MASTERCARD LOGO HISTORY

Andrew Rotelli
Logo Research Newsletter
9/16/07

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 Table of contents

History of MasterCard ........................................................................................................ 3

Evolution of Logo ............................................................................................................... 3
° 1966.............................................................................................................................. 3
°1969............................................................................................................................... 3
°1979............................................................................................................................... 4
°1990............................................................................................................................... 4
°1996............................................................................................................................... 4
Corporate Signature ............................................................................................................ 4

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 Page layout is the process of arranging text and graphic elements on the page in
preparation for printing. For five centuries, this was done with hot metal type (letterpress)
and more recently as paste-ups (offset lithography). Today, page layout computer
applications such as Quark X-press and InDesign are used for nearly all page layout. The
basic building blocks of a page are: text, boxes and ruled lines, illustrations/drawings, and
photographs. A page is usually designed as an image area defined by margins. “Grids” are
often used to positions text and graphic elements consistently across all pages of a
publication.
Designing corporate logos/symbols is one of the more creative and challenging graphic
design tasks. By definition, a logo is a pronounceable word, while a symbol is a graphic
image. Illustrator is a software tool often used to develop logos, but illustrator can also
develop other graphics. However, the designer, through preliminary sketch work, usually
has a design in mind before commencing work with vector software such as Illustrator. A
successful printable logo must work at small sizes, like on a business card, and large sizes,
like on a T-shirt or sign. The most successful logos provide instant recognition. For
example, most Americans instantly recognize the Nike, Coca Cola, & McDonalds logos. In
the remainder of this article, the logo development for MasterCard over time and for
different applications is described.

History of MasterCard Evolution of Logo

° 1966
- The origins of MasterCard can be
traced back to the late 1940’s when Seventeen bankers met in Buffalo, New
several U.S. banks began providing York to create a
specially issued paper that could be used federation for the
like cash in local stores. In 1951 the acceptance for their
Franklin National Bank in New York credit cards. After the
introduced the first real credit card. federation became
Over the next decade several banks formally chartered, the (ICA) created the
evolved using credit cards. On August “I” symbol as its mark.
16, 1966, one of these banks formed the
Interbank Card Association (ICA),
which later became MasterCard. Unlike °1969
other credit card associations, the ICA The Master Charge name and graphics
wasn’t dominated by a single bank. In are changed to provide stronger brand
1969 ICA got copyright rights to Master identification. The new
Charge, and also interlocking circles for brand mark features the
their logo. In the late Master Charge name
1970’s they changed their centered between two interlocking
name to MasterCard to reflect circles of red and ocher. The “I” symbol
international status. is still their but smaller for the purposes
of continuity.

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°1979
Master Charge changes its name to
MasterCard, and the “i”
symbol is no longer part
of the logo.
°1990
In 1990 a more contemporary and bold
brand mark was introduced. The logo
still has the two
interlocking circles,
however now 23
horizontal bars were
added. The new logo
also used an italic, sans serif typeface,
and brighter background colors.
Corporate Signature
The Corporate Signature has a different
purpose than the most
commonly known logo.
The **The corporate
signature is used on all
communications from
MasterCard Worldwide
to its customers, employees, the press,
government agencies, and all business to
business audiences. This is not a logo
used for consumer or merchant use.

°1996
As part of a global effort to strengthen
the MasterCard brand a new logo is
created. This logo that was created in
1996 is still the current
logo. The logo’s
visibility, recognition,
and overall brand image
are improved. Some features of the
recent logo include larger lettering, with
a drop shadow, and fewer interlocking
bars within the two circles.

The logos in this PDF newsletter were obtained from:

http://www.mastercardbrandcenter.com/mcbrand/us/home.do
. They have not been edited, and any opinions expressed in this article are
NOT the opinions of the company. They are included as an educational
assignment, but this entire document will be removed upon request, if a
company objects to their use here. Email maspring@vt.edu and they will be
promptly removed from this site.

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