Saucony logo history and meaning: 125 years of evolution

Are you familiar with Saucony logo history? While the Saucony emblem is instantly recognizable for a lot of consumers, many still don’t know where this famous symbol came from, or what it means. 

The Saucony logo isn’t just a combination mark featuring an interesting geometric image and an inscription. It’s a symbol designed to represent the core values and missions that drive the organization, and keep it pushing towards success. 

Like many footwear and sneaker brands, Saucony has refined and modernized its emblem over the years, making subtle changes to its visual identity. However, the underlying meaning behind the logo has remained consistent for several decades. 

Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the history of the Saucony brand, its evolving image, and its impact on the athletic apparel industry. 

What is the meaning of Saucony? The Saucony brand

Before we begin looking at Saucony logo history, let’s start with an introduction to the athletic footwear brand. Saucony is a sportswear company, first founded in 1989. Currently, the organization is owned by Wolverine World Wide. 

Saucony sells everything from athletic shoes and sweatpants, to shorts, socks, and hoodies today. The name of the company “Saucony”, actually comes from a reference to Saucony Creek in Pennsylvania. According to the business leaders, both the name and logo have a deeper meaning.

The Saucony company was inspired by the constant flow of the creek, and the three boulders which line the creek bed, representing each of Saucony’s core values. 

Originally, Saucony was founded in 1898, on the banks of the Saucony creek, by four businessmen. The company has long specialized in footwear, creating shoes for running, racing, walking, and more.

However, as the organization has evolved, it has branched out into various new areas. 

Perhaps the most well-known collection in the Saucony portfolio today are the “Saucony Originals”. This is the company’s heritage range, featuring re-developed older shoe styles produced by the company in previous decades, with better materials and new colors. 

Saucony logo history: Through the years

As mentioned above, the Saucony visual identity is inspired by the brand’s origins on Saucony Creek, and the creek itself. Though aspects of the logo have changed over the years, such as the color palette, and the font choice, one image has remained consistent. 

The Saucony “icon”, which features a stylized geometric shape, with three circles, represents the Saucony river, and the stones or boulders which line the creek. 

1980

Though Saucony was officially founded in 1898, it took almost 100 years for the company to choose and implement an official logo. One of the first Saucony logos was a relatively simple, but modern design, composed of extra-bold, sans serif lettering. 

Alongside the name of the company, the Saucony emblem, positioned in a circular badge, features two smooth white lines curving through the center. On the upper line, we see the three circles, representing the stones from Saucony Creek. 

There were two color palette options used by Saucony originally. The main image was the monochrome design, depicted in black and white. The secondary logo featured the colors of red and blue, and was used primarily for the “Originals” line of products.

1990

Saucony made a few significant changes to its visual identity in the 1990s, although there were still two distinct components included in the image. The first was the enlarged wordmark, depicted still in sans-serif, but with uppercase letters, instead of title case. 

The inscription is slightly slanted, representing forward progression and movement. Underneath this wordmark, Saucony placed a new version of its iconic graphic. Instead of two lines, we now see one thick black line, with curved edges, and three white circles in the middle. 

2005

The Saucony logo redesign in 2005 updated the monochrome color palette of black and white, to red, white, and grey. This gave the image a slightly brighter, more unique feel. 

The typeface used in the inscription changed again, with both upper and lowercase letters used throughout the wordmark to create a sense of balance. Saucony also added a tagline to the emblem, “Loyal to the Sport”, written in all lowercase. 

The Saucony icon in this image merges with the wordmark, overlapping some of the letters slightly, and forming a gentle underline for the company’s name. 

2007

Saucony made one final change to its logo in 2007, adjusting the shape and positioning of the Saucony icon, as well as the typeface. The previous inscription in was switched for a simple font, written all in lowercase letters, giving the company an elegant, minimalist image. 

The Saucony symbol of the Creek was refined slightly, made to look a little like a boomerang or stylized bird shape. The three white circles still appear in the logo, though they’re positioned closer to the right-hand side of the image. 

This version of the Saucony logo was produced in two core color palettes. The first was the black and white option, used throughout the brand’s history. The second featured a deep shade of red, demonstrating passion. 

What does the Saucony logo mean?

As mentioned above, while the Saucony logo might seem simple enough, there’s a substantial story behind it. Both the Saucony logo, and the brand name are inspired by the Saucony Creek in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, where the organization originally began. 

Here, the water in the creek flows around three distinctive boulders, which the company considered to be the perfect representation of its three core values:

• Good communities: Saucony advocates for athletes and runners of every level, investing in building community environments, and philanthropic efforts. 
• Good health: Saucony claims to support the whole athlete, from soul-to-sole, with motivational stories, excellent products, and educational initiatives. 
• Good performance: According to Saucony, the company believes in giving runners the power to challenge themselves, achieve new goals, and overcome boundaries.

The Saucony logo: Fonts and colors

Sleek and sophisticated, the Saucony logo is more than just an eye-catching image; it’s a testament to the company’s history, values, and vision. Though the design has changed a few times over the years, Saucony has ensured its visual identity matches its core beliefs.

The Saucony logo today is a bold and eye-catching emblem, combining the name of the brand in a modern inscription, with an unforgettable graphic. The Saucony logo instantly sets the company apart from its competitors and connects with buyers on an emotional level.

You can see the Saucony logo for yourself in greater detail with the resources below:

• Saucony logo PNG
• Saucony logo vector

What color is the Saucony logo?

There haven’t been many major changes to the Saucony logo colors throughout the years. Like many athletic apparel and fashion brands, Saucony primarily uses a black and white color palette. This gives the logo the versatility it needs to extend across a variety of platforms and materials. 

The colors of black and white in the Saucony logo stand for strength, sophistication, and excellence. However, there’s another version of the Saucony logo worth mentioning too. The company also displays its brand mark in a dark shade of red. 

This secondary Saucony logo color is intended to symbolize passion, ambition, and vitality.

The official shade is similar to Deep Carmine:

What font does the Saucony logo use?

Saucony has made a handful of changes to its typeface over the years, exploring a wide variety of different inscriptions, in both uppercase, lowercase, and a combination of the two. Currently, the Saucony logo uses an all lowercase font, in a heavy weight.

The characters in the inscription feature thick lines and bold curves, creating an excellent sense of balance and stability. 

The strength of the Saucony logo

Throughout Saucony logo history, the brand has made a variety of changes to its visual identity, experimenting with colors, typefaces, and even the style of its memorable icon. However, the consistent meaning behind the Saucony emblem is what gives it its strength. 

Saucony’s logo has always been a homage to the history and heritage of the company, as well as the core values that drive the business to ever-more impressive heights. 

Today, the Saucony logo stands as a memorable symbol, reminding us of the organization’s origins, as well as its mission to serve its community, and athletes from all walks of life. 

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