Angus’ A-Z of logos: Montblanc

Pentagram partner and creative director Angus Hyland discusses why the Montblanc logo piques his interest.

While occupying the same luxury territory as celeb favourites like Louis Vuitton or Gucci, Montblanc is decidedly different. While many of these brands often stem from traditional craft, now they’re all about conspicuous consumption. Montblanc, however, is infinitely more restrained.

It's a great example of a brand that makes everything look effortless. Understanding and playing to its heritage, it changes just enough to appeal to new generations without ever appearing too out there or edgy.

Founded in Germany, Montblanc has been making high-end fountain pens since 1906. The Montblanc logo – like the highest peak in the Alps that it’s named after – is all about the mountains. The letter 'A’ appears in the logotype as an abstract elevation of a mountain, and the accompanying white star-shaped symbol (which was introduced in 1913) depicts the snow-capped peak from an aerial perspective.

In what would turn out to be a genius move, the symbol also appears on the top of the pen itself – the only part of the pen that’s visible when it’s safely tucked away in the top pocket of your immaculately tailored Brioni jacket. Owning a Montblanc is like being part of a secret club, and the little mountain peak-shaped symbol is your badge of belonging.

Brand association has always been important if you’re selling an aspirational product, and Montblanc is in the fortunate position of being loved by a full house of cultural icons including JFK, Barack Obama and Princess Diana. Montblanc first came to my attention in 1985 when I worked for the designer Peter Saville. As a young designer, I was very taken by his stylish fountain pen which I soon discovered was a classic Montblanc Meisterstrück (or Masterpiece).

Now celebrating its 100th anniversary, the instantly recognisable proportions of the cigar-shaped pen has also appeared on screen many times, starring in movies as diverse as Octopussy, Heathers and The Talented Mr Ripley. Montblanc found itself centre stage again in the recent Netflix series Ripley. Echoing the plot of the original movie, both the pen and the luxury watch that Tom Ripley has stolen end up in the sea. Out of the two objects, only the luxury watch subsequently needs a trip to the menders, as the sturdy Montblanc survives the watery escapade unscathed.

But perhaps the best namecheck of recent times comes from Series 3 of Succession, when the mighty Logan Roy has a ferocious outburst about his then-wayward son Kendall. “I'm gonna jam a Montblanc pen down his fuckin' throat,” he bellows to his younger son Roman, giving the discreet pen maker the kind of endorsement that even a colossal amount of money simply can’t buy.