Samsung was founded in 1938 as a small trading company that made noodles and sold dried seafood. The name Samsung (삼성/三星), which means “three stars”, was chosen by the founder Lee Byung-chull who wanted his company to become big, powerful and everlasting like stars in the sky.

Following the 1950-1953 Korean War, Samsung expanded into other industries including sugar and textiles. But an English logo did not appear until 1969, when Samsung Electronics, today the world’s biggest technology company by revenue, was established. In these days Samsung only produced tape recorders and bulky black-and-white TV sets. The logo image later became more graphically sophisticated in 1980, around the same time Samsung built its first overseas factories and began an export drive, with a more varied product line including VCRs, washing machines, refrigerators and color TVs. It was also then that Samsung kickstarted the semiconductor business, which later became their mainstay business.

 

Finally, the current version arrived in 1993, the year Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee announced the “New Management” initiativewhich transformed the company into a global leader in a number of industries including electronics, shipbuilding and construction.

So what’s in a Logo?

While it looks simple and obvious, the logo conveys several meanings. The slightly-tilted ellipse represents the universe, and the blue color is that of the sky and ocean. The word “Samsung” was located inside the ellipse so that character “S” and “G” will create small openings on the borderline, showing Samsung is connected with the world.