TELUS, the Canadian telecommunications and technology company headquartered in Vancouver, has maintained a remarkably consistent visual identity since 1996. The brand’s logo, often called the “flying T,” pairs a light, curving emblem with a bold wordmark, a combination that has remained essentially unchanged for decades apart from palette adjustments [1].
Design and History
TELUS became known to the public as a consumer brand in 1996, following the acquisition of Edmonton Telephones Corporation and the need for a unified identity to replace the Alberta Government Telephones and EdTel brands [1]. New York consultancy Lippincott & Margulies was appointed to create a masterbrand for the company, consolidating six major brands and 20 sub-brands under the TELUS name [2].
The logo chosen in 1996 was to stay with the company for decades virtually unchanged, with the exception of the palette [1]. The most striking feature of the mark is the contrast between the light, ethereal emblem and the bold wordmark. The emblem consists of a long needle in dark blue, positioned diagonally and rising upward, around which a loop is drawn in a light, vibrant shade of green [1].
Over time, the amount of purple in the logo grew, resulting in a more playful tint while the shape of the mark remained unchanged [1]. In 2021, TELUS refreshed its brand platform with the promise “Let’s make the future friendly,” an evolution of the longstanding “The future is friendly” tagline first introduced in 2000 [3]. The company retained its core brand colours of purple and green while broadening its palette to include complementary colours such as pink [3].
Meaning and Symbolism
The TELUS emblem has been interpreted in various ways. One common interpretation compares the needle with an antenna and the loop with a signal, representing the signal caught by a telecommunications mast, a link to the services the brand provides [1]. The diagonal, upward-rising needle gives the logo an optimistic touch [1].
TELUS’s official brand colours are white, purple and green, with white as the most dominant colour in the palette and purple and green used to accent white space through buttons, text colour and links [4]. The official TELUS Purple is specified as hex #4B286D and TELUS Green as hex #66CC00 [4].
Typography and Design
The TELUS wordmark is set in a straightforward, bold sans-serif typeface. The simplicity of the wordmark ensures it does not compete with the emblem, while the glyphs convey stability and reliability [1]. In official brand guidelines, Helvetica Neue is mentioned as the company’s primary typeface [1]. In 2021, TELUS introduced Helvetica Now as a new font in its communications to give its messaging greater legibility and impact [3].
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