It all started with a pen.
In 2025, the BIC Cristal will proudly mark its 75th anniversary, celebrating a rich history of empowering the world with reliable, essential writing tools. From classrooms to boardrooms, from artists to world leaders, this iconic pen has been with us through every moment, big or small.
75 years of being the world’s go-to ballpoint pen.
The history of BIC begins in 1944, in the suburbs of Paris, France, where Marcel Bich and his partner Edouard Buffard started manufacturing spare parts for fountain pens. The ballpoint pen exists already but it lacks perfection. Marcel Bich recognized the potential of this product, but only if it was well designed, functioned effectively, and was affordably priced.
For two years, the two partners worked tirelessly to develop the ideal ballpoint pen. He had a clear vision: providing a smooth, effortless writing experience to free the hand for creative expression.
His quest for perfection led him to be the first to use precision watchmaking tools to manufacture pens. This is how by end of the year 1950, the Cristal pen was born, the first high quality ballpoint pen affordable to all. It was also the foundation of the global success of the BIC brand. With its pure design and comfortable use, it has since become the best-selling pen in the world and part of our cultural heritage.
Marcel Bich was a visionary not only in terms of product design but also in terms of marketing. To raise awareness of his product, Marcel Bich banked on advertising and teamed up with the designer Raymond Savignac who created the famous campaign "Elle court elle court, la pointe BIC" in 1952 and later the BIC Boy.
The BIC Cristal pen is the essential writing instrument for everyday life, and its efficient design is simple and trusted throughout the world. It seems a very simple pen, but in reality, it incorporates state-of-the-art technology. Since 1950, no concessions have been made to continuously improve its performance and to offer the consumer the same quality and joy of writing from the first until the very last line. To guarantee this outstanding quality, more than 70 controls are carried out throughout the manufacturing process.
The Original, always a must-have, has given birth to a wide range of products. Find the iconic and emblematic ballpoint pen in all its forms. The BIC Cristal pen is the essential writing instrument for everyday life, simple and efficient!
In 2001, the BIC Cristal pen entered the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art of New York (MoMA) and was later added in 2006 to the Musée National d'Art Moderne Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. But how did we get here? The perfect balance between its design, its excellent quality and its fair price made the BIC Cristal a success from its launch in 1950. Even as its use as a writing instrument spread throughout the countries where it was gradually distributed, it was also chosen and used by artists who appreciate its adaptability to drawing and its ease of purchase.
The Cristal pen has thus become, for many artists around the world, a tool for creation and a source of inspiration. Drawings, plastic art, textiles, photography, …
Some of their works can be seen in art galleries, museums and collections. Others, published in larger numbers, are even marketed to the public.
Copyright
BIC library ; Another Vision, Severine Beaudot ; Franck Juery ; Sublim8 ; Charly Gosp ; Marc Chatelard.
