James Wood Johnson
Most people, unless they read this blog, have probably never heard of James Wood Johnson, one of the three brothers who founded Johnson & Johnson in 1886. But more than a billion people around the world are familiar with his handwriting. Why? Because the Johnson & Johnson logo is based on it.
James Wood Johnson’s signature
Johnson & Johnson logo circa 1920s
This familiar logo has been a part of Johnson & Johnson since the beginning. It’s not a typeface, but is based on handwriting…one particular person’s handwriting. You can see the similarities between the shape of the “J,” the loop on the “h” and in the “s” in James’s handwriting and in the logo. You’ll also notice above that James Wood Johnson connected the “W” in his middle initial to the “J” in Johnson. When James wrote the name Johnson & Johnson, he did the same thing: he connected the ampersand to the second “J.”
Company name written by James Wood Johnson on a check in 1886. Note the connection of the ampersand and the second “J”
As I mentioned in a previous post, James Wood Johnson and his brother Edward Mead Johnson are the Johnsons in “Johnson & Johnson.” Their older brother Robert joined the Company several months later, once he was free of his obligations to his previous business, Seabury & Johnson. (It’s a measure of the founders’ foresight that they didn’t change the Company name to “Johnson & Johnson & Johnson” when this happened.)
One of the Company’s earliest products. The logo looks even more like a signature here.
The new company wanted a visual identity that would set it apart from its competitors in the medical products field. The Johnsons’ new business was indeed different – it sold the first commercial mass-produced sterile surgical dressings, as well as sterile sutures, and it improved the manufacturing and the efficacy of the popular medicated plasters it sold. So the Johnson brothers wanted a distinctive way to represent their new business’s name.
If anyone has ever wondered about how companies come up with their logos (okay, maybe ONE person out there has ever wondered about that), it’s probably assumed that they hire design firms who submit designs that are tested and re-tested and then one is chosen…which is how you would come up with a logo today. But we’ve had the same logo for well over a century. So what did companies do in the 1800s?
In the 1800s, most companies just set their names in type…like the Lambert Pharmacal Company, which was formed to manufacture LISTERINE® Antiseptic. Or Seabury & Johnson. Or P&G.
A few companies, like the Coca-Cola Company (also founded in 1886) had distinctive logos that gave people immediate visual recognition and a set of expectations, based on their products. (In modern times, we would call that branding.) From its earliest days, Johnson & Johnson used what we call our corporate signature as the distinctive way of representing the Company.
Here’s the logo on some of our earliest products:
It’s not only the Johnson & Johnson logo that’s based on James Wood Johnson’s handwriting, but also the JOHNSON’S® brand name logo too. Here’s an example…in which it’s easy to see how both logos evolved from James Wood Johnson’s signature.
JOHNSON’S® Baby Cream, 1920s
Interestingly enough, the signatures of Robert Wood Johnson the first and his brother James Wood Johnson are kind of similar, especially in the way they signed their last name. So although the logo is based on James’ signature, it also looks like Robert’s too.
The signatures of James Wood Johnson (top) and Robert Wood Johnson (bottom)
The fact that Johnson & Johnson based the look of its name on one of the founder’s handwriting shows how personally the Johnson brothers were connected to their company, their products and their mission of improving health care for people…personally enough for one of them to put his signature on it.
I am James wood Johnson’s great grandson and I am trying to get his Date of Birth and the day he died,even though he died while at sea on the ss Magestic. Also does anyone know what ever happened to The Gold Cigar Box the Russian government gave him? Thanks
Anthony,
Great to hear from one of James Wood Johnson’s descendents! James Wood Johnson was born on March 17, 1856 in Crystal Lake, Pennsylvania. He passed away in late August of 1932 — I don’t have the exact day of the month. If I find out the exact day, I will post it here in the comments section. According to the information I have, he was on his way back from Scotland — on the SS Majestic, as you had pointed out. I don’t know what happened to the gold cigar box — it’s not among our archives at Johnson & Johnson. Since it was a personal possession, he may have kept it at home. There are a lot of posts on Kilmer House relating to your great grandfather – he was the reason Johnson & Johnson is located in New Brunswick, NJ, he rented our very first building here in 1886, and he was a talented engineer who designed and built the Company’s early manufacturing machinery. If you’re interested, just type his name into the search window on the right side of the blog — you will see the search window when you scroll down.
