The Tiffany & Co box sits among the illustrious list of most famous objects that money can’t buy. Its combination of Robin Blue shade, white ribbon and black letterface are perhaps among the most instantly recognisable brand identities in the world. ‘Tiffany has one thing in stock that you cannot buy (...) for as much money as you may offer; he will only give it to you. And that is one of his boxes,’ read a 1906 article in the New York Sun, and the rule still stands.
Creating the Tiffany & Co iconic blue box
The box’s distinctive shade of turquoise has been trademarked since 1998 and an official Pantone colour since 2001 (dubbed 1837 Blue to reflect the company’s founding year). Its chromatic formula is one of the industry's most closely- guarded secrets. 'It's our most recognisable brand quality, and therefore, it has to be perfect, and it has to be right,' says Richard Moore, Tiffany & Co's vice president of creative visual merchandising at Tiffany & Co. 'People have a big affinity with that colour.'
Having remained largely unchanged since it was first introduced in the 1880s, in 2005, Paula Scher, partner at global creative agency Pentagram, was asked to give a discreet refresh to the brand. Tiffany & Co,’s new identity focused on the iconic blue box, and the shade was rolled out to include advertising, bags, as well as the inside of the boxes themselves. The new logo was hand-drawn to resemble a hot-stamped letterpress typeface, signalling a combination of luxury and craft.
'Long considered the ultimate in gift retailing, Tiffany & Co. was seeing increased competition in the luxury market and sought to reaffirm its status,' reads a note from the studio. '[...] Scher developed new identity and packaging standards for the luxury retailer that restored the lustre of the brand.'
