Blue Cross Blue Shield is the national federation of independent, locally operated health insurance companies that license the Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield names and trademarks from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). The visual identity is built on two separately registered symbols, the Blue Cross and the Blue Shield, which are combined in the association’s signature mark. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association was formed in 1982 when the Blue Cross Association and the Blue Shield Association merged. [1]
Design and History
The two symbols that make up the identity have separate origins. The cross symbol was first used in a 1934 advertisement for the Hospital Service Association, today known as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. Company secretary E.A. van Steenwyk had Viennese artist Joseph Binder create a poster that included a blue Greek cross. [2] In 1939, the American Hospital Association, based in Chicago, began using the Blue Cross symbol to indicate that health plans around the country met certain standards. [3]The shield symbol was created in Buffalo, New York by Carl Metzger in 1939, and the first official Blue Shield plan was founded in California that same year. [2] In 1948, the shield symbol was informally adopted by nine plans called the Associated Medical Care Plan, which was later renamed the National Association of Blue Shield Plans. [4]The two organizations operated separately for decades. In 1954, the Blue Cross plans transferred their rights in their Blue Cross trade names and trademarks to the American Hospital Association. In 1972, the AHA assigned its rights in these marks to the Blue Cross Association. The Blue Shield plans similarly agreed to transfer ownership of their Blue Shield trade names and trademarks to the National Association of Blue Shield Plans. [5]In 1982, the Blue Cross Association and the Blue Shield Association merged to form the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which became the sole owner of the various Blue Cross and Blue Shield trademarks and trade names that had previously been owned by the local plans. [5]Meaning and Symbolism
The cross and shield symbols are separately registered trademarks. When used together, the Blue Cross symbol must appear to the left of the Blue Shield symbol, and both must include official registration indicia. [6] The Blue Cross symbol was described in its original 1934 poster context as a blue Geneva cross, “long a symbol of relief for those struck by disaster.” [7]Typography and Design
The association’s identity was refined and standardized by Crosby Associates, a brand identity firm. Retaining the famous cross and shield symbols, Crosby Associates refined and standardized the brand signatures and basic visual presentations for the association and all member organizations. Detailed standards were created to simplify, unify, and revitalize all association and member company communications. [8]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.
