Pit & Quarry’s design throughout the times

The look of Pit & Quarry has evolved considerably since 1916, when the inaugural edition of the magazine published. Originally printed as a digest-sized publication, Pit & Quarry’s first issue featured articles on lime quarrying, cement production, material dredging and stone washing.

In a practice that’s considered taboo by today’s editorial standards, the original magazine’s covers featured advertisements for equipment and service providers. The very first Pit & Quarry cover, published in October 1916, featured a text-heavy ad from Chicago-based Sauerman Bros. The company promotes its Shearer & Mayer dragline cableway excavator on the cover, writing that “the success and superiority of this machine has been made possible by two things: (1) the correct mechanical construction, and (2) the co-operation existing between the customers and ourselves.”

The original Pit & Quarry logo spanned three decades. It was redesigned in the 1930s, when the operations of a publication called Cement-Mill & Quarry were incorporated into Pit & Quarry’s logo and design.

The Pit & Quarry logo changed again in the 1940s with one that aligned to the upper left-hand corner of the page. As the Pit & Quarry staff wrote about that logo in March 2006: The 1940s and 1950s logo did “not necessarily change for the better.”

Besides a logo change, another development emerged with Pit & Quarry’s covers during that era, as cover photos evolved to feature industry operations.

The Pit & Quarry logo changed several times throughout the second half of the 20th century. Pit & Quarry redesigned its logo again this year, unveiling the new look at AGG1 Aggregates Academy & Expo.