HERCULES Trademark of Hercules Powder Company
THE
NEW
LOOK
AT
HERCULES . . . AND
WHY
THE NEW AFTER FIFTY YEARS . . .
To EMPLOYES, STOCKHOLDERS, CUSTOMERS, AND FRIENDS OF HERCULES POWDER COMPANY:
The Fiftieth Anniversary of our company's growth is an especially appropriate time to report on a significant new program we are implementing. I t is a strong visual identity program whose focal point is a new Hercules trademark. Our long-standing trademark has been revised to combine in one unit the proud Hercules name and a classic head-and-shoulders design of the traditional Hercules figure to carry forward the timeless tradition of our heritage. This change will soon be seen in every visual impression our company makes. The new trademark, while modern in conception and design, is steeped in the classic simplicity of ancient Greece, both in the representation of the Hercules figure and in the lettering of the Hercules name. This new symbol of Hercules is more than a modernization of our trademark. Properly used, it is a project of value to our company, its employes, customers, and stockholders. One important result will be a clearer recognition of our company, its products, and its services in all areas of operation. I t will make it possible for more people throughout the world to recognize Hercules and its activities. To remain a leader in today's market it is necessary for any company to express itself forcefully and convincingly. This ever-increasing recognition will, I believe, be accomplished by the impact of the new Hercules identity program. The new symbol expresses the contemporary Hercules character with a clarity needed for the space age. Initiative, courage, and strength are marks of our past; they are also attributes of the new trademark which will continue to symbolize these qualities. Our re-created symbol will reassure all who work with us and use our products that Hercules continues to pursue its legacy of consistent quality, individual character, and imaginative programs of product development.
For half a century, Hercules Powder Company has been proud to identify itself and its products with a unique trademark—the powerful figure of the mythological Greek hero Hercules. This has been one of the best-known trademarks in industry, serving as a symbol of quality and dependability for all Hercules products. As Hercules began to diversify and grow, the trademark became even more widespread in use and in recognition. For fifty years it has represented the hundreds of different materials produced by Hercules. Today, it is important that the name and trademark reflect our growing operations in a manner in keeping with our fast-moving technology. For this reason, a new corporate identity program has been evolved. The new symbol incorporates the classic design of the traditional Hercules figure with the proud Hercules name in one visual unit. It has been designed to represent the company more appropriately as it is today.
CONTEMPORARY AND CLASSIC In a very real sense, the new symbol is not new at all. Its development goes back to ancient history for the design which is fashioned directly after the generally accepted delineation of the original Greek hero himself. At the same time, it is rendered in a contemporary technique which imparts a new look of symbolic strength and power. These qualities are now expressed more forcefully to meet competition in today's markets.
THE DESIGN APPROACH The new program itself resulted from two years' careful research to determine which symbol and signature would best represent the company. Ruled out almost immediately was a change in the Hercules name and figure; these were assets too valuable to lose. The problem, therefore, was to develop an identity that would use these valuable franchises in the most artistic and rewarding manner. This was a formidable task because through the years painters and sculptors developed many variations of the Hercules figure. To help work out the problem we consulted several outstanding industrial designers, all specialists in company-identity planning. We selected Gerald Stahl Inc. to do the job. This design organization has successfully completed visual identity ©
President
HERCULES FOWDER COMPANY,
1962
HERCULES IDENTITY PROGRAM programs for such well-known companies as 3M, Jones & Laughlin Steel, American Hardware Corporation, U. S. Industries, Youngstown Steel, and a host of others.
The result is a striking symbolization of the original Greek hero Hercules, denning and capturing his most important features in a dominant mark that is easy to identify and recognize.
ESTABLISHING THE BASE
NAME AND FIGURE COMBINED
Working with Advertising Department as liaison, research was begun to determine the precise attributes of the original Hercules. Innumerable books, paintings, and sculptures were scrutinized, all leading to one important conclusion: Hercules had three major identifying characteristics—his beard, his club, and his lion's skin. We established that after the first of his traditional twelve labors—the slaying of the Nemean lion—Hercules wore the lion's skin as his own trademark of strength. While our existing trademark carried these major features, they were not clearly identifiable. A full-length figure is always difficult to see or identify at a distance—particularly on packages, water towers, tank cars, and plant signs. In general, research showed that portrayal of the fulllength Hercules figure did not fully develop the meaning, clarity, and impact latent in the name and design. With research completed, creative work began. The object: develop a more significant representation of the company, its trademark, signature, and product identification; depict Hercules' essential attributes more distinctly, and in a form which would be easy to see, recognize, and identify; finally, portray the company's current and future activities, as well as its heritage.
