Migros is the Swiss retail and cooperative group founded in 1925 by Gottlieb Duttweiler. Its visual identity centers on an orange wordmark and the single letter “M,” a mark so widely recognized that the company is often called “the orange giant” in Switzerland. The identity has its roots in the company’s founding concept of building a direct “bridge” between producers and consumers, a symbol that shaped the logo for decades.
Design and History
The bridge has symbolized Migros ever since the company was founded by Gottlieb Duttweiler. The Migros logo shows Duttweiler’s communications talent, as it represents the basic ideas behind the company, and is also simple to understand and easily remembered. The bridge motif appeared in the company’s early communications, including a 1925 flyer titled “Migros, die Brücke” (Migros, the bridge), which expressed the idea of a direct link from producer to consumer. The bridge became the symbol and trademark of Migros. [1] [2]
Over time, the bridge imagery gave way to a simpler typographic identity. The logo was originally black before it switched to orange. The visual appearance was last adapted in 1970, and by the early 2000s the company acknowledged that this design had aged. In 2003, the Zurich-based agency Wirz Identity AG was entrusted by the Federation of Migros Cooperatives with a comprehensive realignment of the corporate identity for Migros Switzerland as a whole. [3] [4]
In 2004, Migros refreshed its logo. Group CEO Anton Scherrer said at the time that it was “due again,” noting that the company had adjusted its lettering from time to time throughout its existence. The change was described by Swiss television as “the gentlest revolution” in the history of the orange giant, as the difference between the old and new logos was difficult to spot. The refresh involved replacing hundreds of “Migros” signs and thousands of individual “M” letters across Switzerland. The wordmark itself remained practically unchanged, but the update was part of a broader effort to modernize the group’s visual presence. [5] [6]
With the relaunch of the Brückenbauer publication as Migros Magazine in 2004 and the updating of Migros’ visual presence by corporate identity specialists, the Migros bridge motif was retired from active use. The bridge is now just history. [1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The original bridge symbol represented the basic idea behind Migros: a direct connection between producers and consumers. This concept was central to Duttweiler’s founding vision of eliminating intermediaries in the food trade. The bridge was simple to understand and easily remembered, qualities that Duttweiler deliberately built into the mark. [1] [2]
The orange color has been a defining element of the identity for decades. By the time of Migros’ 50th birthday celebrations in 1975, the “Familie M” gathered around an orange M, which was seen by most viewers as it should be. However, it became apparent that the hue was rather random at that time. It was only in 2005 that Migros finally defined the exact shade of its trademark. [7]
Typography and Design
The Migros identity is built around a typographic wordmark in orange capital letters. The single letter “M” functions as a standalone symbol across the brand’s applications, from storefronts to packaging. The 2004 refresh kept the wordmark practically the same, focusing instead on standardizing its application across the group’s many formats and sub-brands. [6]
Migros’ own brand guidelines describe the “MIGROS” wordmark as having a high recognition value, and the well-known Migros orange serves as the common thread for the parent brand and its various engagement and funding entities. [8]
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