Etsy Logo Design, History, & Evolution

In 2005, Chris Maguire and Haim Schoppik co-founded Etsy with Robert Kalin joined by Jared Tarbell later on. They realized there were a growing number of consumers who were interested in one-of-a-kind handmade goods and authentic vintage merchandise (more than 20 years old). Etsy became an online marketplace for vintage, handmade and unique goods. Etsy provides an easily accessible e-commerce “storefront” for individuals seeking to own their own home decor store, art gallery or vintage boutique by setting up their own Etsy page.

Along with access to handmade merchandise and vintage items, Etsy also offers consumers the opportunity to purchase factory-manufactured products that are also unique.

The global appeal of Etsy has contributed to Etsy’s success and continual growth. During the last two years, the company has approximately 2 million active sellers and around 30 million active buyers taking it from an ordinary online marketplace with a B Corp certification to an IPO in 2015. The company’s market cap escalated to $1.4 billion which more than doubled the value of its shares.

What Makes Etsy Different?

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Now, handcrafters have a site designed especially for showcasing their skills and products and a sales venue that welcomes new businesses that didn’t have an established reputation or customer base. The online, e-commerce site offers an opportunity for handcrafters, art collectors and entrepreneurs a place to sell their products online in their own store. Etsy created a new portal for the handcrafter inviting sellers to open their custom-designed storefront while taking part in sales,such as an open craft fair complete with online platform.

Amazon and eBay are Etsy’s main competition. They both do more business and make more sales. However, what makes Etsy different are the actual products offered on the site. It turns out that unique, handmade and vintage items rule a special niche in the retail industry that Amazon and eBay cannot compete with.

Handmade items, for example, on eBay lists an average of 3.2 million. On the Etsy website, there are an average of 6.7 million items. Etsy also stands up well against Amazon due to its unique community selling and buying experiences which testifies to the importance of forming personal relations with the customer.

Registered members are more likely to form relationships on Etsy cultivating a loyal customer base resulting in more repeat business.

Etsy requires sellers to pay a listing fee of $.20 per item. Eligible listings include:

• Handmade and manufactured craft items

• Craft supplies
• Equipment
• Jewelry
• Clothing
• Food
• Bath and beauty products
• Photography
• Art in various forms

New Rules for Sellers

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Etsy recently decided to change the basic rules for sellers. They now allow factory-made goods as part of the handmade sector providing they are unique, quality items. This decision allowed the company to attract a larger mainstream audience by tapping into more sustainable suppliers. The company also cut much of their spending and decreased their overhead expenses.

There are many reasons Etsy achieved such remarkable growth early in its life. But one, undeniable occurrence was when their sellers advertised their stores on various social media networks and amongst family, coworkers and friends.

The “word of mouth” banter attracted more people to investigate the Etsy site where many visitors signed up as users who sold and/or purchased goods. Word of mouth is a marketing tool that is referred to as the best advertising in the world. It is especially effective in community-based online businesses, like Etsy, offering a peer-based support system.

Etsy is not only a storefront for many entrepreneurs, it also serves as a popular side-business and as a place where one can purchase goods made with recycled and up-cycled materials. Consumers can also gain access to less expensive and/or unusual versions of items that are mass-produced.

Robert Kalin, a former carpenter and amateur furniture maker, had a difficult time marketing the wood-encased computers he made. He theorized that an organized group of sellers could generate more business by working from a central location rather than marketing their wares independently. The Etsy logo started as a simple design featuring a script logotype.

It follows the rules of English grammar using a capital E to identify the name. The rest of the letters are lowercase giving the Etsy logo a traditional appearance emphasized by classic typeface.

Etsy Favicon and Font

The Etsy favicon is the icon associated with its URL, www. Etsy.com. It appears in the browser’s address bar, next to the name of the site or in a bookmark list. The Etsy favicon, being true to the simplicity of the Etsy logo, features a capital “E” inside a square box. The letter is white, and the background is the company’s signature orange color. The font used in the Etsy logo is Guardian-egyptian with Georgia as a safe font.

Over one hundred years ago, there was The Arts and Crafts Movement that took place in the late 19th century, resulting from the excesses of Victorian typography. Its purpose was to restore a sincere sense of integrity and craftsmanship to the mass-produced goods during that time. A renewed interest in quality craftsmanship and unique merchandise provided both companies and craftspersons with a keen interest in getting credit for their work which led to creating and implementing unique logos and marks on their goods.

Since 2005, Etsy has grown and prospered along with its clients in the handicraft sector of e-commerce. A company logo is the visual entity signifying a specific organization—making the Etsy logo one of the most important attributes of the company. Logos fall into three classifications including:

• Ideographs comprising abstract forms

• Pictographs which are iconic designs that represent the company
• Logotypes or word marks displaying the name or company’s initials

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Color is the visual element in the Etsy logo. It plays a critical part in brand differentiation. The importance of color in branding results from how the eye perceives color and contrast and how it detects details. As humans, we gain different impressions from colors and make associations via social and cultural conditioning. We then proceed to decipher and evaluate the colors in logos.

The orange color Etsy uses in its logo is Pantone #16-1255 Russet Orange which connects to the rays of the sun, warmth and heat. It can also be associated with fire and is touted as a high-arousal color. Orange can promote feelings of energy, balance and well-being. The Etsy logo has incorporated the use of Russet Orange since its inception whether it be the word alone or as a background color.

There have been very few changes to the Etsy logo since 2005. With only minor hue variations, the Russet Orange color and font style remain the same giving the overall impression of longevity, stability and availability. This is important as it conveys a message that Etsy is both establishedand unique. Robert Kalin states that while he was jotting down his thoughts regarding the birth of Etsy, he was sitting in an orange chair. 

Etsy has found its niche in the consumer marketplace; it provides a place for handcrafters to sell their goods and products. It is also an idea that is working. Within the first two years after introducing Etsy to the world, the company did almost 2 million dollars in sales.

The business had not yet turned a profit due to their expenses and large overhead including site maintenance, employee costs and necessary technological enhancements. Since then, Etsy continues to grow making profitable decisions that increase the profits of their customers and themselves.

Creating an effective logo that represents a company can comprise both an ideogram and a company name (logotype) to embellish the name over the graphic. A company can also use a unique design via lettering, color(s) and a variety of graphic renderings. The Etsy logo represents the company with a clear, readable word: Etsy. They may showcase the word in slightly different shades of orange or black however, redesigning logos is counterproductive ensuring the Etsy logo will live on.