About COWI

Logo

COWI's logo was designed in 1972 by one of Denmark's best-known graphic designers, Erik Ellegaard Frederiksen. The logo was developed by forming an abbreviation of the first letters of the two founders' first names and surnames: Christen Ostenfeld and Wriborg Jønson (in the past, the letter ‘J’ was written with an 'I').

The logo is our visual beacon and the most central element in the corporate visual identity. The font is handwritten and unique to the logo – and must never be reproduced using ordinary fonts such as Verdana, Times New Roman and Helvetica. The COWI logo must be present on all media.

Colour use

The orange logo
Orange is the primary logo colour, which must be used whenever possible. The orange colour illustrates our bright ideas and contribution to the projects we work on.
The green logo
Green is the secondary logo colour, which can be applied for specific usage e.g. to emphasise sustainability.
The grey and white logo
Grey and white logos are used whenever the orange logo is impossible to use e.g. because of a dark background or a mid tone where the orange will not stand out. Please see the examples of how the COWI logo is used on colour and photos.

Size and scaling The COWI logo is defined in a range of recommend sizes. The aim of the recommended sizes is to maintain COWI's visual expression and minimise variations on printed materials. Please consult COWI's templates to make sure you use the right size.

Distance of respect
The logo must always stand out and be easy to read. This is ensured by allowing for a minimum clear space around the logo. The clear space is determined by measuring the height of the logo (the x-height) and as a minimum, making sure the logo has the same clear space around it. There must be no graphic elements, typography or other colours within the clear space. The matrix is illustrated to the right.

Placing

The logo must not be placed together with other graphic elements which prevent the logo from standing out or being read.

BackgroundsThe positive logo is used on light backgrounds and the negative logo is used on dark backgrounds. On most coloured background, the negative logo should be used. When used on photos, please ensure that the background is clean.

Do's and don'ts

The COWI logo may not be placed with other graphic elements which prevent the logo from standing out or being read.

Make sure to allow enough clear space around the logo

The logo may not be tilted

The logo should always be used in landscape

Never use other colours than the defined logo colours. Use primarily the orange logo.