Let's get one thing straight: I love Sherwin-Williams. You know how some people have a favorite lipstick or nail polish color? I have a favorite paint color: Sherwin-Williams Summer Resort.
Each year on Earth Day, I always wonder what's up with my beloved paint company's logo. They don't really want to pour paint all over the planet, right? Right! I finally put my wondering to rest and did some investigating. What I found was fascinating.
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Let's start at the beginning. It's 1866, with the smoke still clearing over Civil War battlefields.
The company became one of firsts, said Ellen Moreau, Vice President of Marketing Communications at Sherwin-Williams, whose help in uncovering corporate history for this piece was invaluable.
"We were the first company to do ready-mix paints, we developed the roller cover," she noted.
With all this groundbreaking technology happening (remember: Thomas Edison's first successful light bulb test happened in 1879) is it any wonder Sherwin-Williams wanted to share its treasure with the world?
Enter George Ford. The illustrator and ad man decided the company could improve upon its original logo: a chameleon changing colors:
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
(which, alas, does not operate in Georgia).
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Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Moreau, who's partial to the Sherwin-Williams color Hazel, pointed out some other interesting tidbits. Sherwin-Williams hues cover Air Force One, the Golden Gate Bridge and the White House.
And the logo is not going anywhere.
"It’s well known around the world," she said. "It's really iconic."
If you find the history of paint companies as fascinating as I do (what?) check out this timeline on the Sherwin-Williams web site.
And I'm telling you: Go get some Summer Resort.
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