Angus’ A-Z of logos: 007

Pentagram partner and creative director Angus Hyland takes his shot at explaining the story behind the charming and witty James Bond ‘007’ logo.

For obvious reasons, apart from the NRA and other gun lobbies, there aren’t very many logos that feature firearms. One notable exception is Black Rifle Coffee, a US-based veteran-led, pro-gun, pro-military, pro-police coffee roaster that makes blends like AK Espresso and Silencer Smooth, and clearly knows exactly who its customer base votes for.

In the world of Bond, whether it’s the 007 logo (in the black, white and red opening gun barrel sequence), the shaken not stirred martini, Q’s futuristic gadgets, or the acid knockbacks from Miss Moneypenny, most things never change. Always appearing on screen as the opening credits roll, the Bond logo acts as a shortcut for a world of high-stakes espionage, impossibly glamorous women and larger-than-life villains. Like the man himself, the logo is a mixture of charm, wit and lethal efficiency.

Designed in 1962 by Joe Caroff, the logo’s clever design features the secret agent’s MI5 code name morphing into the shape of a pistol. The ‘00’ indicates that Bond has a license to kill, and the number ‘7’ identifies him as the seventh agent to receive the title. The gun itself is another Bond stalwart, the Walther PPK. A German pistol issued to Bond in the first Ian Fleming book Dr. No, it’s 007’s primary weapon of choice in all the subsequent books.

New York designer Caroff was apparently paid a flat fee of $300, the equivalent to just over $3k today. Sometime later – when Bond had well and truly become a global phenomenon – Caroff asked if he might be included in the titles, a request that to this day has sadly been ignored. In a somewhat tokenistic gesture, EON and Barbara Broccoli did send Caroff a special engraved Omega timepiece on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

Like the cut of Bond’s dinner jacket, the 007 logo has been subjected to some fashion-led style changes over the years, but after six decades, 25 films and seven different Bonds it’s remained pretty much the same. As the search for Bond number eight steps up, one thing’s for sure, whether Bond is tall, short, dark, blond (or a woman), Joe Caroff’s logo will be appearing in glorious 4D at a multiplex near you soon.

Next time: a logo that was described by its designer as being “frisky”.