The Adidas logo is one of the most iconic symbols in the world of sportswear and fashion. It doesn’t only represent a brand but also its commitment to quality, innovation, and a lifestyle that transcends sports.
Over the decades, the Adidas logo has evolved, adapting to new technologies and trends and still remained true to its original design.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into learning more about the Adidas logo, its innovation, style, and identity.
The origins of Adidas
Adidas was founded in 1949 by Adolf “Adi” Dassler in Herzogenaurach, Germany. The brand’s name is a combination of Dassler’s nickname, “Adi”, and the first three letters of his last name, “Das.” Before founding Adidas, Dassler made sports shoes with his brother Rudolf under the Dassler Brothers shoe factory.
However, the two didn’t agree on everything so this encouraged both to go their separate ways and establish two different companies: Adidas by Adi Dassler and Puma by Rudolf Dassler. From the beginning, Adidas stood out from the rest since it focused so much on quality and innovation, aiming to provide athletes with footwear that made them comfortable and perform at their very best.
Considering that, the logo also played an important role in building the brand’s identity, making it a symbol of excellence and trust.
The beginning: 1949-1950
Even though the brothers had good intentions of forming a business together, everything didn’t turn out to be positive in the long-term. Long-term tensions not only led to splitting, but to both making a full rebrand.
While nobody knows exactly what the reason was behind the split, Adolf Dassler parted ways in 1949 and established his first logo for Adidas. This happened right after World War II, and compared to today, the logo looks entirely different.
The interesting part of the first logo was that it had the owner’s name at the top, but this wouldn't last for a very long time after it was debated.
The first redesign: 1950-1967
In 1950, Adidas made its first logo redesign, and the good news is that it looked more simple than ever. This time, it managed to show the letters “adidas” in white and included a black rectangular background. While the font did look quite similar to its previous logo, the font still managed to look more premium in its update.
Even nowadays, we see a similar Adidas logo that we instantly recognize. The monochromatic color scheme didn’t change as in future campaigns, there were different colors incorporated. From this point, Adidas started to widen its reach and produced more products other than just sports shoes.
A new logo form: 1967-present
From 1967 and on, Adidas has introduced several logo forms that it still uses even now. The very first one was the wordmark logo, which still remains an icon even today. You can see that the d’s were shorter than before, and the “i” letter now has a square shape compared to the round one in its older logo design.
Also, let’s not forget that the “a's” look more refined and let’s face it, this logo version is simple and easily recognizable by a global audience. Adidas chose to use lowercase letters to make the design look more casual and approachable, and displayed it in black and white to make it easier to remember for everyone.
Above all, the good news is that you can still find this logo even nowadays as it’s still used worldwide.
The trefoil logo: 1971-present
The 1970’s debated a whole new logo for Adidas, and this version still exists today. As their product offerings started to expand, so did their logo. This was the first time ever that a sign appeared near their wordmark. Undoubtedly, even today, the logo still remains a popular option even nowadays.
Originally designed to represent Adidas’s growing product range and diversification, the Trefoil has since become synonymous with its style, heritage, and quality. The three leaves represent Adidas’s presence across the main parts of the world such as North America, Europe, and Asia.
While the Trefoil was unveiled in 1971, it initially debuted at the 1972 Munich Olympics. In the 1990’s, Adidas started to use the Trefoil as its primary logo for sportswear, replacing it with the performance logo (three slanted stripes) to reflect athletic performance.
Climbing the mountain: 1991-present
Right after he had his successful career in Nike, Peter Moore became the Creative Director of Adidas. This was the time where Adidas made its biggest shift in the brand’s visual identity. Designed by Peter Moore, this logo featured three slanted bars that formed a triangular ‘’mountain,’ symbolizing challenge, ambition, and performance. Overall, it was created to represent Adidas' focus on its commitment and athleticism to helping athletes conquer their goals.
The three diagonal stripes are arranged to form a mountain-like silhouette, symbolizing goals, challenges, and the needs to overcome challenges. This design is a minimalist approach, so it is clean and modern, ensuring versatility across branding and products.
The mountain represents all of the challenges athletes face, aligning with Adidas’s mission to empower individuals to reach their peak performance. Overall, its strong and dynamic design made it a great symbol of athletic determination and success.
The striped sphere logo: 2002-present
Shortly after the millennium came the rise of Adidas’s circle logo. As always, the classic three bars came with it as well. This iteration shifts the look of the trademark bars once again, with more of an organic shape. As it’s expected with the sportswear line, this sportswear once again will suggest speed and movement.
However, this logo is geared towards lifestyle much more and is featured on Adidas streetwear collaborations. Overall, the spherical design formed by curved stripes, symbolized movement, unity, and the company’s growing influence across the globe.
The circular logo consists of three curved stripes that are wrapped around an invisible globe, symbolizing Adidas’s global reach and interconnectedness. The sphere symbolized Adidas’s global presence, emphasizing its position as a leading international sportswear brand.
Similar to the other two logos, it’s still used nowadays and when it debuted, it was more widely used for Adidas Style Essentials, a sub-brand that focused on contemporary, fashion-forward products.
The clean-cut lines logo: 2005-present
Introduced in 2005, the clean-cut lines introduced three parallel horizontal stripes paired with Adidas wordmark, promoting simplicity and versatility to the brand’s legacy. It was initially created to align with how the brand managed to reach a global audience and was so successful in creating a timeless style.
Let’s take a closer look at what made this design that still exists today so unique:
- Horizontal stripes: The stripes are positioned parallel to each other, reflecting Adidas long-standing use of three-stripe motif as a symbol of unity and performance.
- Typography: The wordmark appeared in clean, lowercase sans-serif font and had a monochromatic design that is simple and clear, making it highly adaptable across all mediums and doesn’t lose its quality.
- Symbolism: The horizontal stripes represent Adidas’s commitment to consistency, innovation, and heritage across its product lines. This minimalist design highlights a forward-looking approach while remaining true to its established identity.
- Purpose and use: The clean cut line logo is primarily used for Adidas lifestyle and fashion collections, blending seamlessly with contemporary trends. The straightforward design promotes high visibility and recognition on footwear, digital platforms, and recognition.
- Global icon: Let’s not forget that the logo’s simplicity has contributed to its universal appeal, making it instantly recognizable in different markets. By continuing to follow a minimalism design with clean lines, Adidas manages to maintain its powerful identity while adapting to modern trends at the same time.
As we mentioned before, the clean-cut lines still exist today, just like the other logo designs that we mentioned above. However, the clean cut line logo supports the brand’s evolution towards simplicity, and modernity. Let’s face it, no matter how many years pass by, this logo design will remain timeless!
Adidas’s logo is a perfect example of a symbol of innovation and excellence
The design is more than just a logo, it's a showcase to the brand’s long and successful journey, innovation, and influence across fashion, sports, and culture. Logo designs like the trefoil to the mountain, and even clean-cut line design, reflect how adaptable Adidas has been and committed to reaching a global audience.
Throughout history, Adidas has shown us how committed it is to adapt with a modern audience and create logos that are timeless and will transcend generations. These symbols have become synonymous with quality, innovation, and style.
As Adidas continues to remain a global leader in both lifestyle fashion and athletic performance, its logo will always remain an icon with a timeless look.