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Google Play Logo Design, History, & Evolution

By Gretchen Downey Leave a Comment

Over the years, Google has grown into an internet powerhouse, and it has adapted to the times by providing online and mobile apps for almost everything under the sun. The Google Play Store has evolved from its original incarnation as the Android Market into the digital media giant it is today. Along with Google’s growth, the company has made updates and revisions to its brand, including several redesigns of its logo. The Google Play logo is one example of part of the brand that has undergone a redesign, and here we look at those changes as they progressed over time to develop the logo that exists today.

Quick Navigation
About the Google Play Brand
Google Play Logo Design History
Google Play Logo Design Evolution
Conclusion

About the Google Play Brand

Google Play is the official app store for Google’s Android operating system. The Google Play store began in 2012 to combine the services of the already-existing Android Market, Google Music, and the Google eBookstore under one banner. Users can browse and download various applications developed using the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) specifically for Android-compatible devices. The Google Play store also offers music, movies, books, and television programs for purchase.

Services Included in the Google Play Store

  • Google Play Music
  • Google Play Movies
  • Google Play Television
  • Google Play Books
  • Google Play Games
  • A section of the Google Play Store highlights awards given to the year’s best apps

Services No Longer Included in the Google Play Store

  • Google hardware devices such as Google Nexus devices, Chromebooks, and Chromecasts were available until Google started a separate retailer in 2015 called the Google Store
  • Magazines and news publications were also available until Google started its own app called Google News in 2018

Some apps in the Google Play store are free while others cost money. Android users can download apps directly onto their device via the Google Play Store mobile app. Another option users have is to send an app directly to an Android device by using the Google Play website. There were over 82 billion downloads in the year 2016, and at the time of this writing there are over 3.5 million apps available in the Google Play store. You can purchase content from the Google Play store using a debit or credit card, gift card, carrier billing, or pay via PayPal. Google Play also offers in-app subscriptions.

Google does not require that Android-compatible apps be acquired through the Google Play Store. Users can download Android apps directly from a developer’s website or from a third-party app. This makes the Android brand different from its largest competitor, Apple, because all apps for the iPhone and other iOS devices can only be obtained through Apple’s app store. Google restricts certain types of apps from being published on the Google Play Store, such as apps that feature sexually explicit content, violence, hate speech, gambling, child endangerment, and various illegal activities.

Google Play Logo Design History

Android Market Logo (2008-2011)

During this period, the Google Play store was called the Android Market. The base logo was a three-dimensional black and white shopping bag with black handles on top that was shown from the perspective of looking down from above into the bag, and the designers used gradient shading to show the sides of the bag and the depth of the bag. On the front of the bag, the Android logo was put at a playful angle and outlined in white

The Android logo was lime green and made up of simple geometric shapes that, when combined, formed the shape of a robot. The logo was displayed alone in certain applications and at other times with text that read “Android Market.” The font for “Android Market” was in all lowercase letters, and it had a space age, robotic feel The word “Android” was gray, the word “Market” was the same lime green as the robot logo, and the two words were stacked.

Android Market Logo Redesign (2011)​​​​​

android market logo 2011

Image via Flickr

This version of the logo was used for only a short time into 2012 until the Android Market was renamed. Like the previous logo, the icon was a shopping bag with the Android robot logo on the front, but the perspective of the bag shifted to a less dramatic one that made it seem like the viewer was looking at the bag straight-on. The slight perspective shift also showed a bit of the interior of the bag.

This version of the shopping bag was white with lime green handles and a lime green inside with gradient shading throughout to give it a three-dimensional look. Once again, the Android logo was put at an angle, this time more toward the bottom right corner of the bag’s front. When this version of the Google Play logo was used with the “Android Market” text, the text was all on one line and used a font like Myriad Pro in upper and lower case letters, but this time, the word “Android” was lime green and “Market” was gray.

