H&M Logo: A Brief History of a Design (2024)

Not just any clothing brand can boast tremendous growth. There are but a few of them that managed to reach a global megacorporation level. One can notice the H&M logo in just about any mall these days. It’s one of the most popular clothing brands. Threads and accessories offered in the shops are created by the company’s designing team. Moreover, even world-renowned designers would like to collaborate with H&M and place the H&M logo on some of their creations. Today, we are going to take a closer look at the history of H&M’s success.

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Table of Contents

H&M Logo History

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Erling Persson, the company’s founder, originates from Sweden. He has been affected by World War II just like many of his peers. However, it also helped his business a lot. He got to the USA where he witnessed a completely different approach to clothes commerce. They paid more attention to the needs of the customers. And so Persson decided to adopt the tactics and offered usable clothes designs at reasonable prices in his homeland. That’s where the history of H&M begins.

H&M Logo evolution

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So, few years after the war a new shop called “Hennes” opened in Sweden. “Hennes” is Sweden for “hers”. As you might already have guessed the shop was designed for women. The first H&M logo contained only a single handwritten inscription. Scandinavian design tends to be minimalistic and the first H&M logo wasn’t an exception.

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Persson, however, kept going and developing his brand. He decided to purchase an already functioning clothes shop. He chose a huntsman clothes store. But the owner of the shop didn’t want to lose his business and offered Persson funds for further growth and became the first shareholder of the company. That’s how Hennes acquired Mauritz which was a surname of the huntsman store owner. It is these two letters that now were put together a new H&M logo.

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Logo Font

Well, now that we know the meaning of the logo, the time has come to learn something about the font used in the H&M logo. The very first variation, being seemingly handwritten, was rather friendly and eye-catching. The inscription itself was slightly moved to a top angle. It was supposed to symbolize motion, confidence, reliability as well as stability.

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After merging with the Mauritz store, a necessity for new H&M logo creation arose. The new option was a monogram with some explanations regarding the implied surnames. The lettering was written in Sans-Serif that was a very popular font back then. And shortly after that, in but a few years, some redecorations were applied to the logo resulting in an ultimate H&M logo version that hasn’t been changed throughout centuries. Logo is featured a HM Amperserif font.

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It goes without saying that the abbreviation features some unusual font. It is actually a unique design developed especially for the H&M logo. Thanks to savvy management and capsule collections by famous and renowned designers the brand is loved and recognized across the globe. Trendy threads on sale have boomed many times causing customers to flood fitting rooms in H&M stores.

H&M Symbol meaning

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The Director Board of the company never saved for a rainy day, giving it all to proper marketing and advertising. As a result, a vocalist of ABBA that was on the top charts back then became the first model of an ad. The company’s name was conclusively reduced to two letters. After learning the history of the company there probably aren’t any questions like what does H&M logo means. But is there any hidden message? Well, sure, there is. A bright red hints that the brand is designed for teens.

An outlining has long since gone. There mustn’t be any borders for a trendy and modern H&M logo. You might consider that as advice. Don’t outline your logo if your audience is mostly teens and youngsters. In general, the logo conveys passion as well as youths’ desire for standing out from the crowd and finding where they belong. It is extremely recognizable. You can hardly confuse it with some other logo.

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Dynamic lettering, traced by some wide and lashing brush, calls to immediate action. That’s why it’s hard to miss the store or simply walk by without having a look inside. H&M logo is also rather simplistic. It features no arty-crafty elements. It is not rooted in glorious history and boasts no hidden meanings. Nevertheless, the H&M logo has been designed more than fifty years ago and it still looks trendy, stylish, and inviting. That’s what a really good logo should be like.

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Ilya Lavrov

I’m a product and graphic designer with 10-years background. Writing about branding, logo creation and business.

H&M Logo: A Brief History of a Design (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of the H&M logo? ›

The first logo was initially handwritten with the complete brand name. The company kept the handwritten letters but abbreviated them. The letters H and M appeared in sans-serif, a preferred font choice back then. Today, the logo has only the letters and an ampersand.

