The LG logo is one of the most recognized symbols in consumer electronics. You have probably seen it on a TV, a fridge or a washing machine without thinking much about it, but the design hides a face.
LG Corporation, formerly Lucky-Goldstar, is a South Korean conglomerate whose roots go back to 1947 and its founder Koo In-hwoi. The group unveiled the LG name and its face symbol in January 1995. LG calls the symbol the “Face of the Future”.
The primary logo is still the red circle with a gray “LG” wordmark, in use since December 30, 2014. In 2023, LG added an animated version of the face on a bright red background as part of a Wolff Olins refresh.
What Is the LG Logo?
The LG logo is a red circle in which the letters “L” and “G” form a stylized face: the “G” traces the outline, the “L” acts as the nose and a white dot is the eye. LG unveiled it in January 1995 as part of its new corporate identity. LG has not named a designer for the original symbol, and Wolff Olins led the 2023 refresh.
| Symbol | “Face of the Future”: L and G inside a circle forming a face with one eye |
| Designer/agency | 1995 symbol: not publicly credited. 2023 brand refresh: Wolff Olins, with F37 (slogan typeface) and Animade (animation) |
| Current version since | December 30, 2014 (primary logo); animated 2023 version in digital use |
| Colors (hex) | LG Red #A50034 (Pantone 207 C), LG Grey #6B6B6B, white |
| Typeface | LG Smart, a custom corporate typeface (no free exact match) |
| Previous major version | 1995–2014: red circle with a gray Helvetica “LG” wordmark |
How Has the LG Logo Evolved Over Time?
LG’s identity comes from two predecessor brands, Lucky (founded 1947 as Lak Hui Chemical Industrial Corp.) and GoldStar (founded 1958), which merged in 1983 as Lucky-Goldstar. The dates below follow the logo timeline compiled in the image, which matches the company history.
Lucky and GoldStar Logos (1947-1983)
The earliest Lucky logo was Korean lettering with a red oval, used from 1947 to 1963. GoldStar’s first logo (1958-1964) was a cursive “GoldStar” wordmark with a crown above it. Lucky then moved to a red rounded-rectangle mark with a wavy line and Korean text (1963-1978), while GoldStar switched to a black square holding a white circle with a crown and the letters “GS” (1964-1983). From 1978 to 1983 the Lucky group used a blue square with a white four-petal clover.
Lucky-Goldstar Merged Logo (1983-1995)
After the merger the group used a red square emblem combining Lucky’s “L” with a GoldStar crown, with Korean lettering beside it. GoldStar kept its own wordmark for electronics.
First LG Logo (1995-2014)
LG unveiled its new corporate identity on January 1, 1995, running a teaser ad in morning newspapers. Wikipedia dates the renaming of the company to LG on January 4, 1995. The logo was a red circle with the face in white and a gray “LG” wordmark in Helvetica. The group inscribed the letters inside the circle to show that people are at the center of its management.
3D Version (2008-2014)
From 2008, the circle appeared in a glossy, gradient version with a silver-looking face, shown in the timeline above. The timeline lists it for 2008 to 2014.
Flat Redesign (2014-Present)
On December 30, 2014, LG flattened the logo and replaced the Helvetica wordmark with its custom LG Smart typeface. The Korea Times reported at the time that the circle stayed the same while the letters grew larger and the font came in four weights. This is still LG’s primary logo.
2023 Refresh With Wolff Olins
LG teased the new identity in April 2023 with a winking animated face, and the global “Life’s Good” campaign followed in August 2023. Wolff Olins reworked the face as an animated logo with eight different behaviors, such as winking, nodding and spinning, shown on a new red background. Type foundry F37 made a custom typeface for the “Life’s Good” slogan, and Studio Animade produced the animation. Characters named Joy and Ryder, created with illustrator Ryu Jung-min, were added to the campaign.
What Do the Design Elements of the LG Logo Mean?
LG says the symbol was inspired by the “Smile of Silla”, an artifact from Korea’s Silla Dynasty, and that it stands for five concepts: world, future, youth, humanity and technology. The “L” and “G” sit inside the circle to show that people are at the center of LG’s management.
According to LG, the single eye suggests focus on a goal and a smile, and the empty asymmetric area on the right suggests creativity and adaptability. Many people read the open space as a wink, which is how the 2023 animation uses it. The initials of LG’s slogan “Life’s Good” match the letters, but the name itself comes from Lucky-Goldstar.
What Are the LG Logo Colors?
LG’s corporate identity page lists two brand colors. LG Red is #A50034 (RGB 165, 0, 52; CMYK 0, 100, 62, 22; Pantone 207 C), and LG Grey is #6B6B6B (RGB 107, 107, 107; CMYK 0, 0, 0, 70). The face inside the circle is white. LG’s page gives the values in RGB, so the hex codes are conversions.
