The Branding of AGORA (Part 2)

In 2011, a stylized horizontal stroke (representing the number one in Chinese) replaced the briefcase above the word AGORA.

It was also around this time, that our second factory (this one in China) got the OS2 logo. The ‘OS’ in OS2 stands for Overseas and the logo has 2 stylized horizontal strokes (representing the number two in Chinese).

In 2014, ‘AGORA Leather Products’ became ‘AGORA Edge’.

The ‘Edge’ in the name signifies the competitive edge our customers gain by working with AGORA. Also, literally it is demonstrative of the outside edge our products provide while protecting our customers’ components.

CHAKRA (the letter ‘O’ in AGORA)
A channel through which energy flows.

Chakras are key to balance and harmony. They also symbolize joy, communication and focus. These are traits we strive to improve upon constantly.

Another key pillar of AGORA’s growth over the years is our belief that products and processes can always be improved and that there always is a better way to do, almost anything.

This is embodied in our tagline – We believe in a better way.

AGORA Branding (Part 1)

In 1985, I needed a business name for my new company. I was looking for something that started with the letter ‘A’ so it would be listed at the beginning of the big ol’ telephone directory.

The word AGORA caught my imagination. Upon further reading, it met more of my criteria in addition to beginning with the letter ‘A’. The word AGORA has a multicultural identity – in Greek and Turkish, AGORA means ‘Marketplace’, and in Portuguese, AGORA means ‘Now’.

The word ‘Now’ also fit right in with my ‘sense of urgency’ in making things happen, like NOW.  It eventually went on to become one of the tenets that AGORA is based on, to this day. By this time, it was a no-brainer that ‘AGORA’ was the name I was looking for. The rest, as they say, is history.

AGORA was originally called AGORA Leather Products. Leather, inherently is symbolic of Quality.

Moreover, leather was also used in the manufacturing of some of the products that AGORA would go on to make. Thus, AGORA Leather Products was born.

 

Our First Logo Showing the Letter ‘A’ on a Leather Briefcase

Around 2001, the logo was modified to present a softer look that mirrored our bags and cases with rounded corners. The letter ‘O’ was replaced with a globe that is representative of AGORA’s growing international business.

 

Our 2001 Logo