Founded in 1948 by Adolf “Adi” Dassler after a spinoff of a larger company, Adidas has made its mark in the area of sportswear, and that mark-of three parallel lines, has been a constant theme of its logo which has nonetheless changed throughout the years to adapt with the company’s corporate image. This logo has been a great success, combining elements of simplistic design with multiple meanings.

Adidas Logo Introduction

The first logo, rolled out in 1967 was not much of a logo and wasn’t even imprinted on anything other than shoes. All it consisted of were three straight, parallel lines. This simplicity would be a common theme of the logo future variants.
In 1971, four years after this initial design came out, Adidas changed to a trefoil design, yet still kept the three solid, parallel lines in the base of the leaf. A second change came out when Adidas merged with Salomon and used different colors—black for Adidas, blue for Salmon—to distinguish the two different brands. Finally, in 2007, Adidas changed again, reverting to the three solid, parallel lines yet arranging them in the form of a mountain with the name underneath.

Strengths of the Adidas logo

The Adidas logo has the advantage of being relatively simple: at its heart it is just three straight, parallel bars. This seemingly simple logo is one that can be easily remembered by the general public and yet is distinct enough as a valid trademark. While the concept of a three-lined logo doesn’t necessarily seem to be enough to distinguish it as a logo, what Adidas did with those lines by angling the three lines to represent a mountain, which can be said to represent future struggles of the athlete, does distinguish them. It can represent not only a mountain but also it somewhat forms the outline of an “A” for Adidas.

The font itself is also rather simple and therefore memorable. It does not have any outlying jaggies or feet. It’s something that will stick in the viewers mind and is easily readable at a distance. This is important for imprinting the logo in the mind of the viewer and gaining Adidas that space in the thought of athletes and others who will be drawn to its particular design.

Adidas Logo Summary

Adidas’ logo, while simple at first glance, contains a number of hidden meanings that distinguish Adidas as a brand and as a company. This simplicity allows the logo to be easily imprinted in the consumer’s psyche and convey the message of a strong product that will allow wearers to climb any mountain and conquer any obstacle along the way. Simple, elegant, readable: those are three words that can be applied to the Adidas logo, and these are three things that truly make the mark of the Germany shoe company a mark with worldwide recognition.