Reebok International Limited, a leading manufacturer of sports shoes, apparel, and accessories, is

owned by the German sportswear company Adidas. The origin of the company name “Reebok”
comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a South African antelope or gazelle.
The founder Joseph William Foster was a manufacturer of regular shoes who resided in Holcombe
Brook, a small village near Bolton, England. He had the unique idea of making a spiked running shoe
which worked well and he established the company in 1895 with the help of his sons and named it
“J.W. Foster and Sons”.

DESIGN ELEMENTS AND HISTORY OF REEBOK LOGO

The Reebok logo holds a unique place in sports world and is undoubtedly among the most popular
apparel logos ever created.

The original Reebok logo depicts the Union Jack, portraying the company’s humble beginnings in
Bolton, England in 1895. In 1986, Reebok unveiled a second emblem, often termed as “the vector”.
The emblem was introduced to symbolize a new era of “performance” product. Its design was inspired
by the cues on the product, often called the “side stripe – cross check”.

In 1996, the Reebok logo underwent only a few minor changes. Reebok took a big step in 1998 and
took away their logotype, while using only the “cross check” which appeared on their products very
aesthetic. In 2000, the company once again took out the logo and used only logotype, which was
further modified and made more modern in 2002.

In 2004, the logotype, too, was discarded, and the cross check was reissued. To attain a bigger link to
the youth market, the company brought in a new tier of product called “Rbk” in 2001. The wide
success of this rebranding made Reebok to look at its overall branding scheme and learn that the
future of the brand would be more effectively depicted by this new logo. The “Rbk” logo was created
by the Arnell Group.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the brand name in 2008, Reebok brought back its brand identity
from Rbk to Reebok. While Rbk worked for their brand identity, the culture and the business, Reebok
is timeless and manifests the company’s high values. The current Reebok logo design features a new
font that is modern yet simple, complementing the brand identity and reflecting the brand values.

Reebok is back in the game with its new “Delta” logo unveiled a month ago, as part of the
brand’s new positioning which focuses on fitness. The company is trying to move away
from the professional athletes who were the main target market of the brand in the past.
Today, Reebok aims to encourage everyday people to do sports.

Reebok and its strategy

According to its official website, Reebok International Ltd. is known to be a “leading worldwide
designer, marketer and distributor of sports, fitness and casual footwear, apparel and equipment”.
In 2006, the brand was purchased by Adidas for 3.8 billion dollars. However since then, Reebok
hasn’t been very profitable. In order to increase sales and differentiate the brand from Adidas and
Nike, the company decided to launch a new branding strategy by focusing on an emerging niche
market: the CrossFit movement.

For those who have never heard of CrossFit, this term has been defined by the Reebok CrossFit
BCN website as a new training program devised by fitness experts in the US. It helps achieve
several goals (weight loss, strengthen and tone muscles, increase cardiovascular fitness) by
focusing on all physical skills equally. Julie Cruz explains that CrossFit, “has seen its popularity
swell in the U.S. and Europe in recent years as people get hooked up on both its speed and
being pitted against others”. Because CrossFit fanatics tend to purchase a lot of sport clothing
and accessories, this new target market could be very profitable for Reebok. Also today, no other
brand focuses on the needs of these specific consumers.
So why this new logo?
“It’s not a logo; it’s a symbol… a way of life”, explains the brand in its official press release. Today
the brand does not focus on speed and performance but on change and transformation. The
three sides of the CrossFit Delta chosen by Reebok represent the physical, mental and social
changes that occur when people practice hard.

The Reebok Delta is the third symbol used by the brand. First of all there was the Union Jack
flag, which portrayed the company’s beginnings in England in 1895. This original logo was then
significantly redesigned in 1986 with the use of the famous “vectorial” symbol.
Some people might think his new symbol used by Reebok isn’t that creative. From my point of
view it clearly represents the CrossFit movement and it is also totally in line with Reebok’s market
shift towards the fitness orientated market-niche.

