Fact-Check: No, SBI Logo Was Not Inspired by Ahmedabad's Kankaria Lake

The designer of SBI logo told The Quint that it signifies a keyhole and is not related to the lake.

Fact-check: The claim states that the SBI logo is inspired by Ahmedabad's Kankaria Lake.

(Photo: The Quint)

An image of a top-view map of Kankaria lake of Ahmedabad is circulating on social media with a claim that this lake was the inspiration behind State Bank of India's (SBI's) logo.

This theory has been floating on the internet for years with even several news organisations believing it to be true.

Speaking to The Quint, Shekhar Kamat, the designer of the SBI logo clarified that the logo signifies a keyhole and has nothing to do with Ahmedabad's lake.

CLAIM

The image is being shared with a claim that suggests SBI's logo is inspired by Ahmedabad's Kankaria Lake.

An archived version of the post can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

This claim, however, isn't new. This has been doing the rounds since 2014. Back in the day, news organisations like News18, InShorts, and Dainik Bhaskar had shared the same.

Similar posts can be seen here and here.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT 

On conducting a keyword search on Google using 'SBI logo inspiration Ahmedabad lake,' we came across a video by digital news outlet Scroll from 23 November 2018.

The video included an interview with Shekhar Kamat, the designer of the SBI logo. In the interview, Kamat said, "State Bank of India logo was designed for basic simplicity. It was a keyhole that has got particular connotation in Indian society that it (signifies) security and it can be recognised all over India.”

The Quint also reached out to Kamat, who dismissed the claim and added:

"The SBI logo has nothing to do with Kankaria lake. The logo was designed in 1970. It represents an old banking token which was handed at the banking counter."

Shekhar Kamat, co-designer of SBI logo

Clearly, the claim going viral on social media about the SBI logo being inspired by a lake from Ahmedabad is not true.

(Update Note: The story has been updated to add Shekhar Kamat's response to The Quint and clarify that he is the only designer involved in creating the logo.)

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