We all know the S is everywhere. Scratched, scribbled, inked and sprayed. But did you know that the majority of people in the USA are passing by a secret S, every single day?
You see it started back in 1983 when Mark Berger and his partners started a specialized lock firm called Securitech. Based in Queens, New York, Securitech is the go-to company for innovative and specialized locks. Throughout their 39 successful years, Securitech has delivered industrial locking solutions to some of the biggest agencies around including Yankee Stadium, NYC Transit, NY Port Authority, NYC Housing Authority and the World Trade Center.
In was in '83 that Mark engaged with a graphic designer to develop their first logo. As we mentioned in our post about Styx the band and the period in the late 70's, early 80's where metal bands were all the hype and each band had their unique font embellishments, it's not hard to imagine some rockin' Jersey boy etching this logo out and being mighty proud of it.
And so was Mark, so Securitech had their first logo for the next 10 years.
With the 90's came the introduction of the self computer. This meant us kids could finally get our hands on some digital creative tools. The tech at the time was basic - think Microsoft Paint and WordArt on MS Word. It was in '92 that Mark hired an advertising firm to update their businesses branding. What they produced in our opinion, is the epitome of 90's word art - a 3d shiny silver Securitech Logo. The designers widened the overall original logo and added the silver effect. It has been the Securitech logo for the next 30+ years.
Naturally, Securitech brands some of its products with their S logo. Why wouldn't they? It's so awesome. From their catalogue, the Trident door lock has the most prominent S on it, so much so that for the past 5 years, we have been inundated with pictures from people who have spotted the S in the wild.
The Trident lock certainly is very visible when passing by. But did you know that the majority of their locks aren't that heavily branded. Instead, just a small S logo is used on its hardware.
So what about those secret S's we talked about earlier? Well after we interviewed the owner Mark, we learned that Securitech was the firm in charge of installing the brand new turnstiles in New York's Yankee Stadium. Inside each door frame as you enter is one of those small branded S's.
Another amazing fact about Securitech is that they were also responsible for designing and installing the emergency exit gates at NYC's MTA Underground trains. For years these gates sent out the LOUDEST alarm when opened. So much so that many strap-hangers complained that they had to eventually turn the alarm off years later.
Each time you pass thru one of the emergency gates, you're passing a Securitech lock and most likely that secret little S hidden on its hardware.
So next time you visit a CVS, Apple Store or even Yankee Stadium, keep your eyes peeled as the S is often hiding in plain sight. What a wonderful world we live in where millions of people each day are passing by secret S's and forever connecting us all thru this mysterious symbol.