What is H&M brief summary? ›

H&M is the second-largest international clothing retailer after Inditex. H&M was founded by Erling Persson in 1947 under the name Hennes. The company's current CEO is Daniel Erver who replaced former CEO Helena Helmersson in January 2024.

Why does H&M use red in their logo? ›

Retail and Consumer Goods

Red symbolizes Excitement. Some of the retail and consumer good companies that use this color include.. H&M, Nike, and Ferrari.

What is the conclusion of H&M brand? ›

In Conclusion

These campaigns not only appeal to the conscience of the target audience but also drive sales and maintain the brand's positive image. H&M continues to evolve its advertising strategies to align with its values and meet the expectations of an increasingly conscious and diverse customer base.

What is H&M origin story? ›

H&M is no exception: The name itself is brimming with history. When founder Erling Persson opened his first H&M shop in Sweden in 1947, he named it Hennes, which translates from Swedish to mean “Hers.” This was quite a literal rendering, as Hennes only sold women's clothing at the time.

What is unique about H&M? ›

We are cost-conscious

We make careful, sustainable choices by using resources responsibly and doing more with less. We create value for money, making a sustainable lifestyle accessible for everyone.

What HM stands for? ›

Her Majesty; Her Majesty's; His Majesty; His Majesty's.

What is H&M vision statement? ›

Our vision is to lead the change towards a circular and renewable fashion indus- try, while being a fair and equal com- pany.

What is H&M main goal? ›

The H&M mission statement is "to make fashion accessible and enjoyable for all." High fashion used to be something that ordinary people only see on the runways, on the red carpet, or on TV. High fashion is not something that you can find in your own closet or on pedestrians that you encounter on the streets.

Who created the H&M logo? ›

1947. Inspired by his trip to New York City the year before, Swedish entrepreneur Erling Persson opens a new womenswear store in Västerås, Sweden. He calls it Hennes, Swedish for “Hers”. The soon-to-be-famous Hennes logotype is designed by the founder himself.

What is H&M brand image? ›

In conclusion, H&M's brand persona is a combination of affordability, fashion-forwardness, sustainability, and inclusivity. The brand effectively communicates these values through its marketing campaigns, social media presence, and collaborations.

Which font is used in H&M logo? ›

The geometric looking one is called H&M Sans (or just HM Sans in situations where the use of an ampersand would cause problems), and the serif font used in, for example, the logo itself, is called H&M Serif or HM Serif.

What is the design strategy of H&M? ›

Fashion-Forward Designs and Fast-Fashion Model:

H&M's marketing strategy revolves around its commitment to offering fashion-forward designs at affordable prices. The brand's fast-fashion model allows it to quickly respond to emerging trends and introduce new collections frequently.

What made H&M so successful? ›

Adaptable and Fast Fashion Model: One of the cornerstones of H&M's success is its ability to swiftly adapt to the ever-evolving fashion market. Their fast-fashion model allows them to transform runway designs into affordable pieces available on the shelves in a matter of weeks.

What is the tagline of H&M? ›

H&M - "Fashion and quality at the best price"

This tagline reflects H&M's focus on providing affordable fashion that is still trendy and stylish. The company is known for its fast fashion model, which allows it to quickly produce and distribute the latest fashion trends at a lower cost.

What is the H&M brand for? ›

H&M Group is a global fashion and design company, with over 4,000 stores in more than 75 markets and online sales in 60 markets. All our brands and business ventures share the same passion for making great and more sustainable fashion and design available to everyone.

How does H&M stand out? ›

The Secret to H&M's Success: Fast Fashion

Aimed at young, fashion-conscious urban consumers, their products are trendy and they're cheap, bordering on disposable. Fast fashion retailers make their profits by having a high merchandise turnover and by constantly resupplying the product pipeline with the latest trends.

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