Versace is an Italian company that produces luxury goods. Its history began in 1978 when Giovanni Maria Versace presented the first designer collection. Now, in addition to clothing, the assortment includes jewelry, accessories, perfumes, cosmetics, watches and other luxury items.
Meaning and history
The main task of the fashion designer was to attract the attention of customers. And he did it with the help of a logo, which still causes debate with its inconsistency. Versace products are adorned by Medusa, a terrible and attractive creature. However, this was not always the case: until 1993, the brand name contained only the first and last name of the creator of the brand.
1980 – 1990
The first emblem is the concise “Gianni Versace” inscription, made in Avant Garde light font. There is no space between the words. The letters are close, which is bad for readability. On the other hand, attention is drawn by exquisite subtle touches, perfect symmetry, and strict geometry.
1990 – 1997
The designer took into account visual perception issues and changed the font to a more legible radiant medium. It is characterized by uneven line thickness, an abundance of angles, and the absence of serifs. Between “Gianni” and “Versace” there was a great bloodletting.
1993 – 1997
In 1993, the designer made the mythological Medusa the face of his company. Classical Roman culture, in which Giovanni has always been interested, served as inspiration. As a child, playing with his brothers and sisters among the ancient ruins of Reggio Calabria, he saw many works of art on the floor. Among them was Medusa herself, who became the symbol of Versace. Its head is surrounded by a wide ring with a rim. The traditional ancient Greek labyrinth pattern emphasizes the exquisite style of clothing.
1997 – 2008
After the death of the fashion designer, his last name appeared on the logo again. The inscription is in a semicircle and surrounds the figure at the bottom.
2008 – Present
The developers aligned and increased the letters, making the company name more visible. For the same purpose, they used a font similar to Radiant RR.
Symbol font and color
The central image of the logo is Medusa. Giovanni didn’t choose her by chance, because this ugly creature is considered a symbol of fatal attraction and seduction. She was once a beautiful but vicious girl. Then the goddess Athena cursed beauty, turning her into a monster, which at a glance turns people to stone. The designer hoped that the mythological character would influence clients, hypnotize them and make them fall in love with Versace.
However, here is another connotation: vanity. Medusa was punished for her arrogance and pride, which means that the emblem is associated with these qualities. Since all luxury brands rely on people’s desire to look good in the eyes of others, it was very ironic for Giovanni to put a woman in the emblem who became deadly dangerous due to vicious pride.
The letters below the graphic use a commercial typeface from the Radiant RR Bold series. It was created by designers Robert Middleton and Steve Jackaman in April 2002 for the Red Rooster collection. The letters are choppy, grotesque, graceful, thin, with minimal thickening in the middle of the legs. The logo palette is monochrome – it is made up of a combination of black and white.