The McBee Company was a Canadian office supplies and business systems brand whose visual identity was created in 1964 by designer Rudy Eswarin at the Toronto design firm Stewart & Morrison Ltd.[1] The mark is documented in the reference publication Top Symbols and Trademarks of the World, which lists the company, the designer, the agency and the 1964 date together.[1]
Design and History
The McBee name in Canada traces back to the Royal Typewriter Company Limited, which was incorporated in 1932. In 1954, the American Royal Typewriter Company merged with the McBee Corporation, a manufacturer of special office equipment, filing systems and specialized printed accounting products.[2][3] The Canadian subsidiary was renamed Royal McBee (Canada) Limited in 1963, and in 1968 it became Litton Business Systems of Canada Ltd.[2]
The 1964 logo was created during the period when the Canadian operation was transitioning from the Royal McBee name to its Litton-era structure. The mark is classified as a line logo with a Canada line shape, indicating a simple, linear construction rather than a pictorial emblem.[1]
Stewart & Morrison was co-founded in 1960 by Clair Stewart, a prominent Canadian graphic designer, and Ted Morrison. The firm was the first Canadian-owned design consultancy of its kind and grew to international stature, guiding corporate identity programs for many of Canada’s major businesses.[4][5]
Later corporate records show a Nova Scotia registration for “McBee Company, a Division of Litton Business Systems of Canada” dated September 1973, which was revoked in 1984.[6] A separate Nova Scotia business name registration for “The McBee Company” was filed in May 1984 and revoked in July 1998.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
Documented sources describe the logo’s formal qualities as a line-based mark incorporating a Canada shape, but they do not record any specific symbolic meaning attached to the design.[1] The Canada line shape suggests a geographic reference to the company’s national market, though no primary source confirms this interpretation.
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