See’s Candies is an American chocolate and candy manufacturer founded in Los Angeles in 1921 by Charles A. See, who used recipes developed by his mother, Mary See. The brand’s visual identity has remained remarkably consistent for over a century, built around a black-and-white color scheme, script lettering, and a portrait of Mary See herself.
Design and History
Charles See opened the first See’s Candy Shop in November 1921 at 135 N. Western Avenue in Los Angeles, with his wife Florence and his widowed mother, Mary See. Mary’s face has been featured on See’s boxes since the company’s earliest days, and the brand’s signature black-and-white checkerboard design was inspired by her black-and-white home kitchen in Pasadena, where she made her candy. [1]
The company’s original logo consists of a black-and-white photograph of Mary See. [2] The New York Times described the portrait as part of the See’s logo, noting that Charles See used some of his mother’s favorite candy recipes when he founded the company. [3]
By the late 1920s, the black-and-white motif was woven throughout the company. Employees wore white uniforms piped in black, storefronts were painted crisp white with the See’s name in black on awnings and windows, and delivery motorcycles were fitted with sidecars embossed on all sides with the black-and-white See’s logo. [4]
See’s has retained the black-and-white logo designed in the 1930s on its packaging. [4] Reporting on the company’s centennial in 2021 noted that See’s “has never changed its color scheme” and that “the type font used for the logo dates back a century.” [5]
When Berkshire Hathaway, controlled by Warren Buffett, acquired See’s in 1972, the new owners had no intention of altering the company’s appearance. Marketing continued to focus on the image of Mary See and her old-fashioned charm, and the company’s image did not change despite becoming part of a large conglomerate. [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
Mary See became the symbol of the new company from its founding. The image of the grandmotherly See was used in advertising to embody the old-fashioned, homemade qualities of See’s candy. [4] The New York Times observed that the brand’s presentation made it seem “as if someone’s kindly grandmother were running it.” [3]
The black-and-white checkerboard design, inspired by Mary See’s home kitchen, extended beyond packaging into the design of the shops themselves, reinforcing the connection between the brand and its homemade origins. [1]
Typography and Design
The type font used in the See’s logo dates back to the company’s founding era and has remained in use for a century. [5] The logo’s black-and-white presentation has never changed since its introduction in the 1930s. [4]
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