What Is The North Face Logo?
The North Face logo is three curved lines inside a quarter circle, drawn after the rock face of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, set beside or above the brand name in bold capitals. The North Face is an American maker of outdoor clothing, tents and climbing gear, founded in San Francisco in 1964 by Douglas and Susie Tompkins and owned by VF Corporation since 2000.
The Half Dome lines are often printed on their own, small on the chest of a jacket, while the full mark stacks the curves with the words THE NORTH FACE. The lines with the name are available as the The North Face logo SVG.
The North Face Logo Facts
| Designer | David Alcorn |
| Introduced | 1971 |
| Symbol | Three curved lines based on Half Dome, Yosemite |
| Logo type | Combination mark: Half Dome lines and the brand name |
| Earlier mark | A different logo, used in Summit magazine adverts around 1966 |
| Owner | VF Corporation |
What The North Face Logo Means
The curves picture Half Dome, the granite rock in Yosemite that rises more than 2,700 metres above sea level. The North Face began as a San Francisco shop selling gear to climbers, and Half Dome is a climbing wall in the same state, California. The mark does not draw the rock in detail: three parallel arcs give the rounded outline of the dome inside a quarter circle. Because the shape needs no lettering, it can be embroidered on its own, small and in one colour, on a cuff, a hood or a tent bag.
The North Face Logo History
Douglas and Susie Tompkins started The North Face in San Francisco, and the first shop opened at 308 Columbus Avenue on 26 October 1966. At first it was a retailer of mountaineering equipment rather than a maker. The shop had its own logo from the start, which appeared in Summit magazine around the time it opened.
In 1968 the business was sold to Hap Klopp, and The North Face began designing and making its own products. The company then moved across the bay to Berkeley.
Designer David Alcorn introduced the Half Dome logo in 1971, replacing the earlier mark with the three curved lines. The new mark went on the gear that followed, including the Oval Intention tent of 1976, a dome tent based on Buckminster Fuller's geodesic designs, and the Mountain Jacket of 1985.
VF Corporation bought The North Face in 2000, and the brand has been part of the VF group ever since. In 2019 VF set up a shared headquarters in Denver, Colorado, for The North Face and several of its other outdoor brands.
For more brands like The North Face, browse our fashion logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What mountain is in The North Face logo?
Half Dome, the granite rock formation in Yosemite National Park, California.
Who designed The North Face logo?
David Alcorn designed the Half Dome logo, which The North Face introduced in 1971.
Did The North Face always use the Half Dome logo?
No. The first shop, opened in San Francisco in 1966, used a different logo until the Half Dome mark arrived in 1971.
Who owns The North Face?
VF Corporation, which bought The North Face in 2000.