Show me your logo, and I will tell you who you are…

It has always been customary for firms to use a stamp or signet. The reputation behind a name – or a symbol – has long played a central role for international (re)insurers, and also for Swiss Re.

The very first fire reinsurance treaty issued in May 1864 by the Schweizerische Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft carried a company signet: an oval with the company name and a Swiss cross enwreathed in rays. In 1902, the oval was replaced by a circle. Though the silhouette of the Swiss Re "Altbau" building was occasionally used, it wasn’t until 1960, in connection with the 100th anniversary of the firm, that a new signet was chosen in an in-house competition.

By that time, the circle - generally meant to symbolise the globe - had become a widespread cliché. So the company decided to devise a more universal signet consisting of two letters: an “S” and and an “R” mirroring one another. The visual appeal of the logo was strengthened after 1981 when SR blue, the company colour, was made mandatory for all applications. Over time, however, symbolic and psychological factors became increasingly important and economic and technical performance was no longer of itself sufficient to set a company apart from its competition.

To assert itself in an increasingly competitive reinsurance market, Swiss Re, too, saw the need to reinforce its name with a stronger uniform visual presence. A strategic reorientation in mid-1995 with a sharper focus on the core reinsurance business was the impulse for launching a new, comprehensive corporate design. The intention was to establish Swiss Re as a leading, modern company and a world-class brand.

The first step in this direction was to introduce a new uniform “look”. Thus, a logo was developed to project the image of a company that is striving, rationally and logically, to be the best. The logo was designed to embody stability, strength, security and reliability; to awaken associations of clarity, efficiency, directness and openness. The aim was to maintain the seriousness of the old “Schweizer Rück” logo, whilst simultaneously combating the notion that Swiss Re was dull and conservatively-minded. It was time to “dust off” the company signet.
The new logo derived from an abstract, graphic rework of the old SR logo, and was launched and positioned in the market with the "animated logo" campaign between 1996 and 2000.

In the notes for the Corporate Identity presentation at the 1994 Group Executive Meeting, we read: “The Swiss Re symbol is abstract. It does not represent any image, word or sound. Its four components form a simple, geometrical syntax which is easy to follow and remember.” The simplicity and clarity of the image mean the logo has long-term value. Furthermore, the logo and the Group-wide corporate design, combine seriousness and creativity – thus accurately reflecting the company they signify. In combination with the name "Swiss Re", it remains valid today.

This article was issued by Swiss Re Company Archives, Zurich.
Find out more about Swiss Re's history.