70 YEARS OF 007: THE LOGO
On January 4th 2023 we at Ian Fleming Publications excitedly unveiled our special new 70 years of 007 logo. It is the first of many wonderful ways in which we plan on celebrating the 70th anniversary of the spy story that did indeed end all spy stories, Casino Royale. Look out for the logo throughout 2023 – there will be nothing top secret about the fabulous Ian Fleming and James Bond events we have planned for this year. Read on below for an insight into the design of the 70 years of 007 logo.
Principally, the logo makes a distinct visual connection to the literary Bond. There is a wealth of iconic imagery surrounding James Bond but Ian Fleming Publications is always ultimately committed to honouring Ian Fleming’s immense literary legacy. As part of this, we are relaunching the original Ian Fleming Bond books on April 13th 2023. This year and this logo are about remembering that it all started with the man with the golden typewriter. It is also our way of saying, ‘welcome home’ to 007.
In light of this, the 70 years of 007 logo features Tea Chest, the typographic font that was chosen by Ian Fleming for the original dust jackets for From Russia With Love, where it accompanied the artwork of Richard Chopping. Each of the previous four books had used a different style of font but Robert Harling, writer, typographer and a close friend of Ian Fleming, recommended Tea Chest for the fifth novel. Harling had designed Tea Chest himself in 1939 and it became part of the house style for the subsequent UK editions of Fleming’s Bond titles. An iconic look was born, a classic melding of art, composition and typography that is still seen as one of the most beloved jacket covers in literature.
Steven Aspinall, designer of the new logo, said, “007 is a global cultural icon – as both a graphic designer and a lifelong Bond obsessive, it’s been an honour to play a small part in keeping his literary spirit alive.” Head over to Steven’s blog to find out more about his history with 007: https://thestevenaspinallarchive.com/.
When the team at IFPL discussed what we wanted from the logo, the key words were ‘bold’, ‘clear’, ‘literary’ and a design that Ian Fleming would approve of. We hope we have achieved that.
