GEICO is one of the best and most internationally renowned insurance companies in the world. Being the second largest auto insurer in the USA, GEICO is headquartered in its own subsidiary, Chevy Chase, Maryland. The company and the GEICO logo are best known outside of the United States thanks to the internationally famous GEICO Gecko commercials, meant to entertain and draw in viewers through their surreal, humoristic, and often satirical nature.
Started in 1936 to provide insurance to members and employees of the federal government, as well as to their families, GEICO would eventually become the second largest private auto insurance writers in the United States, as well as the largest TNC insurance providers for drivers.
GEICO Logo Design Elements
The three main elements of the GEICO logo are, of course, the font, the color of the text, and the always entertaining GEICO Gecko. While this is neither the most simplistic, nor the most complicated entry on this website, the GEICO logo is certainly one of the most well-designed logos we have covered so far.
We can talk a lot about how well designed each element of the GEICO logo is, and we will, but we first have to mention that the people in the design team behind the product have definitely not wasted their efforts. The results of their brainstorming sessions can be seen in the highly memorable and successful GEICO brand.
Changes and Evolution
Whether for the GEICO insurance quote, GEICO claims, or GEICO roadside assistance logo, the insurance company has only changed its logo once in all its years of existence. The change came in 1994, and it gave birth to the GEICO logo and brand we all know and love today. Before the 1994 rebranding, the GEICO insurance logo simply claimed “GEICO Indemnity Company Home Office: Chevy Chase, Maryland”.
Afterwards, regardless if they took the form of the GEICO Gecko, the Cavemen, the Rhetorical Questions, or Maxwell the Pig, the GEICO logos were always exactly what the company needed in each respective market. The Martin Agency did a great job establishing what the people wanted to see, and did an even better job putting that on the small screens of everyone in the country.
Shape
While the GEICO logo has had several variants over the years, the text and main shape have remained the same – GEICO, written in a non-serif font, with the tiny “Registered” symbol in the bottom right corner. Over the years, several representations of the logo have appeared – one featuring the word DIRECT right below GEICO, another one featuring the company’s website, geico.com, written below, and the most famous one, the one with the GEICO Gecko on its side, smiling appealingly to the viewer.
Despite the fact that the GEICO logo has had more than one mascot, the gecko is, without a question, the most famous. Going through a few changes and phases of his own, the GEICO Gecko is one of the most renowned anthropomorphic animals in commercials – and with the amount of famous animals we’ve had in commercials, that’s saying something.
Initially portrayed as an anthropomorphic Day Gecko voiced by Kelsey Grammer and asking people to stop calling him instead of GEICO, he then moved on to being a representative of the company, voiced by Jake Wood sporting a Cockney accent. Later, the accent was made more working-class, so as to make the GEICO Gecko more identifiable, and he was even subsequently interviewed by Chelsea Clinton.
Color
Despite the gecko being green, the main color of the GEICO logo is, of course, blue. The blue of the GEICO logo has been there ever since the company’s rebranding, standing out on a white background. Since we did mention that the GEICO logo is one of the most effective we have covered on this website, let’s take a look at what exactly is going on with the logo’s color scheme.
Often associated with stability, blue is used to symbolize trust, confidence, faith, intelligence, and loyalty. These are exactly the right concepts one would want to be associated with an insurance company. However, when we add the white background into the mix, things get even more interesting.
Most frequently associated with light and purity, white is often used to inspire safety, goodness, and a successful beginning. The two colors of the GEICO intertwine perfectly to inspire clients and potential clients into believing that they are making the absolute best choice in the matter. And seeing as the company is the second most profitable insurance provider in the United States, it would seem like the marketing was very successful.
Font
There actually isn’t all that much to talk about when it comes to the font of the GEICO logo. It’s a simple custom typeface, a sans-serif type which inspires trust, seriousness, and a no-nonsense attitude. While this may seem like a simple trick to get people to take the company seriously, a far more complicated strategy than that is actually involved.
While the commercials were always goofy and surreal, with a very quirky feeling about them, the font was made to inspire the opposite of that. This had the very successful effect of creating a disassociation between the two. So, while the commercials were very endearing and fun, the font suggests that while they do know how to entertain, they also take the business very seriously. One again, an example of marketing done right.
Inspiration and Trivia
One of the biggest mysteries that have surrounded the GEICO logo and brand over the years is the exact source of the GEICO Gecko. Many have speculated over the years, some coming up with more convoluted theories than others. However, most believe that the real source of the GEICO Gecko is, in fact, the most obvious one.
When the first GEICO commercials and ads started being aired in the ‘90s, people kept either mispronouncing or misspelling GEICO as GECKO. So, the marketing team hired by the company decided to take advantage of the common mispronunciation and made the first GEICO Gecko commercial. The rest is history.
One of the most famous insurance companies in the world, GEICO owes its phenomenal success to its high-quality services and to its fantastic marketing teams. The teams tasked with developing the GEICO logo and brand have done a wonderful job creating a series of compelling, funny, and smart commercials, perfect for selling the company’s mostly impeccable services.