BP is a major oil and gas producer. Its main office is located in London, but the corporation receives more than 30% of its total revenue from activities in the United States. In 2010, the company caused a man-made disaster. The explosion on the platform, which belonged to BP, led to an oil spill that in terms of volume became the largest in the history of mankind. In total, 5,000 barrels of raw materials entered the Gulf of Mexico, and the oil slick was 965 km in circumference.
Meaning and History
The history of BP began in 1908, when, after a long and exhausting search, oil was discovered in Persia. This discovery laid the foundation for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. Despite a promising start, in 1914 it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Winston Churchill convinced the Cabinet of Ministers that to ensure access to reliable oil reserves at a reasonable price level, the government must become the owner or, at least, control the sources of a significant part of the oil needed. It was decided that the government would become a shareholder in the Anglo-Persian Company. In 1935, Persia changed its name to Iran, after which the company became known as the “Anglo-Iranian”. In 1954, the Anglo-Iranian Company was renamed the British Petroleum Company (BP). Today, BP no longer stands for British Petroleum, but Beyond Petroleum. This symbolic name fully reflects the development of the corporation in the direction of the study, production, and active use of alternative energy and the latest types of fuel.
What is BP?
Beyond Petroleum is one of the largest corporations in the world and is one of the 6 powerful companies in the world involved in the extraction of gas and oil. The company developed as a vertically integrated company and today successfully operates in the areas of exploration, production, processing, marketing, and distribution of gas and oil resources. It is also actively involved in the fields of trade and energy and engaged in the development of renewable energy sources, biofuels, and wind energy.
1909 – 1920
This logo has a simple and minimalistic look, featuring “B.P. Motor Spirit” placed in a rectangular frame. All the letters were uppercase but the first ones got slightly enlarged to create a look of a capital letter. For the font, the company chose a bold, sans-serif typeface with rounded ends and corners. The framing supported this smooth look of the inscription and had the corners rounded.
1920 – 1930
The bold logo look that gave birth to the logos BP will be using for the next century was born in 1920. It has just the initials placed in quotation marks. The typeface choice is what gives this logo its unique identity. It features a geometric font with sharp, wedge serifs. The corners of the letters are cut at a diagonal to go with the pointed serifs. For the color, the designers went for a classic black.
1930 – 1947
Not a lot changed in 1930. The company merely added a white shield with a thin black outline that went with the black lettering. Yet, this became the new visual identity of the brand until 2000.
1947 – 1961
The look of the logo was brought to a new level with an addition of color. the base was a muted green, while the lettering was done in yellow. The yellow coloring of the letters was supported by the framing. The black was not completely gone from the logo. It was used for a shadow behind the letters and added around the yellow border. The logo now stands out better against the lighter background.
1961 – 1989
The most noticeable change this time was the introduction of a different, brighter shade of green. There is also no border around the shield or the shadow behind the letters. The geometric font got smoothed out and rounded, except for the serifs. Although the color used for the name was also slightly adjusted, the fact that the font and shield base as well as the general color palette were preserved almost unchanged allowed to keep the logo recognizable.
1989 – 2000
The border around the shield was brought back. It was now a wide yellow line that matched the color of the letters. The latter, by the way, were italicized, which meant to symbolize the company’s desire to move forward and always improve. Both colors were made lighter and the sharp serifs curved where they joined the vertical strokes, creating a brighter and friendlier brand image.
2000 – Today
The new logo reflected the new direction of the company. The designers took the previously bright and positive color palette and created something completely new. They drew a flower with multiple small petals, creating a beautiful garden. The center was white with yellow followed by. Next, they added green and used a darker shade of green for the fourth round of petals. The company name was no longer the main element of the BP logo. The lettering was now done in smaller font of green color with lowercase letters.
Font and Color
For most of its history, the company used the same bold, geometric font with sharp, pointed, wedge serifs. Over time, the designer made the corners more rounded and even the serifs looked smoother in the logo introduced in 1989. At the beginning of the new century, a new font was introduced. It was a basic sans-serif font that featured sleek lines and beautifully combined straight strokes with rounded parts of the letters.
As for the color palette, it was a traditional black and white for the first almost forty years. The logo had a formal and powerful looks thanks to the bold black. In 1947, the company chose a green and yellow color palette. It became instantly recognizable and associated with the brand over time. The yellow color symbolized energy and created a positive image, while green stands for stability and reliability of the company as well as nature-related activity.