Google Play Store Logo (2012-2014)

Google Play 2014 Logo

Image via Wikimedia

In 2012, the Android Market became the Google Play Store, which prompted a complete re-haul of the logo design. They scrapped the Android robot, but a simplified concept of the shopping bag remained. It only had one handle and less shading.

The new Google Play logo sat in the center of the bag and was now a triangle shape with rounded corners that mimicked the design of the “Play” button found on most electronic entertainment devices. The inside of the triangle itself was segmented into four angled quadrants, each of which was a different color, represented by gradients shifting from a darker tint of each quadrant’s color to a lighter tint of that same color. The four colors were a light green, a more turquoise shade of green, a purple-ish red, and a light orange.

google play icon

Image via Wikimedia

The 2012 Google Play logo sometimes displayed the text “Google Play” which was all in a gray font. The word “Google” was in the same logo shape as the main Google logo, and the word “play” was in a lower case sans-serif font. In 2014, the shopping bag on the Google Play logo was flattened to simplify the design.

Google Play Logo Design Evolution

get it on google play logo

Image via Wikimedia

The most recent Google Play logo has been used since 2017, and it features the triangular Play button style used in previous incarnations of the logo. However, all the gradient shading is gone and the colors are brighter to more closely match the colors in the main Google logo. There is no three-dimensional appearance at all, with each of the colored quadrants shown as a vivid, flat hue. The four colors inside the current Google Play logo are an intense bright green, a golden yellow, a vibrant red, and an almost cyan blue

Compared to Previous Google Play Logos

  • The colors are flat, but more intense
  • The overall design of the Play button remains the same
  • When displayed alongside the “Google Play” text, the font matches that of the previous logo in gray Product Sans font
  • The shopping bag design element is gone

Advertisements that encourage potential customers to download an app from the Google Play store often feature a special Google Play badge, and customers can use this badge online or in print. It is a black rectangle with rounded corners that features the triangular Google Play logo alongside white text that reads “GET IT ON Google Play.”

Flattening and brightening the logo makes sense in the grand scheme of branding practices for Google. Across Google’s wide range of online services, each service has its own logo or icon that maintains a relative amount of consistency. The logos are usually segmented on the inside, and they feature text in the Product Sans font. They also feature bright block colors that match the main Google logo. Changing the Google Play logo during the company’s latest round of branding design changes only brought it up to speed with the rest of Google’s icons, which helps preserve Google’s brand identity.

Conclusion

Google Play App Store on Android Phone

Image via Flickr

Google is a technology company that’s known the world over for its innovations and ability to reinvent itself to keep up with the times. To create a more uniform brand identity in their online and mobile presence, the company changed the Google Play logo and marketplace name from the Android Market to the Google Play Store. Many people will find the vivid, flattened, and simplified logo that emerged after the brand’s redesign appealing, especially in today’s world of brightly colored mobile app buttons and complex interface designs, while others continue miss the old logo.While there is a certain visual appeal that most three-dimensional icons have, especially regarding the softness on the eyes created by gradients and more subtle colors, the changes made to the Google Play logo were to keep it up to date with current trends and the company’s current brand image. The logo is attractively bright, clean, and simple, and it helps people easily identify the logo with the online marketplace where they can easily access their favorite entertainment, games, and other apps.

​Featured photo via Flickr

State Farm Logo Design And Evolution: Everything You Need To Know

By Billy Clarke Leave a Comment

state farm signage

Image via Flickr

State Farm Insurance has a presence that goes back farther than most of us can remember, a presence that is as much a part of life as classic holiday movies, comfort food, and beloved grandparents. It’s sort of funny to think of an insurance company that way, but there’s no getting around the fact that the State Farm logo and its jingle weave in and out of our lives like the clouds and an afternoon breeze. Let’s take a closer look at that logo and the company it represents. It goes deeper than insurance.

