Noted: New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram

edited March 2020 in conversations

“Like Two Dolphins in a Pod”



New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram








(Est. 1949) "Thames & Hudson was founded in 1949 by Walter and Eva Neurath. Their passion and mission was to create a 'museum without walls' and to make accessible to a large reading public the world of art and the research of top scholars. To reflect its international outlook the name for the company linked the rivers flowing through London and New York, represented in its logo by two dolphins symbolizing friendship and intelligence, one facing east, one west, suggesting a connection between the Old World and the New. Today, still an independent, family-owned company, Thames & Hudson is one of the world's leading publishers of illustrated books with over 2,000 titles in print. We publish high-quality books across ‎all areas of visual creativity: the arts (fine, applied, decorative, performing), architecture, design, photography, fashion, film and music, and also archaeology, history and popular culture. Our children's books list is also expanding. Headquartered in London, we have a sister company in New York and subsidiary sales and distribution companies in Hong Kong and Paris. Today the group employs 150 staff in London and a further 65 around the world."

Design by

Pentagram (Partner, Harry Pearce; London, UK)

Related links

Pentagram project page

Relevant quote
The team researched previous incarnations of the publisher’s logo and looked at how it was applied. A new wordmark was created, as well as a new cartouche, which is a modernised reworking of the original Thames & Hudson cartouche. The new cartouche contains a T&H monogram built from the team’s new bespoke logotype typography, locked up with the publisher’s existing dolphins symbol.

Images (opinion after)


New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram
Logo.

New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram
Cartouche.
Full to shorthand logo animation.

New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram
Logo assets.

New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram
Logos on book.

New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram
Color palette.

New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram
Business card.

New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram
Letterhead.

New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram


New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram


New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram
Catalogs.

New Logo and Identity for Thames & Hudson by Pentagram
Tote bags.

Opinion

The old logo was fine. No major complaints or praises. The new full logo and shorthand cartouche, though, deserve all the praise. The wordmark, in a curiously flared sans serif is unexpected and oddly appealing, especially at smaller sizes — up close it can be a little off-putting. The stacking of the two lines is great, with the top of the ampersand nestling with the concave bottom of the “T” and the left verticals of the “h” and “H” neatly aligning. The cartouche looks great with the dolphins filling in the top-right quadrant to complement the initials inside a lovely holding shape that’s neither oval nor rectangular but both at the same time. The applications are great, especially when the cartouche goes big and bleeds off to the left of any given layout. Overall, everything looks both classy and contemporary, almost with a vintage book publisher feel that makes one pine for the good old days when book publishers were boss.


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