How the Shell company and Shell logo evolved over years and the meaning for different components of Logo.

1. INDEX
Sr. No. Topic Page No.
1. Royal Dutch Shell 2
2. Brief history of Royal Dutch Shell 3
3. The history of the Shell logo 4
4. Evolution of the design of then Shell logo 5
5. Design elements of the current Shell logo 6
6. Webliography 7
7. Notes 8
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2. ROYAL DUTCH SHELL
TYPE: Public Limited Company
INDUSTRY: Oil and Gas
FOUNDED IN: 1907
HEADQUARTERS: The Hague, Netherlands
REGISTERED OFFICE: Shell Centre, London, United Kingdom
AREA SERVED: Worldwide
KEY PEOPLE: Peter Voser (CEO)
Jorma Ollila (Chairman)
PRODUCTS: Petroleum, Natural gas, and other Petrochemicals
REVENUE: US$ 470.171 billion (2011)[4]
EMPLOYEES: 90,000 (2011)[4]
WEBSITE: Shell.com
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3. BRIEF HISTORY OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL
Royal Dutch Shell commonly known as Shell is a multinational oil and gas
company. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenueand one of the
top six oil and gas industries. Shell topped the [Fortune 500] list of largest companies
in the world.[8]
Shell is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including production,
refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading. It
also has major renewable energy activities, including in biofuels, hydrogen, solar and
wind power. It has operations in over 90 countries. Shell Oil Company, its subsidiary in
the United States, is one of its largest businesses.
The name Shell is linked to The "Shell" Transport and Trading Company.In 1833,
Marcus Samuel, founded an import business to sell seashells to London collectors.
When collecting seashell specimens in the Caspian Sea area in 1892, the younger
Samuel realized there was potential in exporting lamp oil from the region and
commissioned the world's first purpose-built oil tanker, the Murex (Latin for a type of
snail shell). Although for several decades the company had a refinery at Shell Haven
on the Thames, there is no evidence of this having provided the name.
The Shell logo is one of the most familiar commercial symbols in the world.
This logo is known as the "pecten" after the sea shell Pecten maximus (the giant
scallop), on which its design is based. The yellow and red colors used are thought to
relate to the colors of the flag of Spain, as Shell built early service stations in
California, previously a Spanish colony. The current revision of the logo was designed
by Raymond Loewy in 1971.
The slash was removed from the name "Royal Dutch/Shell" in 2004, concurrent
with moves to merge the two legally separate companies (Royal Dutch and Shell) to
the single legal entity which exists today
The word “Shell” has represented Royal Dutch Shell plc for over a century. The
yellow-red Shell logo continues to play a very important role in the advancement of
the company‟s interests. A look at the Shell logo reveals the exclusive characteristics
that attract the viewers‟ attention. It is a projection of outstanding professionalism
and a hallmark of the company‟s exceptional position worldwide.
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4. THE HISTORY OF THE SHELL LOGO
Like many first drafts, the 1900 logo was fairly poor. It was a dull, poor quality
black and white version of a mussel shell. Of course, the mussel shell is not an
attractive shape, and the angle at which it was pictured was not pleasing. Three-
dimensional logos are a hit and miss idea which takes exceptional skill to pull off. So
in 1904 the mussel shell at a 60 degree angle gave way to a more aesthetically
pleasing scallop shell, shot from above. Still, however, the limited color palette and
the harsh black background made it seem poor.
The first two versions of this logo were essentially pictures which were
desaturated and increased in contrast to give something approximating a logo. They
were not hand drawn, per se. However, the 1909 logo was better.
Here was something new: it was distinctive and clear (if still a little too natural
looking: the crimping at the top of the shell may be true to life but it does not make
for a brilliant logo). This design lasted more than two decades.
1930 was the next redesign, with an art style shell which is brilliantly
symmetrical and much cleaner to the eye. It almost looks like a crown – something
the company was keen to emphasize.
1948 saw the first splash of color – but in design terms it was a step backwards.
Rather than the clean lines of the 1930 design, Shell took the blurry realism of its
1909 logo, and slightly modified it to make it taller and prouder, hand-coloring it.
Color first appeared with the construction of Shell‟s first service stations in
California. Not only did Red and yellow help Shell stand out, but they‟re also the
colors of Spain, where many early Californian settlers were born. Perhaps by
displaying Spanish colors it was hoped an emotional bond would be created.
1955 was a much cleaner iteration of the logo, with the „Shell‟ text matching
the rest of the color scheme. By 1961 a red background had been added, which took
away from the starkness of the logo.
1971 was a wholesale redesign, cutting out the clutter. The man to thank for
that is Raymond Loewy. Since then there has been minor tinkering – mostly with levels
and richness and depth of color, but also with the addition of text – but Loewy‟s logo
is largely the same in 2011 as it was in 1971.
The insignia is undoubtedly one of the world‟s most recognized logos.
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5. EVOLUTION OF DESIGN OF THE SHELL LOGO
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6. DESIGN ELEMENTS OF THE CURRENT SHELL LOGO
The Shell logo came under considerable changes over the years but the essence
of the shell graphic never changed. Raymond Loewy designed the present day Shell
logo in 1971. The Shell logo was one of the most impressive designs created by the
versatile designer.
Shape of Shell Logo
Shell logo is the representation of the hard protective outer case of a mollusk
that is part of the eco-cycle of oil exploration. This illustration is in line with the
company‟s name and ethics. The Shell logo is a narration of the corporation‟s
exceptional reputation and charisma. Despite the redesigning of the Shell logo, the
logo retains its power, strength and supremacy to date.
Color of Shell Logo
The Shell logo is a graceful adaptation of highlighting colors. The use of red
and yellow epitomizes the Shell logo‟s beauty and elegance. Samuel and Company‟s
tin shipping containers were painted a shade of the red, hence paving the way for the
presence of red tint in the Shell emblem.
Font of Shell Logo
The Shell logo employs a very simple and unique way to remember the
typeface that enhances the qualities of the oil company and features the high-class
products. The alphabets in the Shell logo are depicted in bold font that projects the
high standing of the company‟s position in the corporate world.
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7. WEBLIOGRAPHY
1. http://www.famouslogos.us/shell-logo/
2. http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/who-we-are/our-history/history-of-pecten.html
3. http://www.logodesignlove.com/shell-logo-design-evolution
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shell_logo.svg
5. http://www.andrewkeir.com/shell-logo-designs-past-and-present/
6. http://www.oldsydneysigns.com.au/info/3.pdf
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Dutch_Shell#cite_note-fortune500-3m
8. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/
9. http://www.shell.com/ind.html?gclid=CPq9tovbrbUCFQh66wodF3IAIQ
10. http://www.famouslogos.us/shell-logo/
11. http://www.oldsydneysigns.com.au/info/3.pdf
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8. NOTES
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