The Economist is a weekly newspaper and digital publication founded in London in 1843. Its visual identity centers on a red rectangular masthead with the word “Economist” reversed in white, a device that has remained a constant across the publication’s various redesigns.
Design and History
The Economist’s corporate logotype evolved from the gothic lettering used on the cover of its first issue in 1843 to the box device designed in 1959 by Reynolds Stone, a British engraver and typographer.[1] The red logo appeared for the first time in 1959.[2]
In May 2001, The Economist underwent its first full redesign in 14 years, led by German typographer and designer Erik Spiekermann.[3] Spiekermann and colleagues at MetaDesign London were responsible for the new design of the newspaper.[4] The Economist Group had appointed MetaDesign London in 2000 to oversee a redesign of its global collection of brands, including the flagship magazine.[5]
In October 2018, The Economist redesigned its print and web layout after 17 years, headed by head of graphics Phil Kenny and art director Stephen Petch.[6] The redesign included a larger cover masthead and was done to align the print edition’s look and feel with the rest of its product line, including The Economist apps, Economist Espresso, Economist.com and 1843 magazine.[3]
In 2022, brand consultancy Wolff Olins created a rebrand for The Economist Group, the parent company. The new brand architecture distilled more than 50 brands into four: Economist Intelligence, Economist Impact, Economist Education, and The Economist.[7] The design utilized the simple 2X1 geometry of The Economist logo to create a “red thread” theme between the different brands.[7]
In 2025, design studio Nomad carried out a brand refresh for The Economist designed to attract new audiences. Nomad preserved key visual assets including the iconic red and the Economist Sans and Economist Serif typefaces, building “an extra layer on top.”[8] The studio also built a visual system around the small square used to mark the end of an article in both print and digital editions, known as the Ufinish.[9]
Typography and Design
The Economist’s current logo incorporates a font from The Economist Typefamily, a typeface created specifically for the publication’s use.[1] In February 2024, The Economist introduced new typefaces called Economist Serif and Economist Sans, created by Henrik Kubel, principal type-designer at A2-TYPE in London.[10]
According to the Type Directors Club, the serif references The Economist’s use of Plantin but goes back to Robert Granjon’s original 16th-century drawings for inspiration. The sans looks to Bauer’s Venus, a typeface popular in early 20th-century advertising and a favorite of Romek Marber, The Economist’s cover designer in the 1960s. The headline sans for covers has its origin in industrial condensed sans sources found in the publication’s print archive.[11]
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