To add to the new look of power, the Hercules name itself is now an integral part of the trademark. This shorthand signature—Hercules— represents the company name just as the headand-shoulders design represents the true essence of the full Hercules figure. Together they create the desired graphics impact. The lettering style is in the same classic Greek design of the Hercules figure. It will also be used for many company brand and product names, thus helping to keep our new look consistent. Put together, these new identity elements form a symbol that is actually eleven times more legible than our previous trademark and signature—in the same area of space. While this new symbol is emphatically traditional, it is also a vigorous identity for modern and future use. Its contemporary design technique is even ahead of current trends. This is appropriate, for the new identity demonstrates more accurately our participation in the space age of today and in the years to come.
MANY DESIGNS CONSIDERED Hundreds of possible design alternatives were explored to meet these goals. Each was evaluated for clarity, simplicity, and adherence to the classic Greek design. Each detail was examined—the shape of Hercules' club, the angle of the club, the position of his hand on the club, design of the beard, representation of the lion's mane. Every possible form of application and use was considered. In the final screening, six design variations were considered. These were submitted to the board of directors and to sales-oriented executives to make sure the final choice embodied their interpretation of the company, both as an identification symbol and as a sales influence.
CONSISTENT PROGRAM FOR IMPACT The new identity program will receive widespread exposure in all visual media—advertising, packaging, product markings, transportation equipment, shipping tags, plant signs, business forms and stationery—everything that serves to identify the company visually. It will be implemented with order, consistency, and direction to provide stronger recognition for the company and its products in all markets. Besides, it will help launch future products by providing them with immediate Hercules identification. In this way, the newly powerful Hercules identity will be reinforced constantly. As a result, we expect that throughout the world, those who know us will become even more aware of the Hercules name, character, and reputation. This means that markets which are favorably impressed by one of Hercules products or services will become more likely customers for other Hercules products of today and especially of the future.
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Although Hercules Powder Company is fifty years old, the origins of the Hercules name and trademark go back nearly a century. T h e actual beginning was when the California Powder Works was formed at Santa Cruz, California, in 1861 to counteract a Civil War blockade that prevented the shipment of explosives to the West Coast. After the Civil War, the famous military leader, General W. S. Rosecrans, suggested that Hercules be used as a brand name. T h e California company adopted the name and symbol with alacrity, for not only did legends portray Hercules as a great mythological figure of unusual strength and p o w e r — a perfect image to associate with explosives—but other manufacturers of explosives also were taking their company names from heroes of Greek and Roman mythology. Some oFthe most famous were Ajax, Atlas, Trojan, Vulcan, Pluto, and others. T o extol the power of Hercules explosives, early company advertisements showed Hercules slaying giants, based on stories of his legendary conquests. This was so effective that within a few years, the Hercules figure and name became more widely known than the company's own name. When Hercules Powder Company was established as a separate and independent company by court order of 1912, the Hercules trademark and name had become so well known and widely recognized that they were assumed by the new company. T h e trademark has been used throughout the five decades of its
HERCULES T R A D E M A R K existence, changing slightly in appearance from time to time. At one time, for example, Hercules was embellished with a wreath. Other times it was silhouetted, placed in an oval, or set against highly decorative backgrounds. Each revision sought to make the Hercules figure more attractive and more effective as a trademark and esthetically interpretive of its era. T h e lettering selected for "Hercules," "Hercules Powder," and "Hercules Powder Company" in 1912 was fashioned from The Saturday Evening Post masthead, using the country's most popular magazine of the time as a style guide. This lettering also has undergone revisions from time to time. It has been used in ribbon form. T h e tail of the letter "R" in Hercules has been of varying lengths. Lettering of the name has been extended and condensed at different times. T h e very proportions of the signature have mitigated against fine graphics. In general, however, the Hercules signature and trademark together have a distinctiveness and for fifty years have helped in establishing recognition for Hercules Powder Company and its products. Fortunately, the new design is not "new" in the accepted sense of the word. Rather, it is unique in concept. For instead of creating new symbology or devising an abstract design, we have literally returned to the archives of history to capture the pure, timeless precision of Greek sculpture and design, for a clearer, more easily recognized version of our existing name and trademark.
H E R C U L E S POWDER COMPANY HERCULES TOWER GA 63-1
•
910 MARKET STREET •
WILMINGTON 99, DELAWARE Printed in U.S.A.