The 2023 refresh brought a brighter red for the animated logo background. LG has not published a name or code for it that I could verify, so it is not given here.
What Font Is Used in the LG Logo?
The current wordmark uses LG Smart, a custom corporate typeface that replaced Helvetica in December 2014. It is not sold or distributed publicly. For the “Life’s Good” slogan, F37 designed a separate custom typeface in 2023. If you need something close for a mockup, a bold neo-grotesque sans-serif is the nearest style, but nothing free matches exactly.
How Does the LG Logo Compare to Competitor Logos?
Most big electronics rivals lead with a wordmark: Sony uses plain capital letters, Panasonic uses a wordmark too, and Samsung uses its name inside an oval. LG is unusual among tech company logos because its face symbol carries the identity before the wordmark does. It reads as friendlier than its rivals, though it can look more cartoonish next to a pure wordmark.
What Cultural Impact Has the LG Logo Had?
The face is a regular entry in “hidden meaning” logo lists, and the 2023 animated version drew public attention for making a corporate mark behave like a character. LG followed the refresh with the characters Joy and Ryder and later campaigns such as “Optimism Your Feed” (2024) and “Radio Optimism” (2025).
How Does the LG Logo Fit Into the Overall Brand Identity?
LG’s brand identity combines the face logo, the “Life’s Good” slogan, the red and gray palette, the LG Smart typeface and, since 2023, the animated characters. The slogan was reportedly coined around 1998 and appeared on LG’s Times Square billboard on December 17, 2003, according to Wikipedia. Ryder’s ring carries the old GoldStar symbol, a nod to the company’s history.
How Should the LG Logo Be Used?
LG’s corporate identity pages describe the symbol and logotype as a combination that may not be altered or adapted. As general advice, editorial references that identify LG products are the normal safe use; anything implying endorsement requires LG’s permission. Official files come from LG’s own corporate and press pages.
FAQ on the LG Logo
What does the LG logo represent?
It shows the letters L and G forming a face inside a circle. LG calls it the “Face of the Future” and says it stands for world, future, youth, humanity and technology.
What are the LG logo colors and color codes?
LG Red is #A50034 (RGB 165, 0, 52; Pantone 207 C) and LG Grey is #6B6B6B (RGB 107, 107, 107), with white for the face. The hex codes are conversions of LG’s published RGB values.
What font does the LG logo use?
The wordmark uses LG Smart, a custom corporate typeface adopted in December 2014. From 1995 to 2014 the wordmark was set in Helvetica.
Who designed the LG logo?
The 1995 symbol has no publicly credited designer. Wolff Olins led the 2023 brand refresh, with F37 designing the slogan typeface.
When was the LG logo introduced?
LG unveiled its new identity on January 1, 1995, and Wikipedia dates the renaming to LG on January 4, 1995.
What did the old LG logo look like?
From 1995 to 2014 it was a red circle with a white face and a gray Helvetica “LG”. A glossy 3D version appeared from 2008. Before 1995 the company used separate Lucky and GoldStar logos.
What is the hidden meaning in the LG logo?
The “L” is the nose, the “G” outlines the face and the dot is an eye. LG says the empty area on the right suggests creativity and adaptability, and many viewers read it as a wink.
Why did LG rebrand in 2023?
LG renewed its “Life’s Good” identity with Wolff Olins to express optimism, adding an animated face that winks, nods and spins plus a new red and slogan typeface.
What does LG stand for?
LG stood for Lucky-Goldstar, the name formed when Lucky and GoldStar merged in 1983. The slogan “Life’s Good” shares the same initials.
Is the 2023 LG logo a red square?
In digital use the animated face appears on a bright red background. The circular logo with the gray wordmark is still LG’s primary logo.
Conclusion
The LG logo has kept the same idea for three decades: two letters in a circle that read as a face. What changed was the finish, from flat to glossy 3D, back to flat in 2014, and in 2023 to an animated face that winks, nods and spins.
The company’s own account ties the symbol to the “Smile of Silla” and five concepts, world, future, youth, humanity and technology. As of 2026, the circular logo with the gray LG Smart wordmark remains the primary mark.
Sources
- LG Corp, CI Story – https://lgcorp.com/about/ci/story
- LG Corp, CI Elements – https://lgcorp.com/about/ci/element
- Wikipedia, LG Corporation – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_Corporation
- Wikipedia, LG Electronics – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_Electronics
- Wikipedia, Life’s Good – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life’s_Good
- The Korea Times, LG gives modest facelift to logo – https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/tech-science/20141231/lg-gives-modest-facelift-to-logo
- 1000logos, Inside Wolff Olins’ global brand refresh of LG Electronics – https://1000logos.net/news/inside-wolff-olins-global-brand-refresh-of-lg-electronics/
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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