Original Nestlé family coat of arms.

Henri Nestlé uses his family's coat of arms as inspiration for the logo (Nestlé = little nest in German) to protect his "Milk Food" ("Farine Lactée"/"Kindermehl") from imitators.

The Nestlé lettering and logo are combined to form an umbrella brand. This becomes the unifying distinguishing mark for different Nestlé products.

The combined trademark is modernised in celebration of the company's 100th anniversary.

Subsidiaries are given standardised names in combination with "Nestlé" and the logo that has now been reduced to two young birds with the writing underneath, becomes the strategic umbrella trademark.

The logo is simplified once again and the four product categories milk product, ice cream, confectionery and baby milk, are each given specific Nestlé lettering.

The new, softer logo design makes it easier to read on modern digital devices such as smartphones.