As successful companies grow in size over time, their logos tend to become simpler and simpler. 3M Company and its logo are one such example. Today the mark was designed by Siege Gale and has been used in countries around the world for nearly a quarter of a century.

1906: The first 3M trademark featured the company's full name, address and a diamond in the center of the trademark with the words "3MCo." 1926: During the company's first 50 years of history, the company's trademarks came and went, without much brilliance or change. 1937: The monogram of the current logo appears 1938: A year later, the monogram disappears again 1942-1948: The monogram appears again, sometimes with a hyphen, sometimes without. 1950: An oval design is introduced. The designer and reasons for the design are unknown, but it quickly gained widespread use at the time. Variations of the oval design flourished from 1951 to 1960 without a standard manual to guide their use. Sometimes the ellipse appears as a solid; sometimes it disappears entirely. 3M added a laurel leaf to its logo as it celebrated its 50th anniversary. 1961: 3M hired the design firm of Gerald Stahi & Associates to create an authoritative logo that would unify the company and its business under one mark. The result was a boxy, serifed 3M symbol whose industrial appearance earned it the nickname "Plumber Gothic." 1961: With the emergence of the new logo, the design agency also issued a manual containing four variations of the logo. This manual is based on the geometric oil paintings of Dutch artist Piet Mondnan. 1977: When variations of the 3M logo proliferated due to the needs of different parts of the company, design firm Siegelamp; Gale began redesigning the logo in an attempt to solve the problem. The result is a monogram 3M that is simplified to the extreme: the serifs are gone, and so is the slogan. Even the gap between 3 and M has been removed. The color of the logo is red to express a sense of strength. Global sales: US$21.2 billion Overseas sales: US$12.9 billion (accounting for 61% of the total) 3M has branches in more than 60 countries and regions around the world - 29 countries have production lines and 35 countries have laboratories. 3M serves the world We provide diversified and high-quality products and services to customers in nearly 200 countries and have more than 69,000 employees worldwide