Brief 1 / D&AD Brief / Adidas Brief / Adidas History Research

In order to begin the idea generation process, I felt it important to research past of adidas to get a feel for what has been successful in the past. I began my research by analysing the three logos that exist within the company, This would allow me to get a better understanding of how adidas has been promoted and how my campaign can keep within the guidelines but having my own unique proposal.

Logo #1: The Three Stripes

This logo does not have a specific look. The company simple placed three black stripes on everything that they manufactured. Even this early in their history, the company was known for this branding. The owner of the company at the time liked to call his business “The three stripe company”.

Logo #2: The Trefoil

The trefoil was the second Adidas logo. The theme of three stripes is still evident in the look, both in the leave that shoot out from the logo, and the three stripes that cross it diagonally. This logo was chosen because the company wanted a logo that represented the fact that their brand was a lot larger and more diverse than it used to be while still keeping the classic Adidas look.

This logo is still used on some of their products, particularly their line of classic products. Most of their high-performance products have moved on to a third and final logo.

Logo #3: The Three Bars

This logo is the latest one that has been introduced, and it represents some of the finest equipment that Adidas sells. This logo more than the others is supposed to have a lot of meaning. The company wanted to keep the three stripes that they were known for, but also add something to give the logo some power.

This new logo is supposed to resemble a mountain like it is challenging the people who buy Adidas products to push themselves to their limits. This latest logo appears on many pieces of sports equipment and the new logo is still instantly and obviously “Adidas” to anyone who sees it.

It became clear that even when a new logo took the place of the old ones, the company would remain loyal to the three stripes look. This would be a good starting position to use the three stripes for the identity for the campaign as it will be easily recognisable as adidas.