JBL Logo
JBL is the acknowledged leader in the field of home and professional sound. An overwhelming majority of the world’s best cinemas are equipped with the company’s solutions, outstanding musical artists use JBL in their concerts, and JBL car speakers maintain unsurpassed sound for many years. Although JBL’s professional and regular consumer divisions are formally independent, in engineering terms they have always maintained a very close connection. The most important innovative solutions that were first implemented in professional equipment later became implemented in home systems.
Meaning and History
James Bullough Lansing, one of the first American audio engineers, became the founder of JBL. He worked for the audio electronics company Altec Lansing, and after leaving in 1946 he set up his own business. The name JBL comes from his initials. Lansing was a highly skilled engineer and reputable acoustician. At the same time, he lacked the knowledge to run a business. The company turned out to be a large debtor, and in 1949, James committed suicide. After the death of the founder, JBL was headed by Bill Thomas, who previously served as VP. By the end of the 1960s, the company’s reputation as a manufacturer of high-quality home acoustics was firmly established. Since 2016, the JBL brand and all sub-brands have become part of Samsung Electronics.
What is JBL?
JBL is a well-known American audio company that is part of Harman International Industries, which includes audio equipment divisions: speakers, soundbars, home theaters, portable speakers, and headphones.
1946 – 1967
Jerome Gould’s initial emblem featured a monochromatic palette, exuding elegance and sophistication. The design showcased the company’s initials, “JBL”, nestled within the encompassing circle of a punctuation mark – specifically, an exclamation point. This design choice imbued the brand with a hint of femininity, reflected in the delicate and refined typography. The black and white contrast added depth, ensuring the brand’s presence was felt and recognized. The unique placement of the letters within the punctuation demonstrated creativity and a break from conventional logo designs, highlighting the brand’s commitment to standing out and being memorable in the industry.
1967 – Today
The company decided to use the name as the main element of its logo. The bold, sans-serif lettering was accompanied by an exclamation mark. The latter was placed right above the curve of the letter “J”, creating a “U” shape. It was a triangle pointing down and a perfect circle underneath. The bold letters feature straight lines and corners with smooth curves, creating a strong brand image. The logo was originally designed by Jerome Gould, a recognized designer of many famous logos, with the brand name inside the circle of the exclamation point. It also used a different font and black and white color palette. Arnold Wolf made some modifications, creating the logo we all know today. Such a minimalistic logo design with the use of a powerful red and white color palette proves over and over again to be a truly timeless brand image.
Font and Color
Although the logo was originally designed to have a black-and-white color palette, it was replaced by a strong and energetic red in combination with white lettering. When it comes to font, the original design used a more elegant, delicate font, while the logo that stayed with the company all these years features a strong, sans-serif typeface.
