Pentagram's 70s rebrand modernises Mastercard
New typeface, new logotype and new colour but the look remains original for agency's latest great rebrand
Pentagram has just finished one of its most successful rebrandings yet. The company has reworked and simplified the instantly recognisable Mastercard logo, taking the identity back to its Seventies roots yet modernising it in the process.
The Mastercard logotype has been completely overhauled with the text removed from the brand mark and dropped beneath. The typeface has been completely reimagined in sans serif FF Mark that Pentagram chose to mimic the circular features of the brand mark. The capital ‘C’ in Mastercard has also gone to suggest, Pentagram says, that the brand is about more than just the credit card.
“From the very beginning, Mastercard’s brand mark has relied on extraordinarily simple elements: two overlapping/interlocking circles in red and yellow,” says Pentagram’s Michael Bierut. The interlocking elements, introduced in 1990, are now characterised by an overlapping hue of orange in the centre of the venn diagram.
In the new iteration the colour mix allows for the central zone to be a brighter hue of orange than before. "Mastercard’s new symbol returns the brand to its fundamental roots,” says Pentagram’s Luke Hayman. “The new brand mark preserves and builds on this iconic foundation, providing a crisper look that has flexible configurations more suited for digital applications."
For more successful and innovative branding and design check out A Smile in the Mind and browse the many titles in the store by the late, great Pentagram co-founder Alan Fletcher.