Astellas Pharma Inc. is a Japanese pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, created on April 1, 2005 through the merger of Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical.[1] The company’s visual identity was introduced with the new corporate name at the time of the merger, and it has remained in use since then.
Design and History
Astellas was established in April 2005 when Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical (founded in 1923) and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical (founded in 1894) merged.[1] The merger announcement in 2004 introduced both the new company name and its intended meaning: “Astellas” expresses the idea of “aspired stars” and “advanced stars,” derived from the Latin “stella,” Greek “aster,” and English “stellar,” all of which refer to stars.[2]
The corporate symbol is named “Flying Star,” described by the company as “a beautiful shining star moving toward the future.”[3] The symbol depicts a star-like form in flight, and the company has stated that the design reflects Astellas’ intention to bring hope and joy to people seeking health through trustworthy advanced science, technology, and fresh insight, while also boldly expressing the ambition to become a new enterprise that illuminates the era.[4]
The name also connects to a Japanese phrase that translates as “illuminate tomorrow,” expressing the company’s commitment to developing as an R&D-oriented company focused on providing a healthier tomorrow.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Astellas symbol uses two official colors with documented meanings. “Astellas red” represents people living rich and healthy lives with joy, that is, “quality of life,” while “Astellas gray” represents the reliability of leading cutting-edge science and technology.[4]
A US trademark registration for the Astellas mark describes the visual composition: the mark consists of the stylized lettering “astellas” in grey, with a red colored arrowhead-like figure to the left.[6] The color red is claimed as appearing in the horizontal figure and grey in the vertical figure, with the word “ASTELLAS” appearing in grey.[6]
Typography and Design
The Astellas wordmark uses lowercase stylized lettering in grey, positioned to the right of the red symbol.[6] The specific typeface used in the wordmark has not been publicly documented by the company, and no designer or agency attribution for the logo has been officially confirmed.
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