Quick Navigation
About the State Farm Brand
EXPANSION OF SERVICES OFFERED
VISION
CODE OF CONDUCT
IDENTITY
State Farm Logo Design History
State Farm Logo Evolution
EVOLUTION SOLUTION
Conclusion

About the State Farm Brand

State Farm Insurance is one of the best-known American insurance carriers and has been so for many decades. As a matter of fact, it is coming up on a 100-year anniversary, having been formed in 1922. It was founded by a retired farmer named George J. Mecherle and was initially a mutual automobile insurance company specifically for farmers.

It was set up to be owned by its policyholders, meaning it doesn’t answer to stockholders. No stock is sold. Management is primarily concerned with satisfying the collective policyholders. State Farm broadened its services through the years, offering life insurance and insurance for homeowners fairly early in its history. Life insurance was first instituted in 1929 and homeowner’s insurance in 1935.

EXPANSION OF SERVICES OFFERED

In the early 1950s, State Farm took a big step toward expansion when it held a contest among its agents to dream up the best proposal to increase company business. The winner was an agent in Chicago named Robert H. Kent. He suggested that the company provide auto loans to policyholders already insured by State Farm. This opened up a whole new income source from the interest generated by the loans. This led to offering an array of financial services to existing and new customers.

A few examples of this are State Farm Bank, State Farm Investment Management Corporation, and State Farm VP Management Corporation. VP is an abbreviation for Variable Products. Investopedia says, “An attractive feature of the variable life insurance product is its flexibility regarding premium remittance and cash value accumulation. Premiums are not fixed, as with traditional whole life insurance or term insurance policies.” There are also several subsidiary insurance companies that formed between 1960 and 2006 to service the products the company sells.

VISION

person holding innovation plan board

image via: pexe​​ls.com

Mecherle started the company with certain intentions. He envisioned it would hold to the standards of operating fairly and always doing the right thing for the customers. As a former farmer, he most likely wanted to protect farmers against risks – especially those regarding automobiles – that could severely affect their occupational bottom line and drive them out of business. This is a vision that the company professes to uphold today. State Farm states on its website, “Our continued mission is to be the first and best choice in the products and services we provide.”

CODE OF CONDUCT

State Farm’s Code of Conduct further states: “Our mission at State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected and realize their dreams. We have thousands of opportunities to build confidence with customers and State Farm associates every day. We have built a trusted brand by living our values and keeping our promises. Our customers expect us to do the right thing. We depend on each other to do the right thing. By holding ourselves to the highest standards, we can continue to be there for our customers, helping more people in more ways.”

IDENTITY

State Farm has to be doing something right. Currently, it is the largest auto insurer and has been since 1942. One in every five American cars is insured by State Farm. It has been the largest insurer of homes since 1964. The Claims Department handles nearly 39,000 claims per day. The company also considers its brand to have an active interest in the community.

On the website, under State Farm Story, is this quote: “A public leader in auto safety efforts, State Farm helped pass a number of seat belt laws and continues to fight for seat belt and teen driver safety. We are also heavily involved in and support communities through sponsorship of safety programs and organizations. We help build strong communities through activities aimed at preventing and reducing injury and loss. State Farm supports programs that enable home ownership, help create safe neighborhoods, and make homes and highways safer.”

State Farm Logo Design History

two person shaking hands

image via: pixab​​ay.com

Our research would suggest there was no standard State Farm logo from the inception of the company until at least the mid-1940s. If there was, it’s not being displayed on any State Farm promotional material. The State Farm logo with which we are so familiar was designed in 1953 and was a moderate revision of the 1940’s model. It was probably a team effort because neither the company website nor any other source we found names a specific person who created it.

At the time, State Farm was still considered an insurance company only. They were offering the three basic policies as named above: auto, life, and home. These were featured on the logo, each encased in its own oval and each of those were interlocking, outlined in red. It also identified State Farm as “State Farm Insurance.”

The logo was bright red on a background of white, with a squarish border also of red. The design worked for the company as it continued to grow. The image was seen in advertising, on agency signs, at catastrophe sites, and on many customers’ automobile bumpers, building trust based on its stability.

