of the Helios, named after the Greek god of the sun, suggest heat, light and nature.[1] The mark is also described as a pattern of interlocking shapes, which BP says reflects the company itself: a single entity built from many different parts working together. This was particularly relevant because the new brand was launched after a series of mergers and acquisitions, and the logo was intended to unite all the companies and employees that now make up BP and its global brand.[4]
BP’s own description of the Helios emphasizes the sun as the company’s greatest source of energy, and the mark symbolizes a range of things, most prominently the sun itself.[1]
Typography and Design
The lowercase “bp” logotype that accompanies the Helios mark was introduced as part of the 2000 rebrand, replacing the previous uppercase “BP” wordmark.[2] The design was created by Landor Associates’ San Francisco office, which was responsible for the overall identity system including the Helios symbol and the new logotype.[2]
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