Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) is Mexico’s public social security institution, created in 1943 under the Ley del Seguro Social. Its visual identity, known as the logosímbolo, was designed a year after the institute began operations and has evolved through several documented redesigns while retaining its core imagery.
Design and History
The original symbol was created in 1944 by caricaturist Salvador Zapata Agüero, at the request of the institute’s then director general, Ignacio García Téllez. The drawing depicts an eagle protecting with its wings a mother breastfeeding her child, representing the purpose of establishing social security for Mexicans. In 1945, the institute’s initials and the motto “Seguridad social para todos” were added to the image. [1]
In 1960, at the request of director general Benito Coquet, painter and sculptor Federico Cantú was commissioned to create a sculpture based on Zapata’s original design, for placement at the Unidad Habitacional Independencia in Mexico City. The sculpture, titled “Maternidad IMSS” and popularly known as “La Maddona,” became an emblem that was replicated across the institute’s buildings throughout the country. [1]
In 1973, the symbol was stylized, the institute’s initials were restored to the shield, and the motto was changed to “Seguridad y Solidaridad Social,” which remains in use today. [1]
In 1983, designer Jorge Canales redesigned the logosímbolo, respecting the identity that had been maintained up to that point, and introduced two variants: vertical and horizontal. The redesign placed the eagle and mother within a rounded-corner frame, with the mother’s figure simplified to a silhouette. [2] [1]
In 1992, the logo received light adjustments, including a modified typography for the motto and the adoption of the characteristic institutional green color. [1]
Meaning and Symbolism
According to the institute’s official application guide for the logosímbolo, the eagle at the top of the symbol represents the strength and vigilance of the Mexican people in providing protection to workers and their families, as suggested by the wings covering the figure of the mother and her child, which in turn symbolizes the historical community. [3]
At the base of the symbol appear the letters IMSS (the logotype) in energetic characters, with the motto “SEGURIDAD Y SOLIDARIDAD SOCIAL” in smaller typography beneath it. [3]
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