Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), the Canadian retailer founded in 1670, introduced its current visual identity in March 2013. The rebrand marked the company’s first major logo change since 1965 and replaced the stylized “B” mark that had identified its department stores for nearly five decades.[1]
Design and History
The 2013 identity was launched as a two-part system. A streamlined word mark using the company’s full name, “Hudson’s Bay,” was applied across in-store signage, online content, and marketing materials. A second, full-dress version featuring the company’s coat of arms was reserved for packaging and select signature uses.[1]
The coat of arms in the full-dress logo was redrawn by Canadian artist Mark Summers, with the overall design developed by the New York-based agency Lipman.[2] The redesign was described by HBC creative director Tony Smith as a “two-pronged approach: maintaining our heritage while modernizing the new Hudson’s Bay Company.”[1]
The previous identity dated to 1965, when the company adopted “The Bay” name and a logo featuring a stylized, boldly accented “B” designed by Lippincott & Margulies.[1] Before 1965, the company used a black lettering treatment of its full name that was often reproduced by hand and varied from one application to another.[1]
In 2009, HBC had already moved away from its “HBC” acronym logo, returning to the full company name with a modernized crest that incorporated the four emblematic colors associated with the Hudson’s Bay point blanket.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The coat of arms retains heraldic elements from the company’s original crest, including two moose (or elk) supporting a shield bearing the cross of St. George, four beavers, and a fox seated atop a cap.[2] The four-color stripe motif used in earlier versions of the identity derives from the Hudson’s Bay point blanket, a signature product first sold by the company in the 18th century.[4]
In May 2025, Canadian Tire Corporation announced a $30-million agreement to acquire HBC’s intellectual property portfolio, including the iconic multi-coloured stripes design, crests, coat of arms, and various HBC logos and trademarks.[5][6]
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