Mastercard logo redesign: before-and-after evaluation
A practical before-and-after look at the Mastercard logo redesign: what changed, why the flatter mark suits vector use, and what to check before using the artwork.
Contents
The short answer
The redesign usually discussed is Mastercard's 2016 identity update, developed with the design firm Pentagram. It replaced the 1990s-era mark with a much flatter version. The earlier mark used interlocking red and yellow circles joined by horizontal stripes, and paired them with an italic wordmark. The new mark uses two solid overlapping circles, red and yellow, with an orange area where they meet, plus a simplified lowercase wordmark set outside the circles. In 2019 the company began using the interlocking circles alone, without the name, in many contexts. Overall, the redesign traded decorative detail for a cleaner geometric symbol. That symbol is easier to reproduce consistently at small sizes, on screens and as vector artwork.
Before and after, element by element
- Symbol: interlocking circles with striped overlap (before) became two flat circles with a solid overlap shape (after).
- Wordmark: italic, capitalized name placed across the circles (before) became a lowercase sans-serif name placed beside or below the symbol (after), and later was often omitted.
- Color treatment: the overall red-yellow scheme was kept, while the overlap became a single blended orange area instead of interleaved stripes.
- Detail level: the newer mark removes fine elements that tend to break down at small sizes or low resolution.
Why the change matters for vector artwork
In editorial terms, the redesign makes the most difference to file structure. A flat two-circle mark can be built from a few clean vector shapes: two circles and one overlap shape. The striped overlap in the older mark needed many thin interlocking paths, and small alignment errors there are easy to see. With the simpler construction, the logo scales cleanly from favicons to signage, and reduced-color or single-color versions are easier to produce.
Opening a file does not prove it is true vector artwork. An SVG, EPS, AI or PDF labeled as the Mastercard logo may contain real editable paths. It may also contain an embedded raster image, or just a raster preview inside a vector container. Check by viewing the file in outline or wireframe mode. Real vector circles appear as paths. An embedded image appears as a single rectangular placed object. Do not assume editable paths from the filename or extension alone.
Downloading versus using the logo
Being able to download a Mastercard logo file does not give you the right to modify it or use it freely. The symbol and name are trademarks. Acceptance marks shown at checkout, partner co-branding and editorial references can each fall under different conditions. Modifying the artwork, such as recoloring, separating the circles or retyping the wordmark in a substitute font, is a separate question from downloading it. For anything beyond plain editorial reference, rely on the company's official brand guidelines and approved asset files rather than third-party logo sites.
What this assessment does not cover
No brand guideline document, official asset files or design-firm case material was supplied for this evaluation. Exact color specifications, construction geometry, clear-space and minimum-size rules, and the licensing terms for the wordmark typeface are therefore not stated here. Confirm those details against Mastercard's current official guidance before preparing production artwork.