Nescafe Logo

Nescafe is the biggest coffee brand in the world, owned by Nestle Corporation. They are widely known for producing good-quality instant coffee as well as blended coffee. That being said, they are present in most countries in the world, and the assortment can vary from one nation to another.

Meaning and History

The brand was started by Nestle in 1938. They’ve already established themselves as a transnational company back then, and thus Nescafe very quickly became a successful coffee brand. Because they were directly created and then governed by Nestle, the name is simply a mix of ‘Nestle’ and ‘café.

1938 – 1953

The first logo was mostly featured on tin cans – the usual way of packing coffee back then. It as a pale yellow name of the brand written in straight-forward, bold letters, all capital. The ‘N’, however, was a bit taller, and it also sprouted two horizontal lines from both its tips. Between these lines the name itself was sandwiched.

They usually painted the cans brown, and the yellowish color of the name suggested a coffee foam.

1953 – 1962

By 1953, the brand started using the same logo design, but in grey (or sometimes black). The products often used their own coloring schemes, but this one was the main logo for the entirety of the brand.

1962 – 1968

In 1962, the font was slightly reworked: the letters basically became bigger and closer to one another. As a result, there was very little room between them. They also removed the line from beneath the name, while the one above was cut short just above the ‘F’. The letter ‘É’ was now bigger, and the sign above it took the vacant space.

1968 – 1983

In 1968, the font was slightly reworked: the letters basically became bigger and closer to one another. As a result, there was very little room between them. They also removed the line from beneath the name, while the one above was cut short just above the ‘F’. The letter ‘É’ was now bigger, and the sign above it took the vacant space.

The design largely stayed the same through the years, except they increased the fidelity of the logo in 1968 and polished it without changing much about the design itself.

1983 – 1998

The 1983 logotype changed little, except in the font department. They reworked the print, making it more elegant. That meant it was now serif (a lot of pointy appendages were added all over the lettering), and the proportions weren’t consistent any longer. Generally, the letters became thinner, but they were also more flexible this time.

1998 – 2014

On average, this logo became bigger and enjoyed more fidelity. However, they also changed one small detail about the style. Previously, the sign over ‘É’ resembled a triangle very much. This time, they cut it so it actually looks like a semicircle that was slightly rotated.

2014 – today

Another style overhaul followed in 2014. This time, they pretty much returned to the pre-1983 font, but sanded the angles down and generally made the letters much softer and fluid (and thus pleasant). Also, they reworked the diacritic sign above the ‘E’ to look more like a stroke of red paint.

It was probably due to the fact that Nestle is often associated with this color, or because Nescafe itself uses it heavily.

Emblem and Symbol

Nescafe are very fond of their motto that goes ‘everything starts with a Nescafe’. They often put it onto the official logo, with every word except the last one being put above the logo proper (or in some other position). The slogan basically refers to the usual concept of meeting with people over coffee in cafes and coffeehouses.