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Iconic logo holds hidden meaning  

Goodwill is celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the adoption of its iconic logo. Known as the “Smiling G,” the award-winning logo represents the many smiling faces and positive impacts achieved through Goodwill programs and services, every day.

In 1968, Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries in Boston began to search for an updated visual to reflect the brand. The team selected legendary graphic designer Joseph Selame to create a logo that would symbolize the many faces of self-sustaining people within Goodwill. He used a lowercase “g” twice in his logo, which served as the letter itself and a smile. When the letter “g” is enlarged above the font, it forms a face that depicts the smile of self-respect and independence. These qualities are outcomes of Goodwill’s mission to inspire hope and self-confidence in people from all backgrounds as they learn how to earn a living and improve their lives.

The Smiling G logo is an emblem of Goodwill’s mission — helping people achieve their full potential through the power of work. One out of every 200 hires in the U.S. economy are made with the help of Goodwill, and this has been consistent for the past three years. Your local Goodwill served nearly 70,000 people last year and placed more than 3,000 people in jobs. 

Today, the Smiling G is one of the most recognized symbols in the world. In addition to Goodwill retail stores, the logo can be seen on billboards and television shows, even making an appearance twice on the hit gameshow Jeopardy!

To commemorate the anniversary, Goodwill Industries International created a video about Goodwill’s history and the creation of the logo: https://youtu.be/vLIx-MurwlM 

 

Goodwill Industries-Suncoast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work. The organization’s successful donated goods retail operation helps support its human services in 10 counties in West Central Florida including employment services, training centers for people with disabilities, affordable apartment communities for seniors and people with disabilities, and community corrections programs. For more information, visit www.goodwill-suncoast.org.