L a design psihologic spui ca cele 3 laturi ale triunghiului reprezinta schimbarea pe care brandul o
initiaza la nivel fizic, mental si social.

Established in 1895 in the small England village of Holcombe as

J.W. Foster and Sons, Reebok, as it was renamed in 1958 (after
“rhebok”, a type of African gazelle) is a “worldwide designer,
marketer and distributor of sports, fitness and casual footwear,
apparel and equipment.” In 2006, Adidas Group acquired Reebok
and, according to this report, it’s been holding back Adidas’
profits, noting that Reebok itself has been unprofitable for many
years now. A clear reflection of Reebok’s place in consumer
culture: When was the last time you thought of Reebok in the
same way you think of Nike or Adidas? As part of its
repositioning, starting in 2013, Reebok has been focusing on
fitness instead of specific sports and started supporting the
CrossFit movement, introducing Reebok CrossFit last year and
marking the first use of the “Delta” logo, which has now been
promoted as the official Reebok log… excuse me, as the official
Reebok symbol.
The new Reebok Delta symbol represents the positive and transformative change that fitness can have

on a person’s life. Through the millennia the delta has been a symbol of change and transformation.

The Reebok Delta has three distinct parts each representing the changes — physical, mental and social

— that occur when people push themselves beyond their perceived limits and embrace an active and

challenging life.

REEBOK PRESS RELEASE

“The new brand mark signals a clear purpose for our brand and it will be a badge for those who pursue

a fuller life through fitness. We believe the benefits of an active life go beyond the physical benefits

and impacts your whole self and your relationships with others,” said Matt O’Toole, Reebok Chief
Marketing Officer. “It is our symbol of change - an invitation to take part, and to unlock your true

potential. It’s not a logo, it’s a symbol… a way of life.”

REEBOK PRESS RELEASE

It’s probably not fair to keep comparing Reebok to Nike or

Adidas but since no one ever said design blogging had to be fair I
shall continue: I don’t think the previous Reebok logo ever
achieved the same ubiquity or memorability as the Nike Swoosh
or Adidas’ stripes. Before writing this post, if you had asked me to
draw the Reebok icon from scratch I wouldn’t even have known
where to start. This is a long way of saying that changing the logo
is not a brand equity killer for Reebok and, as it turns out, moving
into something much simpler that comes with a small but
passionate following in the CrossFit community is a smart move.
The new delta logo isn’t particularly interesting or innovative —
other blogs have whined that it looks like the Delta Faucet logo or
Google Drive but they all have it wrong, it looks like tasty oznei
aman eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Lame
comparisons aside, the new delta logo is simple, it looks like it
means business, and it works perfectly on apparel. Again, not a
fantastic logo but it gets the job done.

In application there is not much to see. Just the logo on stuff. But
given the large amounts of stuff the logo goes on, it’s surprising to
see how well it works on so much of it. I doubt the logo will
single-handedly turn profits for Reebok but at least it’s a clear
signal that this is a new Reebok and that it endorses a specific set
of activities — “training, running, outdoor, yoga, dance and
aerobics” as specified in the press release — that Nike and Adidas
are not placing as keen a focus on
Reebok is scuttling the logo that once graced hundreds of professional athletes
as it embraces what it is calling the sport of fitness.

It is only the second major logo change in the brand's 121-year history. From its
founding in the United Kingdom in 1895 until 1986, the brand featured a Union
Jack flag. In 1986 it switched to the vector logo, which will be gradually phased
out on all products except Reebok Classics. The new delta logo, which has been
used on some of the company's Crossfit gear, will be rolled out broadly on
footwear and apparel this month.

"For 30 years we've been successfully making products for elite athletes in every
imaginable sport, but what we haven't been able to do is inspire enough people
to move," said Matt O'Toole, Reebok Chief Marketing Officer, in a video posted
on YouTube. "It's an invitation for all of us to take part and fight against
complacency for everyday people not just super stars and elite athletes."