State Farm Logo Evolution

person with eyeglasses sitting on couch while writing

image via: pixabay​​.com

The stability of the State Farm logo did nothing to stimulate the evolution of the iconic design. Approximately 58 years passed before the company found it necessary to make a change. If it hadn’t been for this digital aspect of the Information Age, the old logo may still be in place.The company’s consistent, stable growth means there is a wide age range of customers, young and old and everything between. Advertising platforms have, of course, expanded to social media and other digital applications. It had become evident that the old design should be tweaked to make it more user-friendly on all platforms.

EVOLUTION SOLUTION

state Farm logo

Image via Fli​c​kr

In 2010, the company hired a famous graphic design firm in New York, Chermayeff & Geismar, to make the changes. The project took approximately two years to complete. Considering the subtle nature of the alterations, we have to wonder how many times the two firms went back and forth with suggestions and rejections before finally coming to the final product satisfactory to all.

The biggest revision was the removal of the squarish box that contained the key information – the insurance company name and what they’re selling. The logo is so recognizable, management was willing to trust that such basic information could be omitted as long as the interlocking trio of ovals were still in place. So, the red ovals are now empty and more prominent. They convey the information without the text, which really wasn’t that necessary anyway since “State Farm” is there in big letters to the right of the old box.

The current version keeps the company name adjacent to the tri-oval, on the right. The letters are similar to the former ones, but hand-drawn to make them appear sleeker. The result is a simpler look that both takes a minimalistic approach and is useful for more practical application.

As State Farm wrote in a press release at the time of the change, “In today’s digital and mobile world this simple and contemporary design makes for a bolder presence in the marketplace whether it’s through a billboard, television advertising, a sign outside an agent’s office, online or through one of our mobile web applications.”

Conclusion

statefarm website on a phone and tablet

Image via Fl​​ickr

State Farm is thought of primarily as an insurance company still today even though it offers so many more major services. The evolution of the State Farm logo enables the company to maintain the name recognition it has earned while opening itself to a more general interpretation by the public as the broad-based company it has become. This is an excellent example of how important a logo can be to a company. If done wrong, a logo can limit the perception of the organization by the people who are potential consumers – the lifeblood of the enterprise.On the other hand, a logo can potentially convey all the company is and could be for the people who are considering the use of its products or services. When you consider that a top-flight graphic design firm took two years to complete this project of updating an already highly regarded State Farm logo, making fairly subtle changes, it emphasizes just how important a logo is to a business.In this case, an established giant in the insurance field, one that is ranked 36th by the Fortune 500 list of the largest companies in terms of revenue, found it so important to get it right that it used the elite outside firm and probably paid dearly for two years of painstaking work. The logo cannot be taken lightly.

American Airlines Logo Design, History, & Evolution

By Billy Clarke Leave a Comment

logo american airlines
If there is one thing that allows you to identify various airlines, it is their symbol and the colors used in it. The logos of every airline company are created with a specific concept and objective in mind that portrays the company’s motto and ensures that people remember the brand name.
Quick Navigation
About the American Airlines Brand
American Airlines Logo Design History
American Airlines Logo Design Evolution
Conclusion

Often, logos have a long history and change from time to time. The American Airlines logo too has undergone some significant and some not so significant changes since its inception. Its meaning and evolution has been in line with what the country symbolizes and wants to showcase to the world- growth, progress and unity.

About the American Airlines Brand

The first American Airlines flight on April 15, 1926 was one that carried mail from Missouri to Illinois. After almost eight to ten years of carrying cargo, the airline moved to ferrying passengers. The first commercial service took place in a D-C 3 plane on June 25, 1936 from New York to Chicago. It was after World War II that American Airlines flew its first overseas passenger flight, to Europe.

Origins

American Airlines is part of the American Airlines Group and started commercial service in 1936. But we should point out it was formerly known as American Airways. Over the years, the airlines merged with other companies and even purchased some. In the 1960s, American Airlines partnered with IBM to launch the Semi-Automated Business Research Environment (SABRE) for efficient reservation and other data processes. In 1970, American Airlines merged with Trans Caribbean Airways.

