The Sweet Little Secrets of the Toblerone Logo
After over a century, Toblerone changed its logo and put the memorable one to rest. So, we’ve decided to pay homage to the legendary Toblerone logo by analyzing its design and the creative process behind it.
You can now find the pyramid-shaped candy bar in stores worldwide, but this sweet success story started small. It all began when a Bern local, Jean Tobler, came up with a brilliant idea – to establish a chocolate factory in 1899. About a decade later, he conceived the recipe for a new dessert with his cousins, Theodor Tobler and Emil Baumann.
This chocolate delight owes its name to its inventors. They coined the Toblerone sweets by cleverly combining the last name Tobler and the Italian word “torrone” (a delicacy made of nuts and honey).
Toblerone Logo Stood Out Through Subtle Yet Smart Symbolic Design
Just like the etymology of its name, there’s a story connecting the renowned logo Toblerone used to its geographical roots - the Swiss capital, which is also famous as the "city of bears."
The designers Emil Bauman and Theodor Tobler created the logo with two main elements: a pyramid-like emblem depicting a mountain peak and the logotype of the brand name.
The pyramid symbol hits two birds with one stone. One, it represents the chocolates they produce, and two, it’s a visual representation of the Matterhorn, one of the many mountains of the Alps situated near the Swiss capital.
A closer look will reveal a white silhouette of a bear standing on its hind legs at the logo’s center -- what a way to incorporate the tremendous wild animal into the design!
The classic font style for the brand name is also hard to miss. The logotype is expressive, clear and spaced well for easy reading! Each letter is red with a thin yellow outline along its edge and all are capitalized with the letter “T” in much larger font size. The characters are shadowed in black, so the name comes across as three-dimensional.
How the designers skillfully combine typography, color, and dimensionality to create impactful and memorable brand symbols is admired by many logo designers worldwide.
Bulletproof Combination of Contemporary and Traditional Aesthetics for the Toblerone 2022
The Swiss chocolate company decided to refresh its century-old design earlier this year. Mondelēz International, which owns Toblerone, opted for a more expressive look. The redesigned logo now features the slightly modernized triangle above the text, not on the main panel's right side.
The new design was made by Bulletproof, aiming to preserve the globally-renowned qualities such as the shape of the chocolate and packaging – focusing on the triangle. They opted to build on Toblerone’s history rather than avoid it for a brand-new product. With a disruptive color palette, the design now aims to connect the brand with its customers on a deeper level.
The Matterhorn illustration is now modernized and streamlined but still retains the famous bear. The Matterhorn can also be seen on a side panel, together with the authentic cursive signature of the man himself, Jean Tobler.
The new logo features the wordmark running over the edge, signaling playfulness and making a perfect imperfection. Symbols have been slightly adjusted to make a sweet combination of the brand’s history and modern trends. The “O” is now off-center, and the “E” is thickened. The new model features a thin beige stripe along the edge of the glyphs. The shadows are still there, but now they are blue to highlight the contrast further.
While The Matterhorn retained its place on one of the main panels, the others now feature an enlarged piece of the popular chocolate product just inviting you to have a taste!
This new creation highlights how most branding agencies blend elements of the past and present, breathing new life into a brand while honoring its rich heritage and iconic symbols.
Toblerone Logo Design Strengthens Legacy by Being the “Triangle in a World of Squares”
Bulletproof dug deep into the new colorful logo solution. Everything was done with the call to action in mind – “Be More Triangle.” According to company CEO Nick Rees, the rebranding aimed to “encourage uniqueness in all its forms, empower individuals and pay tribute to the importance of being stubbornly triangle in a world of squares.”
The designer team has reached out into the past and carefully sewed together Toblerone’s astonishing legacy with a new, modern appeal to generate contemporary relevance to people worldwide.
Customer experience was at the forefront of this campaign. So simply transmitting the brand’s stories wouldn’t do its legacy justice. They highlighted the significance of the “triangle in a world of squares,” making it easy to grasp that being different can be magnificent. This strategy enhances Toblerone’s personality while still paying homage to its heritage.
Nick Rees emphasizes this design strategy by noting that “delving into the archive and the founder’s story informed the new brand purpose. Toblerone champions the triangles: those who dare to be different, to be themselves, who dare to stand against conformity and unleash their ingenuity.”
Toblerone’s Sweet Visual Happy Ending Marks a New Beginning
Toblerone has already had an iconic logo design. And there’s a fine line between making it look better and destroying its image. Fortunately, the designers have managed to simply breathe new life into the existing one. With a bright color palette, an emphasized contrast and a few playful illustrations, Bulletproof made a full circle and made an old brand look young again!
The new, responsive logo design did not move mountains (pun intended!), but the closer you look at it, the more you notice the subtle changes that carry a deep meaning. Through its design, Bulletproof exemplified that art is in the details.
The new logo did not discard its chocolate roots; it embraced them. The process helped form a new sweet visual identity for Toblerone and its lovers!
