B&Q is the UK and Ireland’s largest home improvement and garden living retailer, operating more than 300 stores and an online presence at diy.com.[1] The company was founded in 1969 in Southampton by Richard Block and David Quayle, initially trading as Block & Quayle before the name was shortened to B&Q.[2] The retailer is part of Kingfisher plc.[3]
Design and History
B&Q’s visual identity has been built around a distinctive orange colour scheme for decades. The company itself describes its brand as “famously orange,” a reference that extends to the orange aprons worn by store colleagues.[3]
A significant redesign of the B&Q logo took place in 1998. Design group M&K was commissioned to revamp the logo as part of a complete overhaul of the client’s own-brand design.[4] The new logo was unveiled in May 1998, with Design Week reporting that M&K had “tweaked” the mark as part of the broader design presence overhaul.[5] M&K also established a branding and packaging roster for the retailer, appointing Elmwood, Pyott Design, Lippa Pearce, The Core and The Jupiter Group to help translate the new packaging concept into own-brand product ranges.[6]
A UK trademark filed by B&Q Limited in March 2004 claims black, white and orange as elements of the mark, confirming the colour palette associated with the logo at that time.[7]
In 2020, creative agency Uncommon Creative Studio took over as B&Q’s creative agency and introduced the “Build a life” campaign. The design work celebrated B&Q’s “famously orange look and feel” within a fresh, stripped-back style for the brand.[8] Uncommon had been appointed in 2019 with a desire to insert an emotional link back into the brand.[9]
In 2024, B&Q appointed Leo Burnett as its new creative agency without a pitch.[10] For the 2025 “Prices Nailed” campaign, Leo Burnett devised a bold new visual identity employing B&Q’s iconic ampersand sign as a distinctive graphic device to represent the idea of “more.” This creative language was rolled out across out-of-home, press, digital, social and in-store activations.[11][12]
Meaning and Symbolism
The B&Q name derives from the initials of founders Richard Block and David Quayle, whose surnames formed the original trading name Block & Quayle before it was shortened.[2]
The ampersand within the B&Q wordmark has become a notable brand element in its own right. Leo Burnett’s 2025 campaign work employed the ampersand as a distinctive device to represent “more,” suggesting the idea of getting more done for less.[11][13]
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.
