More visibility

History

Attracting the patronage of the motorized customer began with moderation, but as soon as the mechanisms of competition had been set in motion it became clear that to increase business it was necessary to have good locations and optimum visibility.

Attempting to achieve the latter, someone was inspired by the lanterns which in the evening brightened the entrances of other types of establishments, and soon thereafter the gasoline pump came to be illuminated by the globe.

On its surface was indicated the type of merchandise being sold: gasoline, filtered gas, etc., but after a while, such precision became superfluous.

Since it was given that the subject at hand was fuel, the globes took to indicating the brand name, or better the company trade-mark: simple logos, names derived from popular imagery or accordingly invented, linked by strong color combinations to images intended to hook the customer.

The practical utility of the trademark globe was undeniable, especially in those stations which offered different brands of fuels: it was enough to glance at the top of the pump to know exactly which would be entering one’s tank. For the towering pumps of the epoch, this pleasing point of attention immediately became an essential element of balance whose presence was assumed and taken as a given in the design phase.