Have you ever seen a thing and wondered why? No this is not philosophical, I’m talking about names, logos, and trademarks. The Pelikan pen trademark is a family coat of arms; Frosted Flakes cereal has Tony the Tiger – why?
BIC
The Bic logo has a somewhat mysterious sidekick. “Who is that little guy standing next to the BIC logo?” The answer: the BIC boy, originally a schoolboy. When Marcel Bich founded BIC, it was just a pen company. The first logo wasn’t the recognizable black and yellow we know today. It was just an orange, parallelogram with a handwrittenish “BIC” until 1952 when the schoolboy theme was introduced.
In 1961, the iconic logo was introduced when the schoolboy’s head was replaced with a ballpoint pen ball and he was given a pen to hold behind his back.
Montblanc
Montblanc’s rounded star symbol represents the snow-covered peak of Mont Blanc, intended to symbolizing the brand’s commitment to the highest quality and finest European craftsmanship.” The star was introduced in 1913.
Parker Arrow Clip
Arrows can symbolize quality when shot from a bow traveling fast, being able to traverse great distances, and the ability to reach out and communicate, eventually touching someone. Could also represent the ability of a person to free his or her spirits and travel far and wide. Arrows also represent a singularity of purpose – a way of going directly from Point A to Point B, reaching the heart of a matter, hence the expression “Straight as an Arrow”.
The clip design is attributed to Joseph Platt and Ivan Tefft. Could the symbolism of the arrow influenced the Platt and Tefft’s design? The design patent was filed on October 13, 1932. The Parker Arrow was inspired by Kenneth Parker’s passion for revolutionary transportation and aviation. First featured as a clip on the Vacumatic pen, symbolizing Parker’s pioneering attitude. In 1958 it became the brand’s emblem.
KaWeCo
In 1899, Heinrich Koch and Rudolph Weber acquired the company, which became the Heidelberger Federhalterfabrik Koch, Weber & Compagnie, with marketing carried out under the brand name KaWeCo, derived from the abbreviation of Koch, Weber & Compagnie. In 1926, the company officially adopted the name Kaweco. The company goes bankrupt on 24 May 1929, and forced into liquidation. KWG bought the brand and assets, changed its name to Kaweco Badische Füllhalterfabrik, Woringen & Grube, and introduced a new Kaweco logo – a merger of the two company logos.
Pelikan
The former plant manager and chemist Günther Wagner (1842-1930), took over the company soon after in 1878 adopted the Pelikan, the emblem of his family, as the trademark for his “Small Honey Paints”. Honey paints were a type of watercolor common at the time, in which honey was used as a binder.
In designing the trademark, Günther Wagner abandoned what he called the “oval” shape of the shield on which the pelican was displayed. The company logo originally showed a pelican with three chicks in the nest. When Wagner fathered a fourth child, the number of little chicks increased to four. To sharpen the logo’s character and make it more recognizable, the number of chicks was reduced to two in 1937. Then in 2003, reduced to one little chick in the nest.
Mentmore
Mentmore owes its name to the location of its first office in Mentmore Terrace, Hackney, London. Fortunately, Mabie Todd retained the original name opposed to adopting the location of their first UK office as their name. Speaking of Mabie Todd, does anyone know why they choose Swan as the name for their pen?
TWSBI
I’m sorry but am I only the only person who thinks the TWSBI logo looks like it was derived from the biohazard symbol?
TWSBI’s name stands for the phrase “Hall of Three Cultures” or “San Wen Tong” in Chinese. The phrase “San Wen Tong” also brings to mind the Hall of the Three Rare Treasures created by Emperor Qianlong as a memorial to three great masterpieces of Chinese calligraphy. The initials of the phrase “San Wen Tong” was reversed and thus turned into “TWS”. The last letter “Bi” was added with its literal meaning of “writing instruments”. Thus combining the two segments, to create TWSBI.
Back to the logo. It appears to be a play on Wen 文 times 3, maybe representing the “Three Cultures” or “Three Rare Treasures.”
Now you know the beginning of the story.
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Chronicles of a Fountain Pen 