The airlines got its one-billionth customer on March 27, 1991. Ten years later in 2001, American Airlines gained Trans World Airlines.

Current Status

When measured according to fleet size, revenue, profits, the number of passengers carried and passenger revenue per mile, American Airlines is the world’s largest airline operating in about 350 destinations across 50 countries of the globe. It is also the founding member of the Oneworld Alliance (an airline alliance founded on February 1, 1999). This is the third largest airline alliance in the world and its aim is to become the first choice airline alliance for frequent international flyers.

American Eagle is the name of a regional branch of American Airlines. Nine regional airlines operate under this branch. The ten operating hubs of American Airlines are Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles, New York (JFK), New York (LaGuardia), Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington.

American Airlines Logo Design History

Pilots and flight attendants working for American Airlines have for a long time been seen as heroes of the sky and being associated with the airline has been been a matter of privilege for everyone. The American Airlines logo has been an iconic symbol of flying pride. The winged “AA” logo of American Airlines has been its identity for many decades.

Colors and Significance of the Original American Airlines Logo


The famous American Airlines logo was created in 1967 by Italian graphic designer Massimo Vignelli. Thirty years later, in 1997, American Airlines bought the domain name AA.com and branded the company website with its emblem.

This logo had the letters AA (one letter in red and the other in blue) in Helvetica font (which was new then), with an eagle in between.

The red color represents passion, energy and vitality while the blue signifies duty, trust and care. The eagle, a popular American symbol for the country’s growth and great leaps of progress has been part of the American Airlines logo since its inception. This has been a solid symbol of American Airlines for over 45 years.

American Airlines Logo Design Evolution

Constantly changing your brand design does not give customers a feeling of permanence or long-term association. That is the reason most brands stick to one specific logo design for a long time. It helps them be identifiable to their clientele. A brand’s logo is the company’s trademark that is to be printed on everything- from boarding passes to stationery. It is crucial to a brand’s graphic identity. And if it works well, there is no need for regular logo changes.

American Airlines too used the same popular logo for more than 45 years, building trust and loyalty amongst flyers.

Since the airline started, the American Airlines logo has been changed five times, the most recent re-branding being in 2013.

Logo Changes Over the Years

The logo created at the outset had the symbol of an eagle perched on the surface of the earth, with the letter A written behind it on each side of its wings and a red diagonal strip in the middle, all in red. This whole emblem was on a blue background inside a red circle.

In the second version, the color red had completely disappeared and so had the outer circle. Now it was just a blue eagle with the letter A on each side of its wings.

The word American or Airlines was not included in the first two logos.

The third change just had the word American written below the earlier symbol. The entire symbol along with the word was blue inside a red-colored sphere once more.

The fourth version was the most noteworthy. It was created by Massimo Vignelli and one that the company did not change for almost five decades. The circle was omitted; the letter A and the word American in the left half of the emblem were red while the letter A and the word Airlines in the right half of the emblem were blue. A blue eagle with upward pointing wings sat between the two letters. Vignelli did not want the eagle in the logo at all. It was Henry Dreyfuss who made the eagle a part of the brand’s fourth logo.

This emblem was simple, attractive and had almost no curves. Many believe redesigning it was not necessary at all.

It may be noted that the first logo ever had an eagle that facing to the left while all the other logos have had an eagle facing to the right.

Present Logo

The logo that is currently in use was created by the FutureBrand Group and was unveiled in January 2013 as the airline was emerging from bankruptcy. The aim was to give the logo and livery a fresh, new feel. The new logo, known as the “Flight Symbol”, incorporates all the colors and symbols typically associated with America and American Airlines.

The new livery has bold stripes on a silver painted fuselage. Also, the livery only mentions the word American, not Airlines. There are blue and red stripes on the tail which is an abstraction of the American flag with no eagle.

