The Coca-Cola Spencerian script logo was first registered as a trademark in 1893.
The lettering developed from the Spencerian script style used in American business correspondence during the late nineteenth century. Frank M. Robinson, Coca-Cola’s bookkeeper and early business partner, is widely credited with suggesting the flowing script for the brand name.
Coca-Cola was created in Atlanta in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton. The drink’s name and distinctive lettering helped separate it from generic pharmacy beverages as the company expanded beyond its original market. The trademark registration came several years after the drink’s launch, not in the founding year.
People sometimes confuse the logo’s trademark date with 1886, the year Coca-Cola was introduced, or with later redesigns. The basic script has remained recognizable for well over a century, although Coca-Cola has repeatedly adjusted surrounding graphics, packaging, and advertising typography.