Founded by Ralph Lauren in 1967, the Ralph Lauren Corporation produces many different items. There are many different clothing brands and products that use the Ralph Lauren name. They are all unified by quality workmanship, classic cuts, a slightly sporty look and the monochromatic Ralph Lauren logo.
Ralph Lauren creates a variety of products, but their logo is a reference to the very first clothing line that Ralph Lauren produced. The iconic polo player on the Ralph Lauren logo shows up on a variety of clothing. This helps to make the brand very recognizable even to people who do not follow fashion trends.
Ralph Lauren Logo Design Elements
The logo at Ralph Lauren has a very simple color scheme. It is typically a black image on a white background. Occasionally, the colors will change to fit another design scheme. However, the logo is always monochromatic. The logo contains the brand name “Ralph Lauren.” The text is all capitalized, but the first letter of each word is larger. The serif font consists of both thick and thin strokes. In between the two words of the brand name is the classic Ralph Lauren icon. This icon is not very detailed or dimensional. It is a basic silhouette with a few extra details created from the white lines of the background. It shows a polo player riding a prancing horse. The polo player’s club is lifted into an upswing before a stroke.
Changes and Evolution
1. Shape
Technically, Ralph Lauren has always had the same logo. However, all design elements of the logo are not always used at the same time. In more formal items like suits, the company removes the shape of the polo player from the logo. In more sporty items like polo shirts, the company does not include the lettering from the logo. The versatile shape of the logo allows the company to use different variations for different products.
2. Color
Throughout Ralph Lauren logo history, the logo has always officially been black. This color conveys simplicity and power just like Ralph Lauren wanted his clothes to convey. When it becomes a design element on clothes, the company sometimes changes the color. You can often find green, blue, or red versions of the logo on various apparel items.
3. Font
The custom font in the Ralph Lauren logo has always been a Roman style typeface. This type of font looks traditional, classic, and elegant. It helps the brand to appear more established even though it is a relatively new brand.
Influences/Inspiration
The current version of the Ralph Lauren logo design was created in 1974. The logo features a polo player because Ralph Lauren’s first clothing line was called Polo Ralph Lauren. The company intended for the logo to encompass the ideals of their brand. The Polo Ralph Lauren line was intended to reference a Dominican playboy named Porfirio Rubirosa. Rubirosa was an internationally known polo player and a popular playboy. Ralph Lauren wanted his brand to feature clothes that Rubirosa and other wealthy, cultured, athletic men would enjoy wearing.
Many of his shirts feature the polo player insignia over the chest. The Lacoste polo shirts that have a crocodile emblem inspired the logo placement. Eventually, Ralph Lauren expanded the company to also feature womenswear, suits, and other types of products. Though the company now has many clothing lines, they have kept the polo player logo throughout Ralph Lauren logo history as an homage to the clothing line that started the company.
Trivia
Ralph Lauren had never even seen a polo game when he named his line of menswear Polo Ralph Lauren. Lauren wanted to reference some type of sports in his brand name, and he admired the swagger of famous polo players. Lauren felt that the sport combined the ideal mix of wealth, elitism, and athleticism. Unfortunately for Lauren, someone else was able to copy his idea. South Africa has very lax copyright laws, so a South African company was able to trademark the Polo brand there before Ralph Lauren could. Modern consumers are regularly confused by the copycat brand that has the same name and a very similar logo.
Conclusion
Ralph Lauren’s designs brought a fresh, sporty appeal to luxury fashion. His brands appeal to a wide range of consumers because they convey quality and wealth without appearing snobby. The logo that Ralph Lauren chose for his brand is a great representation of what he wanted to achieve. The iconic polo player image in the Ralph Lauren logo projects the confidence and strength associated with the brand.
Ralph Lauren’s polo logo appears to be a direct copy of the Knize polo player logo. Did Mr. Lauren steal this logo??? Very suspicious.