FutureBrand Group has simplified Massimo Vignelli’s iconic symbol and created a slim diagonal logo that creates a bird’s head using the negative space between each of the red and blue wings.

Every logo of the airlines, since inception, has had the eagle symbol in it, although the current American Airlines logo uses a stylized version of it, it is less than subtle and one needs to observe carefully to notice the eagle in flight and the letter A that seems to form automatically.

This emblem appeals esthetically, but it diverges in a big way from the original symbols that have been part of the American Airlines logo. The words American and Airlines are no longer in the Helvetica font either.

Though the group suggests that the logo includes a stylized A, a soaring eagle and a star, the first two are quite simple to spot, while the star is not easily noticed.

The current logo shape looks like the tail of a plane is perfect for an airline company.However, some people also feel that having a bird represent a flying company is quite a cliché. Also, people relate it to the eagle that has been a part of the American Airlines logo for so many years. But the current version could be the head of any bird, not necessarily an eagle.

Colors 

Although the colors red, blue and white that represent American Airlines have been retained in the current logo, there is a color gradient that is noticeable instead of the basic blue and red used in earlier emblems. The bottom part of both wings looks darker than the top. The eagle’s head is a bit gray rather than white.

Conclusion

aircraft in the air

Photo by Manfred Irmer from Pexels

The FutureBrand Group believes that the new symbol truly portrays the essence and spirit of American Airlines, while honoring the airline’s heritage at the same time. But a large number of people are of the opinion that redesigning the brand logo was not really necessary and that Massimo Vignelli’s 1967 emblem was the best and most instantly recognizable. It takes time for people to accept a change as big as this after having seen a brand close to their heart stick to the same emblem for more than 45 years.

Nevertheless, the American Airlines logo has received widespread acclaim for its elegance, subtlety and the feel of movement or progress it gives because of its eagle in motion.

Featured Image: Image via Flickr

Star Trek Logo Design, History, & Evolution

By Logo Realm Team Leave a Comment

Star Trek is a popular science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that debuted in 1966, and the Original Series ran for three seasons. Now there has been a 22-episode Star Trek: The Animated Series, a successful film franchise, five television spin-offs, and adaptations in other media. Ever since the Star Trek logo was introduced in the Original Series, people have been trying to figure out its meaning.

The original Star Trek logo is shaped like a delta, or an arrowhead, and it’s an insignia that represents an assignment to the USS Enterprise, the fictional spaceship of the show. The arrow-shaped, asymmetrical design was displayed on all Starfleet crew uniforms, installations, Starship hulls, and equipment.

Quick Navigation
What Is The Star Trek Logo?
How Has The Star Trek Logo Changed Over Time?
How Can We See The Different Logo Designs That Have Been Used?
Series Inspiration
Conclusion

What Is The Star Trek Logo?

spock painting

Image by Chräcker Heller from Pixabay

The delta design of the Star Trek logo was inspired by the old NASA, later UESPA, logos used in Earth’s space programs in the 20th and 21st centuries. These symbols were used by the first space explorers, and so the Star Trek logo signified the duties of the crew aboard the USS Enterprise. The design is a simple pointer with a round backdrop, and while it was originally worn on the left shoulder, it was later moved to the right shoulder.

When the United Federation of Planets was founded in 2161, individual assignment patches were worn on both shoulders and a solid silver delta was on the left breast. In the 23rd century, a simpler version was used on Federation installations and starships, and it was not put on personnel uniforms. Some starships, such as the Defiant, had assignment patches that were similar.

There were six insignias used in the Original Series for Starfleet personnel:

  • Fleet Command – a senior field commander personnel emblem
  • Starbase Duty – used by Ground installation, Drydocks, Space stations, and Headquarters personnel 
  • Cadet Duty – Starfleet academy students (pewter colored, smaller version of Starbase Duty)
  • Outpost Duty – Colony and Outpost personnel (a gold spikelet with a black background episode Balance of Terror and Arena)
  • Spacecraft Duty – merchant Marine/Auxiliary Fleet personnel (Charlie X episode)
  • Starship Duty – Fleet personnel

What It Means?

