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1993


old logo

"In March 1993, Chairman Kun Hee Lee unveiled the new Samsung logotype to 10,000 executives and employees of Korea's largest corporation at the Olympic Park Gymnasium in Seoul. This marked the initiation of a new global identity system intended to help unify Samsung Group, to position it to become a global leader in the 21st century and to leverage its reputation and visibility to customers around the world. With its new identity, Samsung Group wished to communicate and apply its corporate philosophy to every aspect of its internal and external activities."  Lippincott & Margulies, 1993

In a launch ad, Kun Hee Lee expressed this driving philosophy, calling it "a new way of doing business." "One small change we've made is the look of our new logo. What's more important is the new philosophy the logo symbolizes: We will devote our human resources and technology to create superior products and services, thereby contributing to a better global society." (This incidentally is a true mission statement, in that it links corporate purpose directly to its social benefit.) 

In addition to the anglicised wordmark and a comprehensive visual system, Samsung adopted the tag line "Technology that works for life"  and a simpler five-unit competence list. 

All other brand names, and a diversity of regional subsidiary names, were eliminated, to focus all energies and resources in one brand, and low-end products were replaced (over subsequent years) with increasingly higher-end, innovative and better-designed products. In 2005, Samsung's brand valuation (per Interbrand) moved ahead of Sony's. Tony Spaeth

Lippincott & Margulies 

Submitted by: Tony Spaeth, 19/05/2007
Status: Estimated by Tony Spaeth
Category: Electronic & Electrical Equipment
Country (HQ): Korea