Hermès is the French luxury house founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès as a harness-making workshop in Paris. Its visual identity is built around an equestrian emblem derived from a 19th-century drawing, a wordmark in a distinctive serif, and the signature orange packaging that has become as recognizable as the logo itself.
Design and History
The Hermès emblem depicts a duc, or phaeton, a sporty carriage intended mainly for women, with a horse and a waiting groom. The image was born from a piece in the collection of Émile Hermès, grandson of the founder: Duc attelé, groom à l’attente (Hitched carriage, waiting groom), a drawing by Alfred de Dreux (1810-1860), a 19th-century French artist and student of Géricault. The stylised image was registered as a trademark and has identified the house since 1945. [1]
According to Hermès’ own product history, in 1923 Émile-Maurice Hermès chose the de Dreux design from his collection and placed it above his initials EMH, surrounded by a caducée, the attribute of the Greek god Hermès. This composition became the emblem of the house. [2] The French intellectual property office (INPI) confirms the house has been symbolized since 1946 by de Dreux’s “Duc attelé,” citing trademark No. 414 203, filed September 7, 1945. [3]
The drawing was acquired by Émile Hermès in 1920, according to Hermès’ watchmaking division. [4] The house’s equestrian roots date to 1837, when Thierry Hermès opened his workshop in rue Basse-du-Rempart, making harnesses that earned recognition at the Universal Exhibition of 1867. His son Charles-Émile moved the workshops to 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1880. [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The carriage motif directly references Hermès’ founding trade as a saddler and harness maker. The INPI notes that while other luxury houses rely heavily on marketing, Hermès cultivates a universe emblematic of the brand: that of the horse. [3] The 2018 registration document describes the duc as a sporty carriage intended mainly for women, placing the emblem within the equestrian world that defined the house’s origins. [1]
The orange box, which functions as a secondary visual identifier, has a documented origin tied to wartime shortages. According to an interview with Adrien Barrot, a consultant in Hermès’ Creation and Image Department, the house originally used packaging in subdued shades of beige, grey, brown, and white. After World War II, paper restrictions meant the usual colours were no longer available. The supplier told Hermès, “We have orange, that’s all we have left.” The colour was adopted by chance but became an opportunity for the house to assert its personality. [6]
Typography and Design
The Hermès wordmark appears in a serif typeface with the grave accent on the second E, asserting the brand’s French identity. The name “Hermès” is set in a distinctive serif typeface, while the word “Paris” that sometimes accompanies it is set in a sans-serif. [7] The house has not officially disclosed the specific typeface used for its wordmark, and no reliable primary source confirms a proprietary font name for the main logo.
For its Slim d’Hermès watch collection, the house commissioned French graphic designer Philippe Apeloig to create a new font. Artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas approached Apeloig for this purpose. [8] This font, however, is specific to the watch line and is not documented as the typeface used for the house wordmark.
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.