The Star Trek logo evolved from a delta shape to the arrowhead design that’s used now, and it shows the duties of the crew who wear it with division symbols. Crew members with a planet in the design are in the Sciences division, a stylized “E” is for Engineering, which later became Operations, and a red “Swiss Cross” is for the Nursing Corps.

Different ships wore different insignias, and because they were not part of the Enterprise crew, their insignias were Starfleet standard-issue. The insignias are equivalent to United States Service members to show how they serve. Roddenberry was in the Army Air Corps and producer Justman was a Naval radio operator, so they understood the significance of visual communication.

How Has The Star Trek Logo Changed Over Time?

star trek cast

Image from Wikimedia Commons

The delta Star Trek logo was used for much of the exploration division while a starburst design was used for administrative and flag officers of fleet star bases and headquarters. Constitution Class Federation Starships also used a variety of insignias unique to their ships, but the USS Enterprise maintained its delta logo design for its insignia and assignment patches.

Year 2270

Starfleet Command adopted a new insignia, the MACO five-pointed star in the arrowhead. Its design was inspired by the United States Armed Forces space command used on UESPA exploration on vessels such as the Friendship 1 from the 21st century. The symbol pointed upward when worn on the shoulders or chest and on signage, it pointed down when used on the hull, and it was phased out in the late 2270s. It was also used for some Starfleet division into the 24th century.

A metal version was used as a com-badge in Voyager: Friendship One, The New Generation: Yesterday’s Enterprise, and Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan.

Year 2340

A stylized version of the Star Trek logo featuring only the arrowhead, no other symbols, mounted on an oval background was incorporated into uniforms, and a metal version was used as a com-badge and worn on the chest of personnel uniforms. It became common as the starship hull pennant.

Year 2370

A newer Star Trek logo was created to be used a com-badge. It had a trapezoid shaped background, and hull pennants were simplified as well, using only the arrowhead with a background. Starfleet Command still used the design from the 2270s with the circular background and an inscribed star in parts of the flag officer uniforms and signage as in Star Trek: Insurrection, Voyager: Caretaker, Deep Space 9: The Search, and Star Trek Generations.

How Can We See The Different Logo Designs That Have Been Used?

star trek logo

Image from Wikimedia Commons

In the alternate reality episode with Nero’s incursion, Starfleet had no assignment patches in the 2250s, but a gold arrowhead was modified from the patch used on the USS Kelvin. It has a slight indentation on the inside of the arrowhead with a hollow division design inside. This is like the assignment patches used on the USS Enterprise.

In the Mirror Universe, the insignia used was Earth impaled with a dagger, as this was the Terran Empire’s symbol. It was used in the Imperial Starfleet and in episodes TOS: Mirror, Mirror, DIS: Despite Yourself, and ENT: In A Mirror Darkly parts I and II. Parallel and future versions in the Barash illusion created by Riker in 2367 show the symbol as an arrowhead in gold or silver with four horizontal bars to indicate rank. These were used in The Next Generation: Future Imperfect, and an alternate reality with Worf in 2370 Parallels.

In other alternate timelines, other variations of the Star Trek logo exist. In the 2390s and in the 29th century, there is a rotated arrowhead that has the bottom filled with a mirror at the top of the shape. The 29th century hull decorations have the arrowhead pointing backwards, possibly showing time travel in the episodes Voyager: Relativity and Future’s End parts I and II.

Series Inspiration

uss pioneer

Image by Gerhard Janson from Pixabay

The Horatio Hornblower novels, Gulliver’s Travels and westerns such as Wagon Train inspired Gene Roddenberry, and it has been a cult phenomenon for many decades. Fans call themselves “Trekkies” and there is a wide range of franchise products that includes comics, toys, novels, figurines, and games. There was even a Star Trek attraction in Las Vegas from 1998 to 2008, and in 2016, the franchise generated $10 billion in revenue, one of the highest-grossing media franchises in history.

