New logo for Berlei

Berlei is an Australian brand of women’s undergarments, notably bras, currently owned by Hanes Australasia. The company started as a boutique corset manufacturer in Sydney in 1910, before its founder, Frederick R. Burley, registered the Berlei name in 1917. In 1950, the company developed Australia’s first maternity bra, and since the 1990s Berlei has worked exclusively with the Australian Institute of Sport to test its sports bras which “deliver bounce reduction of up to 60%”. Today, Berlei manufactures nearly two million bras a year. (Wikipedia; About page)

There’s not much to be said about the old logo, but that’s not to say it was poor. The typeface, with its thin, rounded forms, were clear and conveyed softness and comfort, while the red holding shape aided in giving prominence to the otherwise ordinary type.

The new logo employs a visual pun in the letter B, which resembles a woman’s bosom (is that a tautology?). It’s a clever visual mark that perfectly signals the company’s name and its offerings in a single form. I’m irked by the all caps though. They make the logo feel too cold and corporate; maybe it’s the condensed proportions, or the loose tracking, or the starkness of the black, or all of those things combined. However, the logo looks much better on the bras themselves, where it’s usually all white (see below). A fine update overall.

Below, a look back at the key moments in Berlei’s 100-year history.