Mastercard Inc. is an American financial services company located in Purchase, New York at the Mastercard International Global Headquarters. The Global Operations Headquarters is in O’Fallon, Missouri, a town in St. Charles County, Missouri.
The Mastercard Foundation brand mark is used on internal and external communications. The brand mark is comprised of two elements; a logo and a wordmark.
The logo is modeled after Mastercard International’s corporate symbol and is composed of two intersecting circles. It is important to note that in written text, we are referred to as the “Mastercard Foundation” with capital letters. Authorized master artwork must be used to reproduce the signature.
The Brand Guidelines provide the Foundation employees and partners with a system for representing the Foundation and contain guidance on the use of official brand marks, language, photography, colors, typography, and obtaining permissions.
Mastercard had its origins in the late 1940s when several U.S. banks gave their customers specially-issued paper that could be used like cash in local stores. Over the next decade, several franchises evolved in which a single bank in a major city would accept cards as payment with certain merchants they had chosen to work with. In 1966, one of these groups formed the Interbank Card Association (ICA), which later became MasterCard International.
To reflect its commitment to international growth, ICA changed its name to MasterCard International. In 1987, MasterCard became the first payment card to be issued in the People’s Republic of China. In 1985, we acquired the Cirrus ATM network and we launched Maestro, the world’s first online point-of-sale debit network, in 1991.
Our business has a global reach—extending to more than 210 countries and territories—and continues to experience growth in a world where 85% of retail transactions are still made in cash and checks. At Mastercard, we believe in a world with better ways to pay, a more connected world – a world beyond cash.
Michael Beirut, a partner at the design firm which designed the new logo, explained that the new Mastercard logo is easier to read on phones or digital watches.
In January 2019, we dropped the “Mastercard” name from our iconic Brand Mark for many uses. The interlocking red and yellow circles, known as the Mastercard Symbol, can now stand on their own. As the consumer and commerce landscape continues to evolve, the Mastercard Symbol is a modern and flexible brand design optimized to work seamlessly across the digital landscape.