How the Veja logo became a symbol of sustainable fashion
For many footwear fans, the Veja logo is a relatively new symbol in the sneaker landscape. Though Veja logo history dates back to 2004, when the brand initially launched, the company didn’t produce its first sneaker until a year later, and has taken a subtle approach to marketing.
Despite this, Veja is now regarded one of the most recognizable sneaker companies in history. Rather than taking a traditional approach to advertising, Veja has set itself apart from its competitors with a strategy focused on connecting emotionally with its target audience.
The company invests heavily in initiatives focused on ethics and sustainability, capturing the attention of a new generation of buyers. Today, Veja has gained “cult status”, for its sustainable shoes, and connection with a wide range of recognizable celebrities.
Today, we’re going to be taking a closer look at the Veja brand, its evolution over the years, and the logo that differentiates the company from its competitors.
What does Veja stand for? An introduction
Before we begin our assessment of Veja logo history, let’s start with an introduction to the world-renowned sneaker brand. Veja, otherwise known as “Vert ”, in Brazil, is a French footwear company with a powerful cult status.
The business is known for producing stylish, comfortable, but also ethical footwear for the fashion conscious. Originally, the organization was launched in 2004, by two founders, Francios-Ghislain Morillion and Sebastien Kopp.
Working alongside organic cotton farmers in Brazil and rubber tappers from the Amazon, the brand created its first sneaker in 2005, and launched at the Palais de Tokyo. The name “Veja” comes from the Brazilian word for “Look”.
Over the years, Veja rose to fame with a focus on collaborations, and socially conscious branding initiatives. The first official sneaker collection was introduced by Veja in 2006, and in the following years Veja set records for progress, with a variety of brand and celebrity collaborations.
By 2018, Veja had captured the attention of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, who wore a pair of their sneakers to a sailing event, leading to explosive global growth.
Veja produces vegetable-tanned leather, organic cotton, wild rubber, and recycled bottles to create shoes that appeal to sustainable shoppers. The company has even won awards for its approach to eco-friendly fashion.
Veja logo history: The simple Veja symbol
Unlike many famous sneaker brands, Veja hasn’t altered its visual identity much over the years. Throughout Veja logo history, the same simple brand mark has remained consistent on the company’s footwear line, as well as in its limited marketing campaigns.
Rather than building brand equity through traditional marketing campaigns, Veja has focused on collaborations and ethical initiatives to connect with its audience. This somewhat subtle approach to advertising is reflected in the company’s sleek and simple visual identity.
The official Veja logo, consisting of a combination of a straightforward “V” symbol and a wordmark, has remained the same for almost two decades.
Though the official Veja logo is depicted in black and white, the company uses a variety of colors for the symbol placed on its sneakers. Most sneakers eliminate the wordmark, depicted in a simple sans-serif font, with all uppercase letters.
Instead, we typically see the stylized “V”, with a slightly elongated right-side line placed on the side of each sneaker. The V is positioned at a slight angle, so it appears to disappear into the sole.
In many cases, the wordmark, rather than appearing below the V, is placed on the back of the Veja sneakers instead, in a color that matches the design of the shoe.
Typically, the square border, with its cut-off edges also doesn’t appear on the majority of shoes, though it is evident on Veja’s website and other branding materials.
Veja’s logo is modern and sophisticated. It looks sleek and stylish, with no complex decorative elements, or old-fashioned components. This has allowed the logo to remain versatile throughout the years, growing and evolving with the company’s changing product lines.
The Veja logo: Fonts and colors
Looking at Veja logo history, we can see the company hasn’t spent much time experimenting with its visual branding, or its marketing strategies. In fact, since its debut, Veja says it hasn’t spent a single dollar on advertising or celebrity gifting.
Despite this, Veja has captured the attention of some major fans, including Kate Middleton, Emily Ratajkowski, and Kourtney Kardashian. According to the company, much of the costs associated with operating a big sneaker brand is connected to advertising.
By eliminating the focus on traditional advertising, Veja has more money to spend on employees, materials, factories, and sustainability efforts. This strategy has helped to give additional meaning to the Veja logo, establishing the brand as a pioneer in its space.
You can find some examples of the Veja logo linked in the resources below:
What color is the Veja logo?
As mentioned above, the official Veja logo colors have remained somewhat simple throughout the years. Like many modern fashion brands, Veja chose black and white for its colors, ensuring versatility and diversity for its logo.
The Veja logo colors of black and white symbolize concepts of strength, sophistication, and elegance in the fashion landscape. However, it’s worth noting that the Veja emblem and symbol can be portrayed in a wide variety of different shades.
Veja often converts its “V” symbol into different colors for each shoe collection, using the image to add a fun element to the sneakers it sells.
What font does the Veja logo use?
The Veja logo font, which appears both on the official logo, and often on a variety of Veja shoes, is simple and modern. It’s a geometric kind of typography, with bold lines and sharp edges. The wordmark for “Veja” is presented in all capital letters, in a sans-serif font.
There’s plenty of white space between each letter, to demonstrate balance and consistency. Each letter also holds a decent amount of weight, improving the legibility of the characters. The typeface is similar in style to many commercial sans-serif fonts, such as Calibri, or Arial.
The “V” shaped Veja symbol has a slightly different font style. The character features much thicker lines, and a stylized right-hand arm, which stretches above the rest of the letter. There’s also a curved cut on the left edge of the line, giving the image a sleeker appearance.
The Veja brand mark: A cult status symbol
Looking back at Veja logo history, we can see the company hasn’t felt the need to make many significant changes to its brand identity over the years. Although the business does use different variations of the Veja brand mark on its sneakers, the original logo remains the same.
The Veja logo is simple but sophisticated. It demonstrates the straightforward and transparent nature of the brand, drawing attention to some of its core brand values. Veja is known for its authenticity, its modern approach to production, and its sustainable efforts.
The Veja brand mark highlights these ideals with a sleek and sophisticated design, featuring no complex components or flourishes.
Despite a somewhat straightforward design, the Veja logo has taken on significant meaning over the years, forming a connection with the company’s sustainable and ethical initiatives, and its commitment to serving both its customers and the planet.
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.
