The Meaning Behind the Reusser Bear
The Meaning Behind the Reusser Bear
Nate wanted to pay tribute to the ancestral home of the Reusser family, so the logo design pulled elements from the Bern coat of arms which features a diagonal yellow band atop a red shield, complete with a black bear walking upward toward the flag’s center.
Brand Identity: Significance and Meaning
Sometimes, a brand’s visual identity is just cosmetic. A well-thought-out typeface paired with a fun brand mark and complementary colors might be just enough to spark engagement and create a recognizable and distinguished look. With no ties to historical significance or culture to personally connect with the brand’s message, it might serve simply to delight and evoke emotion.
However, Reusser’s logo—while it certainly has elements that delight—is not without meaning.
In 2015, Reusser Design went through a rebranding process to establish a new logo and a more distinguishable identity—one that would honor the heritage of Nate Reusser’s past, as well as the years in business up to that point.
Born and raised in Berne, Indiana, Nate’s family history dates back to the 1500s, with his family’s ancestral home in Bern, Switzerland. When setting out to create the new logo 7 years ago, Nate knew he wanted to incorporate this into the design. At the time, he shared, “We need to find a brand that pays tribute to our fifteen years in business. Something that’s unique and stands out—not just something that slaps our first initial on a shape.”
From there, the bear was born.
A Logo Rooted in Medieval Swiss Legend
Nate wanted to pay tribute to the ancestral home of the Reusser family, so the logo design pulled elements from the Bern coat of arms which features a diagonal yellow band atop a red shield, complete with a black bear walking upward toward the flag’s center. This bear serves as a namesake and herald of Bern—legend says the city’s founder vowed to name the city after the first animal seen on his first hunt on the land.
Can you guess what he encountered?
A black bear, which his hunting party named Gules, is now the front-and-center display element on the Bern coat of arms. Like the Bern coat of arms, the Reusser Design logo was shaped like the shield and displayed a black bear, though it used modern, clean designs and our signature blue.
Honoring Where We’ve Been While Looking Forward
Like our web design philosophy at the time, one thing we knew then was that beauty lies in the basics. Choosing simple, calm colors and classic, flat textures paired with a modern typeface reinforced the cool, professional look we aimed to achieve.
Seven years later, those things still remain true, but with an added layer of sophistication. As we have worked to solidify the ethos of our brand through clarity in mission, vision, and purpose, we’ve also trimmed away some of the excess that made it to the final version of the previous logo that served us well for the better part of a decade. Dropping Design from our name is an intentional decision to honor the services and caliber of work we offer. With that, we’ve simplified some of the design elements to show off a more defined logo mark—an intentional decision that signifies our perspective shift as we invest more into our culture, team, and brand.
Learn more about where Reusser’s been over the last 22 years, and our look at a bright future ahead.