Electrolux is a Swedish home appliance manufacturer whose visual identity centers on a distinctive geometric symbol: a stylized capital “E” enclosed within a circle. This mark, introduced in 1962, has remained the core of the brand’s identity for over six decades, surviving multiple logotype refreshes.
Design and History
Prior to the 1960s, Electrolux used a logo featuring a globe, sun rays, and elegant lettering. By the early 1960s, company management in Sweden decided this mark had become outdated and launched a design competition in 1961. The call for entries drew 80 graphic designers who submitted 123 concepts total. A seven-member jury spent a day and a half reviewing the proposals, and after eight additional selection rounds, decided not to award a first prize. Instead, they granted two second prizes and one third prize.[1]
The third prize went to Carlo L. Vivarelli, a Swiss graphic designer born in Zurich in 1919. His competition entry was titled “Sun and earth, concave and convex,” and the jury asked him to use it as the basis for the new brand logo. Vivarelli’s design placed a capital “E” within a circle that could be read as either the sun or the globe. The new trademark was successively phased in throughout the Electrolux Group in 1962.[1][2]
In January 2015, Electrolux introduced a new visual identity. The refresh was developed by Prophet, a brand and marketing consultancy based in London, working in partnership with the Electrolux marketing team.[3] The new logotype introduced the company name in a new font exclusive to Electrolux and placed greater emphasis on the timeless symbol first used in 1962.[4] The roll-out began progressively on January 14, 2015.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
In Vivarelli’s proposal, the circle enclosed by the “E” shape could be interpreted as either the sun or the globe, a detail that aligned with Electrolux’s global ambitions at the time.[1] The design was selected because it was clear, easy to remember, timeless, and simple to reproduce across products, catalogs, and promotional materials.[1]
Typography and Design
For the 2015 identity, Prophet worked with typographer Toni Hurme to adapt Hurme Sans into a custom typeface called Electrolux Sans. The font was designed to be distinctive and evocative of the shapes in the iconic brand symbol.[6] The logo was stripped of superfluous shapes and the tagline to maximize its visibility and impact.[7]
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