The monochromatic 1971 Quaker Oats Company Logo opposite was created by Saul Bass, a graphic designer known for his motion picture title sequences and corporate logos.

The current logo was painted by Haddon Sundblom in 1957. There is a common misconception that the smiling person featured is Quaker William Penn. The Quaker Oats website in fact asserts that:

The "Quaker man" is not an actual person. His image is that of a man dressed in the Quaker garb, chosen because the Quaker faith projected the values of honesty, [and] integrity

[4]

Contrary to popular belief, the company has no ties with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). When the company was being built up, Quaker businesspeople were indeed known for their honesty (Truth is often considered a Quaker Testimony). The Straight Dope tells us that

"According to the good folks at Quaker Oats, the Quaker Man was America's first registered trademark for a breakfast cereal, his registration taking place on September 4th, 1877. "The name was chosen when Quaker Mill partner Henry Seymour found an encyclopedia article on Quakers and decided that the qualities described -- integrity, honesty, purity -- provided an appropriate identity for his company's oat product."

[5]

This is why the company continued to link themselves with Quakers. H2g2 tells that part of the company began trading with the name Quaker Mill because of a link with Pennsylvania - 'the Quaker State', however the Mill was based in Ohio and no such link has been revealed.[6]

In the 1800's, when the company was formed, Quakers did wear clothes similar to those shown in the picture. This was because of their testimony to simplicity - they did not want to show off their wealth with expensive clothing. Nowadays Quakers do not tend to dress at all like the one depicted - they might instead express the testimony by avoiding clothing with brand names advertised, but there is no specific protocol.

Some Quakers are uncomfortable about the company's use of their name, as the Quaker Oats brand is, in general, better known than the Society of Friends. This leads to confusion, with many members of the public assuming that Quakers have a link with oats, or dress as shown on the company's logo. In addition, it could be argued that the company's use of the Quaker name is dishonest because of the lack of any real link with Quakerism; if Quakers were involved they would probably follow their testimonies by pushing for fairer trading and ethical checks.

generally speaking I don't really believe in religion.

how come my youtube link broke?

Quakers are crackers