Best Regards,
Margaret
I just noticed this last night when I was looking at a bottle of Jonhson’s bedtime bath. Hasn’t anyone ever noticed the HUGE grammatical error Johnson and Johnson had made in their logo??? I simply cannot believe this error has been printed on billions of products for decades and no one has ever noticed.
There were 3 brothers, 2 at first. If it is 2 Johnsons, then wherever it says Johnson’s it should be Johnsons’.
Am I wrong? Am I crazy?
Is there some crazy reward to the consumer that can figure out the biggest company error then secret? Hmmmm….
Wonderful and I am really delighted of knowing the history World class brand Johnson and Johnson.
Actually,I was making PPT on Brand Development Management of Johnson and Johnson and Brand History was the part of it.
@Sara,you are right! Grammatically, if there were three Johnson brothers, it correctly should be “Johnsons’” plural possessive. So why didn’t they spell it that way? My guess is that since they all came from the same family as brothers, they were looking at the name as one entity — since they all three shared the last name of Johnson, the brand would just be called JOHNSON’S®.
Margaret
I am doing a project for my Economics class and was assigned Johnson and Johnson. This blog has helped me out tremendously with the logo history, but I have a question… would you happen to know a general number of how many products Johnson and Johnson have made since their start. I cannot seem to find ANY information about this anywhere and it’s driving me nuts! Haha. Thank you! -Mary
Hi Mary,
Unfortunately, that’s a question I can’t answer! We couldn’t even begin to count the total amount of products from the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies since 1886. (It would be in the many, many, many thousands.) Johnson & Johnson has been highly decentralized since the 1920s/1930s, and each individual operating company around the world would keep track of its current and past product lines. Today, Johnson & Johnson has more than 250 separate operating companies in 57 countries, so you could imagine the impossibility of counting every separate product line. To add to that, over its history, the Company has had many operating companies that it either no longer owns or that no longer exist, and it would be impossible to account for all of those product lines as well. So even though that’s a question we can’t answer because we just don’t have the information, I hope that this explanation as to why will at least help you with your project.
Best of luck,
Margaret
HI CAN ANY ONE TELL ME THE YEAR THAT JNJ STOPPED MAKING THE 2 FLUID OZ BOTTLES OF BABY OIL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BOTTLE HAS A CIRCLED NUMBER
54 WOULD OR COULD THAT BE THE DATE OF THE OIL IN IT ? ITS STILL HALF FULL,AND WAS GIVEN TO ME BY AN ELDERLY FRIEND IN 1991.{if you would like i can send you a photo of this bottle? }
Hi Frances,
Without seeing a photo of the bottle, it would be hard to tell. But I can tell you that your glass bottle is from somewhere between 1935 to the 1960s, when the baby oil bottles changed to plastic. Can you email a photo through the blog’s mailbox? You can find the link on the “About the Author” page of the blog.
Thanks,
Margaret
History is wonderful! It has ways of opening doors that you never knew were there. Several of my Great grandmothers were Johnsons as well as Great grandfathers. The original workers were infact kin to the brothers (many were cousins, neices and nefs). I work for the genelogical society and as I have tract the Johnson line they were in fact kin, from the few that first came to the U.S. This company is great , upholding a family heritage. I loved finding out that my great great’s as well as my great-great-great’s were so involved. Thats on only one side of the family tree. I am kin in several ways because my grandparents and my parents were cousins. One of the many branchs from this wonderful family line.
Wow, what an interesting story!
hi there, i am a metal detector user in the uk, i am doing some reserch on a silver spoon i have found, on the handle is the name johnson johnson & cos under this pure tea. did your famous company import tea to the uk or is this another company in the uk. the silver marks i cannot find in my british halmark guide any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance. jim lennon.
Hi Jim,
Your silver tea spoon is not from Johnson & Johnson. We started in 1886 making medical products — the first mass produced sterile surgical dressings and sterile sutures, medicated plasters and other products. We have never sold or imported tea. It must be another company that had a very similar name. Best of luck in your search for more information on your silver spoon!