Reebok has a long history of endorsing elite athletes, from basketball stars Allen
Iverson and Yao Ming to football players like Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis.
It has also outfitted baseball, tennis, soccer and hockey players. Reebok gave up
its NFL sponsorship in 2012 and rumors have circulated that the brand could be
replaced by parent company Adidas on NHL jerseys -- there is precedent,
Adidas replaced Reebok as an NBA sponsor in 2006.

As the brand has ceded deals with professional leagues to its parent company, it
has embraced Crossfit, yoga, dance and aerobics, as a means to grow its
business. Reebok has also teamed up with Les Mills -- known for exercise
programs like Bodypump and Bodycombat -- as well as the Spartan Race series
of obstacle course races.
The new logo coincides with the brand's "singular" focus on fitness. "Through
the millennia the delta has been a symbol of change and transformation," the
company explained in a press release. "The Reebok Delta has three distinct parts
each representing the changes -- physical, mental and social -- that occur when
people push themselves beyond their perceived limits and embrace an active and
challenging life."
The delta symbol, of course, will also look familiar to anyone who has recycled,
used Google Drive or flown Delta Air Lines.
Earlier this month, Reebok selected indie agency Venables Bell & Partners as its
new global lead agency after a review. The account had flip-flopped between
Omnicom's DDB and Dentsu's McGarrybowen over the course of the last
decade.
Though sales at Reebok have been sluggish in recent years, the brand is showing
some signs of improvement. During the most recent quarter, sales increased 5%,
and executives said the brand would grow for the full year.
Reebok International Limited, is a world-renowned brand of sports shoes, apparel, sportswear and
other accessories. It is owned by the German multinational corporation Adidas. The company’s name
“Reebok” originates from the Afrikaans spelling of “rhebok”, a South African antelope or gazelle.
Reebok is widely regarded as one of the most valuable and recognizable brands in the world.
Reebok was founded in 1895 by Joseph William Foster as a a manufacturer of regular shoes. He
came up with the unique idea of producing a spiked running shoe. After the immense success of this
product, he established the company with the help of his sons and named it “J.W. Foster and Sons”.

DESIGN ELEMENTS, HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF REEBOK

LOGO

Shape and Font of the Reebok Logo

The Reebok logo is one of the most popular and widely recognized logos in the sports industry. It has
played an instrumental role in establishing Reebok as one of the leading sportswear brands on the
planet.

The earliest version of the Reebok logo featured the Union Jack, showcasing the company’s humble
origins in Bolton, England in 1895. The company introduced its second logo, sometimes known as “the
vector”, in 1986. It typified a new era of “performance” product. The logo was inspired by the cues on
the product, often termed as the “side stripe – cross check”.

The Reebok logo was changed yet again in 1996, however only with minor success. The company
experimented with a “nameless” corporate identity in 1998, featuring the “cross check” which looked
very aesthetic and powerful. In 2000, the Reebok logotype was reverted back. It was further simplified
and improved two years later in 2002.

In 2004, the logotype was taken out once again and the cross with reissued, only this time inside a
rectangular box

The company brought back its brand identity from “Rbk” to “Reebok” in 2006, celebrating the 50th
anniversary of its iconic brand name.

While “Rbk” brought great success to the comp. The company saw an opportunity to more fully
connect with the youth market in 2001 and introduced a new tier of product called “Rbk”. The immense
popularity of this rebranding effort encouraged the company to further develop its focus on clientele.
The “Rbk” logo was designed by the famous New York-based design agency Arnell Group.any, their
actual brand name has proved to be timeless and manifests the company’s high quality standards.
The current Reebok logo has been in service since 2008. It comprises of a custom typeface that is
modern yet simple, and extremely efficient in building the brand’s identity and personality.

Colors of the Reebok Logo

The use of blue color in the Reebok logo symbolizes excellence, class, reliability, and commitment in
service.