ORNL FCU 75 Years

LOGOS THROUGH THE YEARS

During its first ten years, from 1948 through 1958, ORNL EFCU had no formal logo or branding. But in 1959, this image first appeared on the credit union’s annual reports. Umbrella Man, a symbol used to represent the credit union industry for nearly forty years, was first drawn in 1923 by Boston Globe artist Joseph Stern. It depicts a happy credit union member under an umbrella with bad things such as hard times, sickness, and financial distress raining down from above. ORNL EFCU regularly used this image through 1966. In 1967, this image began its run on the cover of ORNL EFCU’s annual reports as well as other credit union signage and literature. The logo remained in use through 1974. In 1975, this logo made its debut and continues serving the core of its brand identity. The large U and smaller C represent a nod to Union Carbide Corporation, which at the time operated Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the US Department of Energy.

To better align with a growing membership base beyond just lab employees, the credit union publicly unveiled its new name in 1979, ORNL Federal Credit Union. While the organization’s brand identity has since been freshened up, its logo remains loyal to its ORNL beginnings.

1969-1978 GIANT STEPS | 31

Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online