LexisNexis is a global provider of legal, regulatory and business information and analytics, operating as part of RELX Group. Its visual identity centers on a distinctive circular emblem known as the “Knowledge Burst” logo, paired with the LexisNexis wordmark. The mark is a registered trademark of RELX Inc. and appears across the company’s legal research platforms, risk management tools and corporate communications. [1]
Design and History
The current LexisNexis identity dates to a 2001 rebranding effort announced by Reed Elsevier, the company’s then-parent. The rebrand removed the hyphen from the LexisNexis name and introduced a new icon, described at the time as a “knowledge burst,” which was said to symbolize service to global markets. The change accompanied a new U.S. tagline, “It’s How You Know,” intended to convey the business’s role in providing authoritative, dependable information. [2]
The Knowledge Burst mark has since been refined. A LexisNexis brand guide describes the logo as reformatted to a stacked version with an updated logotype and a “streamlined Knowledge Burst,” noting that the logotype was made easier to read. [3]
LexisNexis traces its origins to the Lexis computerized legal research service, which launched publicly on April 2, 1973, offering full-text search of Ohio and New York cases. [4] The company was acquired by Reed Elsevier in 1994. [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Knowledge Burst logo is described in U.S. trademark registrations as “a circle containing five curved, white bands which originate on the left hand side of the circle and gradually reduce in size until converging at an epicenter in the upper right-hand portion of the circle and then continue out again toward the edge of the circle.” [1] The same description appears in a separate trademark filing for the wordmark. [6]
The “Knowledge Burst” name itself was introduced with the 2001 rebranding, when the icon was described as symbolizing service to global markets. [2] The trademark registrations do not assign additional symbolic meaning to the five bands or the circular form.
Typography and Design
Omnes is the primary branding typeface for LexisNexis. The rounded sans serif is described as lending “an affable voice” to the company’s communications and serving as the typographic constant across print and online materials. [7]
The brand guide notes that the logotype was updated for improved legibility, though it does not identify the specific typeface used in the logo itself. [3]
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.