Margaret
Thanks to Johnson, I was born in Africa yet my mum, used Johnson baby products, her mum di the the same. I am a parent now and still use the same. Johnson is like a family tradition. I am truly amazed by the amount of trust the brand has created. It is fascinating.
My cousin was one of i think the first bandaid girls on tv in the 60′s where she held up a finger and said kiss it better with a band aid strip. She has just passed away from breast cancer and was looking for a poster I know was made at the same time This is in australia can you help me
Regards
Wow, what an interesting story!
Just wanted to let you know I have a piece of Johnson & Johnson history. A First Aid Cabinet #1
I would like to see labels on the individual Band-Aids. Right now, they all have the same covering, which means I have to guess whether the Band-Aid I’m selecting from an assorted box is the waterproof, flexible fabric, or other. It wouldn’t need to state the size or any other detail, just, just a simple clue at to the TYPE of Band-Aid, like “Flexible Fabric” or “Water Block Plus.”
Hi Sarally,
I will pass your comments on to the folks at our consumer operating company. In the meantime, here’s the link to the “contact us” section on the product’s web site. You can also send your suggestion to them directly: https://www.bandaid.com/contactUs.jsp;jsessionid=ARXWulHKqtsbFib2hmLDP+Nf7bU
Margaret
I am trying to research my family history and I know that my grandfather jasper muspratt was a director at johnson and johnson, just hoping you may be able to provide some information?
Hi Samantha,
Unfortunately, we don’t have employment records in our archives. I’m assuming that your grandfather worked for Johnson & Johnson in the U.S.? (Johnson & Johnson is a global company with more than 250 operating companies in 60 countries.) If you have some approximate dates and his location, there are a number of online sources you can try — such as census records, sites such as Rootsweb and other genealogy sites. If he served in the military, there are military records online as well. You can also see if his local town or city newspaper is online — that’s a good way to find information too. Many small local papers published information about promotions, marriages, etc. He also may have been involved in local civic institutions where he lived, so if you know that he was a member of one of those, that also could be a source of information for you. If he belonged to a church or temple or other religious institution, that also might be a potential source of family information. If the option is available to you, family members can be a good source of information as well — some people may have stories, or have saved documents or information.
Sorry I couldn’t help more, but I hope this at least gives you some avenues to pursue. Best of luck in your research!
Margaret
To Eleanor Hall Ridgway (postingMarch 23, 2009) and Annie (posting May 5, 2009)- I am the manager of the former Lindenwood estates-home of Louise Johnson Carpender and Sydney Carpender. I would love to hear more stories and invite you to see where your ancestors lived. We have wonderful photos of what the home looked like years ago. We would love to find photos of the inside of the home. I can be reached via email at dpagnozzi@docs.rutgers.edu.
Meus amigos.
Só queria dizer que fiz parte dos quadros da Johnson & Johnson em Portugal de 1965 até 1980 a minha mulher Sara esteve 36 anos trabalhando na J&J.
Foi com muito orgulho e satisfação e agora com muita saudades, pois já estamos aposentados, que recordamos aqueles tempos. Ainda mantemos contactos com alguns colegas que ainda se encontram no activo. Um grande abraço para a familia J&J.
Carlos Pereira
To Deanna: I’ve just received your J&J email.It’s so exciting to share these tidbits!! I don’t have any inside photos of Lindenwood, but might of Aunt Louise’s and Uncle Sydney’s place at Crystal Lake, as I used to visit them in the summer. I do, however, have many professional large photos of Woodlawn as James Neilson was related and these found their way to me from my grandmother, Alice Haxall Carpender Hall, Uncle Sydney’s sister. They are the original pictures but I’m not certain of the date. The furnishings of course are all family heirlooms..I have some pieces, but I’m sure they were spread around to all the family. I also have some favorites of Uncle Sydney at his house on Longboat Key in Florida. I could share lots of nice stories, and if you are interested in the Woodlawn collection, it should find it’s way back to Rutgers I think. Possibly we could communicate by REAL mail, since I’m not great with this computer stuff!! Showing my age, aren’t I!? Do keep in touch and thanks for replying to the original email! EHR
Ths info is really good im using it for my Senior Graduation project