Ever wondered how the adidas logos came to be? Discover the history of adidas logos and the purpose behind each design evolution, from 1949 until today.
A
brand’s logo is a central piece of its identity—and the adidas logos
are no exception, with a history as dynamic as the brand itself.
Naturally, just as adidas has evolved and progressed over the years, so
have its brand marks.
1949: The Beginnings
The story of the adidas logos begins with the birth of the adidas brand.
At the time it was founded by Adolf Dassler in 1949, adidas only
produced sports shoes. So, it should come as no surprise that the
original logo for adidas featured just that. The very first logo
showcased a track and field spiked shoe—with the signature 3-Stripes, of
course—sitting between extended tails on the two d’s in adidas.
“Sportschuhe” (“sports shoes” in German) is written beneath adidas, and
the logo often appeared in a shade of blue that has become classic for
the brand.
Fun fact: The new collaboration with Jerry Lorenzo of
Fear of God features the Sportschuhe adidas logo for an old-school
throwback moment.
This logo, along with the
3-Stripe trademark that began to appear on every shoe (and eventually
apparel) is what started it all. Those telltale stripes, by the way,
don’t hold numerological meaning. They ended up on the first pair of
adidas shoes after Dassler had tested several versions and numbers of
stripes and found that three simply showed up most prominently in
photography—an important factor for a new-to-the-scene sports gear brand
hoping to make a splash. Clearly it worked, as the 3-Stripes continues
to be a world-famous trademark that symbolizes adidas.
1970's: The Introduction Of The Trefoil
A new logo was added in 1972, when adidas branched out from solely
selling shoes and introduced apparel for the very first time. Enter the
Trefoil, which was designed by a small, collaborative team of adidas
leaders and a couple designers from a German creative agency. Inspired
by florals, the new logo featured three leaf-shaped foils to stay
consistent with adidas’ notoriety as the brand with the three stripes.
Ever present, the 3-Stripes runs through the leaves.
You’d
find this adidas logo on clothing from 1972 and on shoes from 1976,
onward—and since 2000, it became reserved for all Originals products to
pay homage to the heritage of the brand.
1990's: The Introduction Of The Equipment Logo and Three Bars
In 1989, with the help of a visionary designer and creative
consultant, we sought out to create a new logo. Inspired by the fact
that adidas has always been committed to equipping athletes with the
best gear possible, the adidas Equipment logo was created. This mark
came about from sketching those famous three stripes the way they’re
seen from the inside of an adidas shoe. The new Equipment logo, released
to the public in 1991, featured the 3-Stripes in a three-bar
arrangement, with the words “adidas EQUIPMENT” sitting below in adidas’
sporting green color.
This logo likely feels
familiar to you since the Three-Bars have since been adapted for use as
part of various marks for the brand, including the Badge of Sport
introduced in 1996. In this logo, the Three-Bars is combined with the
adidas wordmark. You’ll also now see the Three-Bars appear alone in the
newly minted Performance logo.
Clearly there isn’t a single logo for a brand as dynamic and
expansive as ours. But if you’re looking for a simple answer to the
question “What is the real logo of adidas?”, here it is: We use the
Performance logo as the main brand mark of adidas, as the uniting core
mark that serves as an umbrella to all the brand segments.
But
the more complete answer is that there are indeed multiple logos, each
with their own usage. For 2023, adidas has refined its brand marks for
each of the main sub-brands—so here’s what you can expect. The refined
Performance logo, which you now know doubles as our brand mark,
represents the best product for athletes. Then there’s the Badge of
Sport, which has been repurposed as the mark for adidas Sportswear. This
logo represents products that are born from sport and built for life.
Last but not least is the Trefoil, the main brand mark of adidas
Originals. This logo represents products that are icons of the past and
future. By the way, while you’ll only spot the Performance and
Sportswear logos in black and white, the Trefoil is often seen in black
and white or the iconic Originals blue.
And if
there’s one constant you can always recognize, from the beginning of the
history of adidas’ logos until now, it’s certainly the 3-Stripes. The
world-famous trademark has come to represent quality product that’s
rooted in sport. So, whether you’re throwing on some performance gear
before a grueling workout or putting together an outfit from Originals
that helps you express your style, you can feel proud sporting the brand
with the 3-Stripes.
Source: adidas
Source: adidas