How the NYX logo history, symbol and meaning: A passion for cosmetics
The NYX logo is a highly recognizable symbol for those familiar with the beauty and cosmetics landscape. Sophisticated and elegant, the straightforward emblem identifies NYX as a company committed to empowering its customers and unlocking the mysteries of beauty.
Looking back at NYX logo history, we can see the organization has retained the same consistent visual identity since the beginning. However, numerous variations of the NYX symbol have been produced over the years to coincide with specific packaging strategies and marketing campaigns.
Like many well-known beauty brands, NYX uses its logo to send crucial messages to its audience about its values, characteristics, and personality. At a glance, we can instantly tell the NYX company is a friendly company, passionate about the cosmetics space.
If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of the NYX logo, or you’ve found yourself wanting to know more about the iconic cosmetics company, you’re in the right place. Today, we will take a closer look at the NYX cosmetics logo and visual identity.
What does NYX stand for? An introduction to NYX
Before we dive into our exploration of NYX logo history, let’s introduce the company behind the emblem. NYX Professional Makeup, otherwise known as “NYX,” is an American cosmetics brand currently operating as a subsidiary of L’Oreal.
The organization was founded in 1999 by 25-year-old Toni Ko, who acquired a $250,000 loan from her parents to produce her own makeup collection.
Working with an acquaintance in New Jersey who made pencils, Ko created a selection of 6 eyeliners and 12 lip liners for her original product lineup. With an affordable pricing strategy and some great marketing, she managed to sell her items quickly.
Within the first year, the NYX company had already generated more than $2 million in revenue through the sale of jumbo eye pencils alone. Initially, Ko focused on selling her items to beauty professionals before she quickly expanded into mass-market outlets.
The products were advertised as high-quality items, available for “drugstore prices.”
Over the years, the NYX brand rapidly gained audience appeal, capturing the attention of countless consumers around the world. Today, NYX products are sold in 70 countries worldwide through thousands of retailers, specialty beauty, and fashion stores, as well as on the company’s website.
The name “NYX” was inspired by the Greek Goddess of the night and appears on all of the branded items produced by the organization.
NYX logo history: The iconic NYX cosmetics logo
Over the years, the NYX company has increased its market appeal through a careful brand positioning strategy. The business is a cruelty-free company, certified and acknowledged by PETA for its commitment to avoiding animal testing.
NYX also frequently addresses the needs and interests of its customers by producing new product lines and campaigns, including vegan-friendly products.
However, while the NYX organization has heavily invested in brand development and marketing campaigns, it hasn’t made many changes to its logo. In fact, throughout NYX logo history, there has only been one official logo design, though it does have a number of variations.
The primary NYX logo features the word “NYX” in all uppercase letters. The glyphs are distinctive thanks to the curvaceous elements, which eliminate most of the straight lines in the characters. This gives the organization a more friendly, feminine appearance.
Underneath the wordmark, the words “Professional Makeup,” also depicted in uppercase characters, are presented in a smaller, slimmer font style. The second line of the logo is separated from the first with the use of a single white love-heart shape.
This minimalistic shape is intended to highlight the passion the company has for beauty and cosmetics.
In some cases, the NYX logo only features the primary wordmark (or the name of the company) on its own, while other variations of the design combine the wordmark with the small heart shape. The NYX symbol can also appear in two color palettes.
Though it commonly features white font on a black background, it’s also possible to see the NYX emblem with an inverted color palette.
The NYX symbol: Colors and fonts
Thanks to its distinctive yet simplistic design, the NYX Cosmetics logo has been able to effectively evolve with the company over the years.
The minimalistic wordmark highlights the core values of the brand, such as friendliness, ethics, inclusion, and professionalism, through the use of carefully-chosen typefaces and a simple, globally recognizable symbol.
The NYX symbol, the small love heart, immediately defines the organization as both a passionate and compassionate company. The underlying meaning of the symbol is enhanced by the company’s brand positioning strategy, which helps to showcase its ethical and sustainable priorities.
NYX is committed to being a cruelty-free, PETA-registered company.
If you want to take a closer look at the components of the NYX logo, you can find some useful resources here:
What color is the NYX logo?
As mentioned above, there are various versions of the NYX logo, each using different combinations of the core elements highlighted in the NYX logo history section above. However, the majority of these variations use the same combination of colors: black and white.
The official NYX logo colors generally present the wordmark for the brand in white font on a black background, but the company regularly uses the inverted version of these shades too. The NYX logo color palette is strong, progressive, and modern.
The shades of black and white are a perfect choice for the cosmetics company, as they work well on a range of product packaging options. Additionally, they ensure the NYX emblem looks sophisticated, timeless, and credible.
What font does the NYX logo use?
The NYX logo font is perhaps the most interesting component of the company’s visual identity. The curved elements in the “NYX” wordmark send an important message about the company’s creative and compassionate nature.
The custom inscription features a sans-serif typeface with arched lines created exclusively for the brand. However, it’s similar to typefaces like Linotype Franosch Medium and the Serimas font.
The secondary line in the NYX logo, featuring the “Professional Makeup” tagline, is written in a simple sans-serif typeface. This font choice is more traditional than the one used for the “NYX” name and is close in style to the Optima Std Medium font.
What does the NYX logo stand for?
Although there haven’t been any significant changes to the company’s visual identity throughout NYX logo history, we can still learn a thing or two about the brand from its logo choice.
The NYX symbol stands for passion, caring, and beauty. The love heart symbol reminds us of compassion and dedication, while the color palette of black and white makes the business appear modern and professional.
The carefully chosen fonts in the NYX logo also share insights into the company’s personality. The uniquely curved “NYX” letters are feminine and sophisticated, with a creative edge. The traditional font for the “Professional Makeup” tagline positions the brand as an authoritative industry leader.
NYX Cosmetics FAQs:
What is the NYX slogan?
NYX doesn’t have an official company “slogan.” However, the tagline “Professional Makeup” is commonly present within the full version of the NYX cosmetics logo. The mission statement of the company is to empower every “makeup junkie” to experiment, live and dream at full volume.
Is NYX a Japanese brand?
NYX Professional Makeup, or NYX, is an American cosmetics company currently owned by L’Oréal. It was created by Toni Ko in 1999 in Los Angeles. Toni Ko is a Korean-American businesswoman who currently runs two businesses.
Why is NYX closing down?
While the NYX company itself isn’t shutting down, the L’Oréal brand did announce it was closing its stores across Canada as it shifted its business focus and distribution methods. NYX products are still sold through a range of retailers, supermarkets, and fashion companies, as well as online.
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.
