Iconic Identities: Expo ‘67
Expo ‘67 is a World’s Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Centennial year of 1967.
The International and Universal Exposition was the general exhibition (also known as the world’s fair), held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1967. At the time, Canada’s population was only 20 million but more than 50 million visitors who attended Expo 67 set a record for World Fair attendance that still stands.
Now, I never participated in Expo ‘67, but my parents talked about it a lot (they lived in Montreal then) when I was younger, and basically outlined how great of a celebration it was. Think of it as one of those parties that defines a year, where people start telling a story with, “It was the year of the ‘67 Expo…” and let’s not forget it was it was the highlight of the Centennial celebration. Here we have another perfect example of a timeless and true iconic identity.
Who Designed the Expo ‘67 Logo
The logo was designed by Montreal artist, Julien Hébert. Julien Hébert was a Québécois industrial designer, and became famous for his development of the World Exposition logo, Expo ‘67. He was a student of philosophy, but then began educating himself in the world of sculpture, at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, before heading off to Paris to study under Ossip Zadkine, known for his sculpture. Hébert then taught art history and sculpture at the school he once attended. He also assisted with the establishment of the École du design industriel at the University of Montreal.
The Expo ‘67 Logo Elements
The concept behind the logo was of an ancient symbol of man known as a pictogram. Each man is joined together and illustrated in a circular formation to represent “friendship around the world”. The typography used is lower-case Optima font. This Expo ‘67 identity was easily understood and interpreted by any of the 120 governments who attended or any one of the 50 million visitors.
So now you have the history of Expo ‘67, and can see why it’s a true example of a timeless and iconic identity. Expo ‘67 became apart of Canadian heritage because of it’s huge world fair success, while highlighting the Centennial celebration. Plus the design spoke to the audience, identifying the meaning of the celebration in symbolic terms, where people are united in friendship around the world. We’ve discussed why Expo ‘67 was designed, why it’s iconic, and who designed the iconic identity, plus the key elements of the brand.
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