Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. is a Japanese energy company headquartered in Osaka, founded in 1897, that began supplying gas in 1905. In 2018, the company rebranded its corporate group as the “Daigas Group” and introduced a new group logo, while the Osaka Gas company mark itself has a longer history dating back to 1958.
Design and History
The current Osaka Gas company mark, a heart-shaped symbol combining the letters “o” and “g,” was selected through a nationwide public competition in 1958. The company sought a unified image mark to promote its gas appliances, and the winning entry was chosen from more than 20,000 submissions. The design was created by a woman from Iwate Prefecture. Initially used as a pet mark for promotional purposes, it was formally adopted as the company seal in 1985, the year Osaka Gas marked its 80th anniversary.[1]
Before the 1958 mark, Osaka Gas used a seal featuring a stylized version of the kanji character “瓦” (from “瓦斯,” the Japanese term for gas) at its founding in 1897, followed by another seal used from 1905.[1]
In 2018, the Osaka Gas Group launched a new group brand, “Daigas Group,” with a new logo effective March 8, 2018. The group logo is formed from the initials of “Dynamic and Innovative, Genuine and Studious,” reflecting the group’s pledge of “innovation with sincerity.”[2][3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The center of the Daigas Group logo contains a tricolored triangle named the “Dynamic Triangle.” Each triangle represents the group’s three guiding principles: enterprising spirit, customer-oriented approach, and wholeheartedness with a sense of mission, as well as the group’s three business pillars evolving toward the future.[4][2]
The Osaka Gas company mark itself, combining the lowercase letters “o” and “g,” was designed to be simple, friendly, and immediately recognizable as an Osaka Gas product mark.[5]
Typography and Design
In 1962, Osaka Gas established a company color scheme of cream, red, and blue. In 1985, coinciding with the adoption of the current mark as the official company seal, the corporate colors were renewed to three new colors: OG White, OG Sky Blue, and OG Marine Blue. The company mark has since been rendered in OG Marine Blue.[1][5]
In 2022, when Osaka Gas Network Co., Ltd. was spun off as a separate company for the gas pipeline business, it introduced its own logo. As a member of the Daigas Group, the Osaka Gas Network logo uses blue as its base color and connects the initial letter “O” to represent the expansion of its business, with a gradient expressing the value of adapting to changing times.[6]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
