Here's why Johnson & Johnson just ditched one of the world's oldest logos

Johnson and Johnson logo
(Image credit: Johnson and Johnson)

Johnson & Johnson is one of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies. It also laid claim to having one of the world's oldest logos still in use – a widely recognised cursive design based on co-founder James Wood Johnson’s signature.

But that familiar flowing script will be no more. After 135 years, the company has revealed a new Johnson & Johnson logo that's, well... perhaps a lot like what you would expect from a pharma logo in 2023. It's cleaner and easier to read but could be seen to lack distinction. It might seem a strange decision to ditch a widely recognised design - imagine if Coca-Cola announced it was ditching its script for a sans serif logo (see our pick of the best cursive logos for other examples). But there are reasons for the change.

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Joe Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

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