Wacom Co., Ltd., the Japanese manufacturer of pen tablets, interactive pen displays and digital interface technologies, has used a typographic wordmark as the core of its corporate identity since its founding in 1983. The company is headquartered in Japan and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.[1]
Design and History
Wacom’s visual identity has undergone two significant documented redesigns, both tied to company milestones and strategic repositioning.
In 2007, marking its 25th anniversary, Wacom introduced a new corporate logo and brand positioning built around the motto “Open Up. Sense More.” The identity was designed by the brand agency Wolff Olins, known for the London 2012 Olympics logo.[2] The new wordmark replaced an older mark described by design commentators as having a mid-1980s corporate sensibility, with a monoweight, contemporary letterform. Commentators noted a design legacy in the new mark: the same angular shape was used, though inverted, for the letters W and M.[3] The 2007 launch also introduced a new consumer product line, Bamboo, alongside the refreshed identity.[4]
In 2013, at its 30th anniversary, Wacom undertook a brand consolidation. Previously, its product sub-brands each carried their own distinct logo designs, which made it difficult for users to identify products as Wacom’s. The company unified its global visual identity so that product branding became more consistent and clearly recognizable as Wacom.[5] As part of this restructuring, the consumer-oriented Bamboo pen tablet series was merged into the Intuos brand, and the brand logos for the Cintiq and Intuos product lines were redesigned.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
Documented symbolism for Wacom’s identity comes from a later brand repositioning described in a Red Dot Design Award project entry. In response to an increasingly competitive market, Wacom sharpened its brand to present itself as a creative partner. The company adopted the brand statement “Live. Dare. Create.” to express its appreciation of creativity. The established Wacom wordmark was retained for brand continuity. The dominant new element of the brand image was a circle, derived from the nib point of a pen at the start of the creative process. This circle was used as a “Window to Enlightenment,” a cross-platform window opening onto artworks created with Wacom products, applied across packaging, advertising, web design and trade fair stands.[7]
Wacom, Intuos, Cintiq, Movink and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Wacom Co., Ltd.[8]
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