ETC’s logo has evolved through the years. While it started as a college project, it soon shifted into something very artistic and intentional. There have been a handful of iterations through the years, but you’ll see that many of the original elements still remain over 40 years later.
ETC’s original logo dates back to an art project founder and original CEO, Fred Foster, created during his time at University. This design was inspired by Saul Bass, an esteemed graphic designer, and creator of some of the most iconic film posters and logos throughout history. Known as the Vasarely illusion, the stacked gray diamonds create the appearance of a cross-shaped point of light. As ETC grew, the logo evolved but continued to showcase a version of this same abstract image, a design that continues to be the base of the ETC energy field.
The logo has included the letters ETC, the full company name, and various office addresses throughout the years. Foster’s original art was green but you’ll see in the examples below that the color has shifted between various shades of green and blue. Through it all, however, the abstract energy field remained.
With the corporate acquisition of LMI in 1990, ETC used two energy fields to symbolize the merging of the two companies. When the move from Rochester, NY to Middleton, WI, was complete, ETC returned to the single energy field logo.
It has been said that mimicry is the best compliment. This holds true even for the ETC logo; throughout the years, several competitors have incorporated various pieces of the original ETC logo into their own.
For ETC’s 40th anniversary, ETC’s design teams embarked on a journey to update the logo. The goal was to use a design that was fresh and appealed to younger generations without alienating the past. The logo had to be scalable, simple, and adaptable. It was an evolution, not a revolution.
In 2016 the new design, which still features the energy field, was launched with great acceptance from the industry. As ETC looks forward, we’ll continue to be inspired by both our history and our future within the industry.