History of Harrods
Harrods was not always in its iconic location of 87-135 Brompton Rd, London. The first Harrods store was opened in 1824 by Charles Henry Harrod at 227 Borough High Street, Southwark, London. It wasn’t until 1849 that Harrods opened at the Brompton site we know today.
Harrods’ Market
The department store offers a wide range of products and services within its 330 departments. These range from clothing and electronics to stationery and furniture. Alongside its wide variety of retail departments, there are also 23 restaurants, a tailor, personal shoppers, and a pharmacy, among many other services.
The Harrods Brand
The Harrods brand has been developed over almost 200 years, and through strategy and brand image, they have carved their niche within the high-end market. A dress code and royal warrants help impose the idea of high-end luxury that the brand uses so well. As well as the iconic location of the store, Harrods has cemented itself as an iconic British Brand and has positioned itself well in the minds of its consumers.
Harrods Logo
The Harrods logo is minimalistic and recognisable throughout the UK and the world. As a simple logotype in a monochrome palette, it represented the company’s brand identity and essence. Harrods’ current logo moves away from the monochrome and creates a new level of luxury and brand representation using their primary colour palette ‘Harrods Green’ and ‘Harrods Gold’.
Logo History
To understand where the Harrods logo is today, we need to look at their first mark from 1849, when Harrods moved to Knightsbridge. The first example of Harrods’ Typographic logo comes from the handwriting style used by Charles Henry Harrod to sign off documents. We can see how this signature developed into the current logo it is today.
Start of the 1900s
It wasn’t until the 1900s that Harrods first started using a consistent message and identity within its signage and advertisements. We can see this in an advert in the St James’s Gazette, where they used a block serif capitalised font to represent their brand name.
1902–1920s
In the early 1900s they began experimenting with calligraphy as well to show the logo – the start of the brand identity we know today.
1920s–1950s
From the ’20s to the ’50s the logo style switched back and forth from capitalised sans-serif and classic serifs to more expressive calligraphic logos.
The Modern Logo
Not until the mid-1930s did we start to see the iconic logo take its current styling. At that point, the more recognisable R’s and the connected letters that flow seamlessly into one another began to take shape. There have been changes and additions to the logo, but from this point, the Harrods logo has remained consistent.
Harrods is a rare and precious brand. One of the world’s most famous names, its reputation has been built on extraordinary glamour and vision. It is a theatre of dreams that astonishes us with its breathtaking range. Harrods has always offered constant innovation, service and quality to people all over the world. As the Knightsbridge store continues its glittering evolution, the brand reaches further towards new on-line and international horizons.
Reviewing the Harrods Logo
As their brand reached further their identity has stayed consistent and glamorous. The current logo holds true to this ideology and stays aligned with their brand values of British, Service, Innovation, Luxury and Sensation.
Harrods Font
The script font was first created by Mínale Tattersfield at the end of the 1960s, where the refining of the counters, bowls and terminals took place to the pre-existing letterforms found in the Harrods signature logo. The elongated horizontal bar of the H creates personality and expression to the logo as a whole.
Colour Usage
Harrods often uses gold and dark green when displaying the logo. The use of colour can help to stand out from the noise of its surroundings, whether on dark or light backgrounds.
Overall Review
The luxury department store is known for style, high-end design and wealth, and the sophisticated, historic, simple logo encapsulates this identity. The logo itself is now known to represent this image and features on everything from the exterior of the department store to the branded products within it. Becoming an iconic British brand that has grown and developed a feeling of prestige over a century of business.
Article By – Dan Mortley, Senior Designer at Fellow
