Brand
Corporate Slogan
The Meaning Behind the Five-Star Penguin Mark
The five stars of the Penguin Mark represent the five continents of the world and five-star quality, expressing the Hoshizaki Group’s strong commitment to continuously providing high-quality products to the global food service market.
This Penguin Mark represents the pride and commitment shared by every member of the Hoshizaki Group, reflecting our dedication to always considering what is best for our customers and acting accordingly.
So that the Hoshizaki Group, and each one of us, will always remain the No.1 choice for customers around the world. We will continue taking on the challenge of reaching the ultimate limits.
Corporate Brand
The corporate brand of the Hoshizaki Group consists of the HOSHIZAKI name and the Five-Star Penguin Mark. Within the Hoshizaki Group, the Penguin Mark used on Hoshizaki brand products is the Five-Star Penguin Mark.
Hoshizaki Group Logo
Five-Star Penguin Mark
The Birth of the Penguin Mark
In 1964, the year the Tokyo Olympic Games were held, the Hoshizaki Group succeeded in developing and launching Japan’s first fully automatic ice maker, a product that would become indispensable to the Group’s subsequent growth. However, at the time, the term ice maker was barely known, and when sales representatives visited restaurants, they were often met with responses such as Why would anyone need a machine to make ice?
It was under these circumstances that the Penguin Mark was created as an image character to promote ice makers.
Shigetoshi Sakamoto, the late founder and president of the Company and the original creator of the Penguin Mark concept, commented on his strong feelings toward the mark as follows.
"To help people recognize and remember that a product is made by Hoshizaki, it is good to have a distinctive symbol mark. When a product earns customer trust, the symbol mark attached to that product gains value as well, and products bearing that mark will also be trusted. Of course, it is essential never to betray those expectations. A mark should be eye-catching, memorable, and approachable. The first ideas that came to mind as motifs were a polar bear and a penguin. Penguins live in Antarctica, and polar bears live in the Arctic, both icy polar regions that perfectly match the image of ice machines. After considering various ideas, penguins sounded better than polar bears, and penguins also seemed more charming and approachable. That is why I chose the penguin."
The Penguin Mark, created in 1966 to promote ice makers, underwent numerous design changes before reaching its current form. Today, it serves not only as the symbol of ice makers but also as proof of the quality of all products manufactured by Hoshizaki.
The strong vision entrusted by the late Shigetoshi Sakamoto at the time has now led to the Penguin Mark being used in more than 100 countries and regions around the world.
Evolution of the Corporate Emblem and Penguin Mark
When people think of Hoshizaki, many likely associate it with the Penguin Mark. However, until 1986, Hoshizaki’s corporate emblem had a completely different design from the Penguin Mark. The emblem used motifs of the sun, moon, and stars to represent the universe, while also forming the shape of a warrior’s helmet to symbolize grand dreams and an unending spirit of challenge.
As time passed, the Penguin Mark, loved by many as the symbol of Hoshizaki products, became the corporate emblem in 1986. Then, in July 2016, the Five-Star Penguin Mark was established as the corporate brand of the Hoshizaki Group. At that time, partial modifications were also made to the penguin’s eyes.
The penguin depicted in the Hoshizaki Penguin Mark is an Adélie penguin native to Antarctica. One of the distinctive features of the Adélie penguin is the white feathered eye ring surrounding its black eyes. The original Penguin Mark created in 1966 included this eye ring, but through repeated design revisions, the eye ring that clearly identified it as an Adélie penguin disappeared from the design.
Accordingly, the Penguin Mark returned to its origins by restoring the Adélie penguin’s characteristic eye ring. In addition, highlights were added to the black eyes to create a brighter expression that conveys charm and friendliness while symbolizing a vision toward further growth.
The new Penguin Mark emerged through many stages of change. Going forward, we will continue taking on the challenge of reaching the ultimate limits like a first penguin diving fearlessly into rough seas, so that the Hoshizaki brand will always remain the world’s No.1 choice for customers.
1953–1986 Hoshizaki Corporate Emblem