Raise your hand if you’ve never used a BIC pen or seen the classic colourful lighter. BIC is a famous and globally recognized brand whose simple and unique design has made history — and continues to do so. It changed the way we write and made writing accessible to everyone.
In today’s technological era, full of computers and smartphones that help us organise our schedules and appointments through virtual calendars, the BIC pen industry has never declined. In fact, it is still growing. How is that possible? The truth is that the passion for writing has not completely disappeared — fortunately. Even though laptops and smartphones are widely used to take notes, the pleasure of sitting down and writing by hand remains an important habit in our society.
In this article, we want to share the secrets behind this world-famous company and explain its timeless success as an iconic brand in the stationery and writing-products industry.
A Bit of History
In France, after World War II, a young man named Marcel Bich manufactured spare parts for fountain pens. At the same time, believing in the potential of the ballpoint pen, he worked tirelessly for two years to improve the first pen invented by the Hungarian László Bíró. Then, in December 1950, he launched the BIC Cristal, which today is no less than 74 years old.
Thanks to its simple design, practicality, and affordable price, the BIC pen became the best-selling pen in the world and is now part of our cultural heritage.
In 1954, the BIC pen arrived in Italy, followed by the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and Spain. Three years later, BIC acquired Biro Swan in the United Kingdom, later expanding into Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Marcel Bich was also a visionary when it came to marketing. To make sure his brand would be easily recognizable, he collaborated with designer Raymond Savignac. Together, they created the famous advertising campaign “Elle court, elle court, la pointe BIC” in 1952. Later, in 1961, they introduced the now-famous little character with a ball-shaped head, and orange became the official color of BIC.
In 1970, the famous 4-Color pen was launched. In the following years, the company diversified rapidly, expanding its product range with lighters, razors, drawing supplies, and correction products. Every new product maintained the same principles of simplicity, quality, and affordability that had made the BIC Cristal ballpoint pen such a success.
Today, BIC® owns and operates 24 major facilities worldwide, is present in 160 countries, and employs 14,934 people globally.
In addition to being a successful brand, BIC has also demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. The company has focused on reducing the environmental impact of its products through the use of recyclable materials and more environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.
14 Fun Facts You Probably Didn’t Know
1- Each pen, including the cap, measures 14.9 cm in length and 1.2 cm in width.
2- The BIC Cristal range has evolved into more than 60 models and 15 colours.
3- Each pen can write for up to 3 kilometres.
4- The cap is always the same colour as the ink.
5- The barrel has a hexagonal shape because this makes it less likely to roll off the table. In addition, this shape provides a better grip.
6- The hole in the barrel is designed to regulate internal pressure. Without it, as the ink is used up, a vacuum would form and prevent the ink from flowing towards the ballpoint.
7- Originally, the cap did not have a hole. This feature was introduced in the 1980s for safety reasons. Many people have the habit of chewing pen caps, so if one is accidentally swallowed, the hole allows air to pass through, significantly reducing the risk of suffocation.
8- The pen only writes when pointed downwards because it relies on gravity to allow the ink to reach the ballpoint. Therefore, if you lie on your back and try to write in that position, after a while it will stop working.
9- A museum-worthy brand: Since 2021, BIC® has been recognised as a design object and forms part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and, since 2006, at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
10- In 2021, to celebrate its 70th anniversary, a special version was created featuring a matte aluminium barrel, a laser-engraved BIC logo, recycled materials, and a refillable design.
11- To guarantee quality, more than 70 checks are carried out during the production process.
12- At first glance, the BIC Cristal appears to have an extremely simple design, but in reality it is technically very sophisticated.
13- Nine out of ten people recognise the BIC pen.
14- BIC has its own modern art collection featuring more than 250 works by internationally recognised and emerging artists. All the artworks have one thing in common: they were created using BIC pens.
Did you already know some of these fun facts? Do you know any others? Tell us in the comments section.