The IKEA logo – history and design
Our logo is one of the most recognizable components of the IKEA visual identity. Learn about what it means, how it was designed, and how it developed over the years.
Meaning
The word ‘IKEA’ is an acronym that celebrates our Swedish heritage. I stands for Ingvar, the first name of the IKEA founder. K is for Kamprad, his last name. E is for Elmtaryd, the name of the farm where Ingvar grew up, and A is for Agunnaryd, the name of the parish in Småland, Ingvar's home village.
Typography
In the early days, some newspapers used blocks for printing corporate logos in adverts, others used a matrix mould. That's why the IKEA logo looks the way it does. We added tiny "serifs" (little strokes at the top and bottom of the letters) to an extra bold Futura typeface. That way the outline of the letters wouldn't look fuzzy when they had been used to print thousands and thousands of ads. This font is called IKEA Sans and it was designed by Robin Nicholas.
Colors
The blue and yellow IKEA logo is the symbol for instant recognition of the IKEA Brand. They also enhance our uniqueness and our Swedish heritage. The IKEA Brand blue colour creates attention to the offer, thereby making it stand out. The IKEA Brand yellow, on the other hand, is an optimistic color giving customers a positive impression when meeting the IKEA Brand, everywhere, anytime.
IKEA’s first logo
Our first ever logo was created in 1951. It was round in shape and used the color red. IKEA founder, Ingvar Kamprad, liked the color red because it represents low price.
Did you know?
Red still continues to play a huge role in IKEA’s visual identity. Looking back in our history books, we've had red IKEA buildings, red IKEA co-worker clothing, even red IKEA trademarks!
