Heineken Red Star and Communism
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
For years when I would see the red star logo for Heineken I would think communism. Today as I was trying to help my brother-in-law come up with a new name for a company it triggered that memory for me. I decided to see what I could find and it didn’t take much effort.
Where does the Red Star on the label come from and what does it stand for? The red star is an original icon of the brand, used since the very beginning. Its exact origins are unknown, but we do know that it was a symbol of European brewers in the Middle Ages, who believed it to have mystical powers to protect their brew. During the Cold War, the original design was altered to avoid association with communism (it was replaced by a white star with a red outline). After the end of the Cold War, the original full red star was restored. The colours do not have one, single international symbolic significance: for us, the red star’s principle association is a festive, warm and cheerful mood.
I like their association of festive, warm and cheerful ... This only occurs after drinking 6 of them.