World’s Oldest Logo, Stella Artois, Could Be Hiding In Centuries-Old Artworks

Ever wondered what the world’s oldest logo that’s still in existence is? That title belongs to the beermaker Stella Artois, which fronts its brand with a red emblem featuring gold accents, topped off with a golden horn (yes, the instrument).

The recognizable motif dates all the way back to 1366, when the Den Hoorn brewery was first established in Leuven, Belgium. Interestingly, the name ‘Artois’ only came about when local brewer Sebastian Artois bought over the site in 1708.

According to Time, the word ‘Stella’—which means “star” in Latin—was added to the brand much later on in 1926, when the brewery released its first seasonal beer, the Christmas Star. However, since its founding in the 14th century, the original horn logo has remained unchanged.

To tap into the storied history of the company’s branding, Buenos Aires-based creative agency GUT decided to search through historical artworks in the odd chance that the beer’s logo could’ve made an appearance all those centuries ago.

First, the agency developed an algorithm that could analyze well-known masterpieces, sorting them based on the year they were created, geographic location, type of glass depicted, the color of the liquid painted, and more.

These data points were then cross-referenced to Stella Artois’ extensive records, which churned out the percentage of how likely the beer was to have appeared in those paintings. The result? The Artois Probability campaign—created in partnership with the Bellas Artes Museum.

Fans can now look through a series of print advertisements and outdoor billboards in hopes of spotting the brewery’s emblem among the strokes and splashes of historic art pieces. Trips to museums in the future could become great ‘I Spy’ games as well.

As Haroldo Moreira, a copywriter at GUT, said in a LinkedIn post: “All masterpieces, whether of high or low probability, are now part of our campaign, hoping that you will think of Stella Artois every time you see a beer in a painting.”

[via Muse by Clio and GUT Buenos Aires, images via GUT Buenos Aires]