Story of the All Star: The Converse logo history and symbol evolution
The Converse logo has become something of a cult icon over the years. Sought out by alternative fashion lovers across the globe, the Converse symbol is a badge of honor to many. However, even some of the most devoted Convers fans don’t know much about the icon’s history.
Converse logo history started several decades ago, back in the 1960s. However, despite numerous company brand identity changes, certain visual elements have been quite consistent. For instance, around the world, most people will associate Converse with its memorable five-point star.
While star logos are relatively common in the branding world, Converse is one of the few apparel companies that has successfully claimed the shape as its own. Today, we will be closely examining the history of the Converse logo and the evolution of the iconic brand.
Introducing Converse: The All Star apparel brand
Converse is an American lifestyle and apparel brand best-known for its iconic collection of footwear. However, the company also sells a wide range of different types of garments and accessories.
Originally founded in 1908 as the “Converse Rubber Shoe Company”, the Converse brand has changed ownership a few times over the decades.
Today, Converse is owned by the Nike brand, another well-known competitor in the world of athletic apparel. The company started life in 1908 when Marquis Mills Converse, a manager at a local footwear manufacturing company, opened his own business in Massachusetts.
The brand focused on the development of rubber-soled footwear for both children and adults. By 1915, the organization had begun focusing on athletic shoes, and in 1918, the Converse All Star basketball shoe was introduced for the first time.
Not long after, in 1923, a basketball player named “Chuck Taylor” walked into the store, complaining about his painful feet.
Converse gave him a job as an ambassador, promoting the shoes around the United States. Taylor’s signature was even eventually added to the All Star logo patch on many of the company’s high-topped sneakers.
Over the years, the Converse brand, as well as the All Star logo, has continued to gain attention from footwear fans across the globe. Today, Converse is earning approximately $2.3 billion per year from its apparel sales.
Converse logo history: The evolution
Like many young companies in the 1900s, the Converse brand didn’t have a consistent logo or visual identity for quite some time. Various styles of the inscription were used for different shoes, with nothing to specifically tie the products back to the manufacturer.
Officially, the beginning of Converse logo history started in 1932, when the brand began producing All Star shoes with the five-pointed star shape attached to them. However, an actual company logo wasn’t designed until 1963.
1963
The original Converse logo featured a simple, sans-serif inscription alongside a five-pointed star in black. The design was placed on a pale background to allow for better contrast. The emblem was relatively minimalistic, but it was a stylish and modern choice for the company at the time.
The five-pointed star was also a well-known symbol of quality. The lowercase letters in the wordmark used for the logo also helped to highlight the company’s friendly and playful nature.
An updated logo for the Converse brand was introduced in 1977, featuring the same five-pointed star, this time depicted in white on a black square background with curved edges.
The star drew most of the attention in this design, while the wordmark for the company was placed underneath in bold, sans-serif font. Interestingly, all of the letters of the wordmark were in uppercase, except the “n.”
In the same year, an alternative logo was also introduced, which placed the black square in the position of the “O” in converse, with the white star in the middle. In this design, a large black star was placed alongside the wordmark on the right-hand side.
During the early 2000s, Converse redesigned its logo yet again, choosing a new shape in which to enclose the star symbol. The star now appeared in black within a white circle with a thin black border. The design looked powerful, fresh, and modern.
The inscription used in this design featured a thinner style of font than the previous emblem, though the overall shape of the letters was still quite similar. The lowercase “n” remained, and the characters were spaced out a little more to improve legibility.
A logo variation was also introduced at the same time for the company, which included the star without its accompanying circle. In this variation, the wordmark was made slightly bolder.
In 2007, Converse introduced a collection of new emblems. The first is a variation of the previous logo above, with the star placed alongside a large black chevron, pointing to the right. This new shape was chosen to symbolize progress and forward motion.
The lettering for the Converse wordmark retained its simple sans-serif design and lowercase “n.” However, the characters were made thicker and bolder, and the spacing between them was reduced.
A couple of years later, in 2011, Converse introduced a logo variation to accompany its chevron emblem. This featured only the Converse wordmark, with the “o” converted into a curved square shape with a white star in the middle.
In 2017, Converse began using its chevron and star motif as a standalone logo for many of its brand assets.
Alongside this standalone emblem, Converse also introduced a variation with an accompanying wordmark, in which the lowercase “n” has finally been updated to an uppercase alternative. The overall design looks beautifully balanced and modern.
The Converse All Star logo: The Chuck Taylor logo
Alongside the various logos mentioned above, you might be familiar with some other examples of the Converse symbol presented on certain products within the company’s portfolio. The most common alternative Converse logo is the All Star logo, otherwise known as the Chuck Taylor logo.
This design features all of the core components of the official Converse logo, including the bold wordmark and the five-pointed star. However, the lettering for “Converse All Star” has been updated to a serif-style font, depicted in dark blue in most cases. The star is also presented in red.
On either side of the star, we see the official signature of Chuck Taylor, the basketball player who acted as a major ambassador for the brand for many years.
The Converse logo: Fonts and colors
Simple, powerful, and timeless, the Converse logo is a stunning example of how simple shapes and font choices can come together to create an impactful brand identity.
The official Converse logo, as it stands today, is a diverse and versatile emblem that can look fantastic on any background or material, making it perfect for an apparel company.
While aspects of the Converse logo did evolve over the years, the consistent five-point star and the eye-catching wordmark for the brand have always been core parts of the company’s identity. You can find some useful resources linked to the Converse logo here:
What color is the Converse logo?
Unlike the emblems of many other brands, the Converse logo colors have remained consistent for all of the company’s life. The brand has stuck consistently with the colors of black and white for its core logo, ensuring the emblem can work on a wide range of backgrounds.
However, you may notice the Converse logo color changed on some of the products produced by the company.
It’s also worth noting the Converse All Star logo has its own distinctive color palette, usually featuring a combination of dark blue, red, and white.
What font does the Converse logo use?
The Converse company has experimented with its font choice a number of times over the years, creating an ever-more impactful emblem. The design is unique to the brand, though it’s similar in some ways to the Memphis bold font.
The Converse logo font is a modern, simple sans-serif typeface with plenty of white space between the letters.
What does the Converse logo mean?
Looking back at the Converse logo history, we can see the company has preserved a relatively consistent identity over the years. Today, the Converse logo is familiar to consumers worldwide, largely thanks to its impactful, five-pointed star.
While many people are also familiar with the chevron element in the design today, this component is relatively new compared to the star.
For years, Converse has used a simple color palette, a streamlined font choice, and an attractive five-pointed start to demonstrate elegance, friendliness, and authority in its space.
Converse symbol FAQ
Why did Converse change its logo?
Converse changed its logo to include the chevron element in recent years to help separate itself from other companies in the athletic and apparel field. The company felt the star wasn’t enough on its own to truly differentiate the brand.
Where is the All Star logo on Converse?
In the All Star collection, you’ll likely find the Chuck Taylor logo printed on the tongue of the shoe. In some cases, the logo may also appear on the inside of the shoe but never on the outside. Logos printed on the outside generally indicate you’re dealing with a fake.
Did Converse used to have the logo on the outside?
The original Converse shoes only ever included the logo for the brand on the inside of the shoe. If you see a pair of Converse shoes with the logo on the outside, this is usually it’s a good sign they’re fake. Converse shoes also don’t include a patch on both sides of the shoe.
Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.
As Fabrik’s creative director, Stephen oversees complex branding programmes. He advises our clients on their tone of voice, creates logos and visual identities and crafts names for companies, products and services. Writing for Brand Fabrik Stephen reflects his love for logo design and visual identity.
