NOV Inc., formerly National Oilwell Varco, is a Houston-based provider of oilfield equipment and technologies. The company’s visual identity centers on a wordmark built from the letters “NOV,” a mark that has been in use since at least 2010 and was developed as part of a broader brand platform created by the consultancy Siegel+Gale.
Design and History
The current NOV logo consists of the letters “NOV” with the “O” positioned in front of the “N” and “V,” a configuration that the company’s trademark registration describes as representing “a globe with a revolving swish.” The mark was registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on June 1, 2010, under serial number 77372344, and is owned by National Oilwell Varco, L.P.[1]
NOV was born of the merger of National Oilwell and Varco, and was well-known among customers and investors for its drilling expertise and market dominance. However, divisional silos and the lack of a comprehensive, compelling story made it difficult for the company to unify employees or express the full breadth of its technology and capabilities.[2] Siegel+Gale, the branding consultancy, anchored the brand in a new purpose, “We power the industry that powers the world,” and distilled NOV’s core values to “global family,” “purposeful innovation,” and “service above all.” The firm then defined NOV’s verbal and visual identities, infusing them with a confident but human brand voice, and helped the company bring its strategy to life across advertising, events, and employee engagement initiatives.[2]
In December 2020, National Oilwell Varco, Inc. announced plans to change its corporate name to “NOV Inc.,” effective January 1, 2021. The company’s ticker symbol, “NOV,” remained unchanged.[3] The name change formalized the acronym that had long served as the company’s public identity, though it did not introduce a new visual mark.
Meaning and Symbolism
The trademark registration for the NOV mark provides the only documented symbolism: the “O” positioned in front of the “N” and “V” represents a globe with a revolving swish.[1]
Typography and Design
Brand asset databases list NOV’s primary brand color as #DA281C, a red tone sometimes labeled “Alizarin Crimson,” with a secondary gray at #515151.[4] The wordmark uses bold, condensed letterforms with the distinctive overlapping “O” placement described in the trademark filing.[1] No official source identifies the specific typeface used in the logo.
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