LogoShop Part 11: Adidas
Sharpening up the world-famous athletic brand.
This is part of a blog series on logo design. Read previous articles on DC Comics, the Justice League, Superman, LexCorp, Nightwing, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Punisher, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi.
The three stripes company.
That’s how founder Adolf “Adi” Dassler described Adidas, after he purchased the trademark stripes to use for in his own line of footwear. Indeed, the three stripe design motif was a more critical component of the Adidas brand than any single logo.
Nevertheless, Adidas has several official logo marks in its nearly century-long history. Its current brand identity, the Three Bars, is mean to evoke the shape of a mountain, and in turn, a sense of achievement through performance.
But… can it be improved? I think so.
Welcome back to LogoShop, a blog series where I critique popular logo designs and suggest alterations of my own.
Disclaimer: The LogoShop series is intended for educational purposes only, and has not been solicited or endorsed by any of the brands discussed.
The Background
The company that would become Adidas was founded in Germany in 1924 by Adi Dassler, who, along with his older brother Rudolf, developed and manufactured spiked running shoes for athletic events. The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory, as their company was known at the time, would become world famous during the 1928 Olympic Games, where the brothers supplied shoes to many of the winning athletes.
Tension between the Dassler brothers grew during World War II, and by 1947, they parted ways for good. Rudolf created his own athletic brand, Puma, while Adi used elements from his first and last name to create Adidas.
Recognizing the need for a distinctive brand to compete with his brother, Adi purchased the three stripe element from Finnish sportswear label Karhu in 1951. The stripes were included in the first Adidas logo, appearing on a shoe above the Adidas name.
As the rivalry between Adidas and Puma continued, Adi decided to branch out from sportswear into mainstream markets. In doing so, Adidas adopted the Trefoil logo in 1971. The three flower pedals were a symbol of growth, accented by the signature three stripes. It was under this logo that Adidas found mainstream success, especially in the United States.
In 1990, Adidas wanted to strengthen their association with performance. And so, creative director Peter Moore created the Three Bars insignia for the company’s Equipment range of sporting goods. The mountain-shaped logo would eventually represent the company as a whole in 1997, further strengthening the link between Adidas and achievement.
Even though Adidas reorganized and rebranded in 2005 under the parent Adidas Group, the Three Bars continues to represent the company’s central athletic arm. And for the purposes of this article, it’s this logo that deserves focus.
The Problem
When you see the origin of the Three Stripes logo, it starts making sense. Three parallel bars, in ascending order, are rotated and clipped to form the shape of a mountain. The Adidas text run up against the bottom in contrasting colors to complete the lockup. Simple. Straightforward.
But to my eye, it all seems a bit rough. It has several incongruous edges, with the text butted up against the bottom of the shape.
But maybe that’s the point. After all, mountains have uneven terrain, and that very nature is an invitation to athletes in search of a challenge.
Still, the elements beg to be organized, so that’s just what I did.
The Solution
What bothered me most about the Adidas mark was the unevenness of the stripes. So I fixed that right away.
I then explored several variations, rotating the stripes from the existing 30 degrees to 45, which created a more standard triangle shape. The problem with this was that the first stripe was reduced to a triangle itself.
I considered taking the stripes out of a triangular shape entirely, using diagonals to suggest movement. But the further I went, the less unique the logo became.
Ultimately, the first option with the fewest changes worked best. All I had to do was look a pair of Adidas shoes to see why; the logo was right there.
So in the end, I kept the more upright 30 degree angle, since that most closely resembled the side of a shoe. I also added some much needed breathing room between the mark and the text, using the space between the stripes as a reference.
And there you have it. Adidas refined. I’m sure a case could be made for the less organized version, but I felt compelled to offer a fix.
If you want this version of the Adidas logo for your desktop, you can download the wallpaper pack right here.
Well, that does it for me, and for LogoShop as a whole. I hope you enjoyed the series. I certainly enjoyed sharing my thoughts on these brands, because it really comes from a place of love. Logos fascinate me, and it’s impossible for me not to have an opinion and a few ideas of my own when new versions come into the world.
But what do you think? Did you like my takes on these brands, or was I way off the mark? Which one would you most like to see get used? Let me know in the responses below.
Thanks so much for reading. Bye for now!
Hi, I’m Daniel Beadle, writer, artist, and design consultant. Follow me and my work at DanielBeadle.com.
