The Evolution of the Yves Saint Laurent Logo

A few words about the Yves Saint Laurent brand and its founder

Before we start with our analysis and the history of the brand's logo, let's take a moment to briefly tell the story of the famous fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent. He was born in Algeria in 1936. He quickly became interested in fashion and moved to Paris in 1954 to study fashion design.

In 1955, he was noticed by the great fashion designer Christian Dior who hired him. Yves Saint Laurent also replaced him as artistic director when the designer died in 1957. Despite great success, he encountered disputes with the Dior brand and was fired a few years later.

It was because of these events that Yves Saint Laurent finally decided to launch his own high fashion brand, distinguishing himself mainly by reinventing women's fashion and drawing inspiration from several famous works of art and paintings for his creations. This would be followed by a diversification of the brand by offering ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories. After the founder's death, the Yves Saint Laurent brand had its ups and downs and became Saint Laurent Paris.

The different logos of Yves Saint Laurent

Now, let's move on to the world of logos and design. Like most haute couture brands, Yves Saint Laurent needed a logo that was representative, simple, and memorable. Let's take a closer look at the story behind the different emblems.

The creation of the famous YSL monogram

When our fashion designer left Dior and decided to launch his own fashion house, he knew he had to surround himself with the best to succeed. It was for this reason that Yves Saint Laurent asked one of the most fashionable designers of the time to create what would become the basis of the brand. The designer, known under the pseudonym Cassandre, had previously worked with Christian Dior and had a modern and refined approach. It was the latter who created the famous monogram logo composed of the letters YSL.

Unlike Chanel's logo, which relied on duplication and inversion of letters, Yves Saint Laurent's monogram logo vertically intertwined the letters of the designer's name in an elegant font with slight serifs. The logo is still used on several of the brand's clothing and accessories, in addition to being the Favicon of the official website.

A signature version

Since not everyone knows the meaning of the letters YSL, the brand also opted for a signature logo in addition to the monogram logo. As the name suggests, a signature logo is composed only of the name of the company. In this case, the name of the founder.

For the sake of brand consistency, Cassandre created the lettering used for this version, which was the same for the logo of only the letters YSL. Note that the letters are slightly angled and there is no space between the different parts of the name, creating a unified whole.

YSL becomes Saint Laurent

After the death of the founder, the brand seemed to be in search of an identity. Several managers were trying different things, and some parts of the business would be sold to other brands. However, in 2012 Yves Saint Laurent simply became Saint Laurent and focused mainly on ready-to-wear. It's not uncommon to see companies or brands opt for a redesign when there's a significant change.

Saint Laurent isn't the only luxury brand opting for a bold, sans-serif name. This was chosen to highlight the modern, sleek side often associated with high-end companies. Underneath, Paris is in serif font. The color used here is black for both parts.

It must be said that this redesign is not the most original. Many luxury brands have chosen to use this type of logo when updating their brand in recent years. It seems to lack the elegant touch brought by Cassandra in the 1960s in our humble opinion.

What we like about the Yves Saint Laurent logo

How can you get inspiration from Yves Saint Laurent when creating your logo? First, its original logo is a perfect example of simplicity and refinement. The designer Cassandre used the initials of the founder's name to create an emblem that has endured. Also, unlike other fashion brands, he opted for vertical alignment instead of horizontal alignment and created custom lettering with slight serifs for the occasion. If you're looking for a font with a similar sleek look, on FreeLogoDesign you can use Cinzel or Italiana.

Also, why not use a monogram for your company logo? In addition to not being a widely used type of logo, it gives a simple and minimalist result most of the time.

In conclusion, it is not always necessary to have access to the best marketing agency to have a remarkable logo. You have to know how to bet on something that is both simple and representative, exactly like the Yves Saint Laurent logo. Even today, this emblem is used on many of the brand's garments and accessories, proof of the symbol's excellence.

Would you like to know more about the history of the logos of the major French brands? Why not take a look at the origin of the Louis Vuitton logo?