The series has left its mark well beyond the realm of science fiction. It is noted for its stance of standing up for civil rights, as most of the stories in the show focus on the adventures of humans and aliens working together, and for having one of the first multi-racial casts in television.

The protagonists hold altruistic values and apply them to complex situations, and many of the themes explored contemporary cultural scenarios, including the ideas of war and peace, personal loyalty, the role of technology, feminism, sexism, human rights, religion, racism, economics, class warfare, imperialism, and authoritarianism.

Roddenberry wanted Star Trek to have a progressive political message showing the emergence of the youth movement’s counter culture, but he was not forthcoming to the networks about it. He wanted to show what humanity could become if it could learn from experience and work specifically towards putting an end to violence. An example of this is the Vulcan race of aliens, who overcame their violent history and became able to control their emotions. The show had a definite anti-war message.

Mythology

The Original Series of Star Trek was modeled after classical mythology, with the trio of McCoy, Spock, and Kirk being the focus. The show follows people searching for answers, and it offers a hopeful vision and imaginative solutions for the future. Fans connect through their love of the stories that highlight friendship, adventure, discovery, and exploration and promote diversity, technology, and a peace-loving society.

Timeline:

  • The Original Series (1966-1969)
  • The Animated Series (1973-1974)
  • The Next Generation (1987-1994)
  • Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
  • Voyager (1995-2001)
  • Enterprise (2001-2005)
  • Discovery (2017 – present)

Conclusion

The original arrowhead Star Trek logo was created by costume designer William Ware Theiss for the Original Series. Three versions of the logo were created for engineering, science specialists, and command personnel to wear on their uniforms to show their assignments and specialties, and a fourth one was created with a Red Cross for Nursing.

Another version of the Star Trek logo was used in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. A version in The Cage was a box with a “C” shape inside, but only two crew members wore this and it was never seen again. Wearing the delta Star Trek logo signified that the person wearing it achieved the goal of cadets in the academy and the dream of fans: the honor to serve aboard a Starship and boldly go where no man has gone before.

Hamilton Logo: Design, History And Everything You Need To Know

By Eric N. Addams Leave a Comment

History can be rewritten, and done so in a manner that gets the attention of old and young, hip and square. Perhaps the only ones who will not find the musical Hamilton entertaining and informative will be those bloodless professor emeriti of history who insist that the story of Alexander Hamilton’s America be as bloodless and boring as they. History, art, and advertising have successfully collaborated to design a logo that captures the passion and power, precariousness and possibility surrounding the tempestuous relationships between Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, and others of the time. The image that represents the musical has a history of its own. It’s the Hamilton logo.

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What Is the Hamilton Musical About?
What Does the Hamilton Logo Design Represent?
What Is the History and Evolution Behind the Hamilton Logo?
Conclusion

What Is the Hamilton Musical About?

Hamilton is a two-act, rap and hip-hop musical based on the book by Ron Chernow, but conceived, gestated, and delivered by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The setting is the late 1700s, and the turmoil is between the sitting Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr, and the former Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Act I focuses on Alexander Hamilton’s early life and follows along the parallel of events occurring at this time. Act I ends when Hamilton becomes Secretary of the Treasury, appointed by President Washington.


Act II widens the focus on the path Hamilton is taking. The intrigue in his personal life is just as complicated a web as the events of the time, including the election of Thomas Jefferson over Aaron Burr. Love, loss, infidelity, and jealousy all combine to put pressure on Alexander Hamilton, and the long-standing differences and public arguments he and Aaron Burr share cause them to end up on the dueling field. Alexander Hamilton fires a wild shot and Aaron Burr’s bullet hits the intended target, killing Hamilton. Aaron Burr is then ruined for life.


Hamilton brilliantly tells the history through exhilarating, heart-pounding dance and song, with lyrics firing through the mind like Fourth of July sparklers. The true brilliance of Hamilton is revealed through underlying currents of race, gender, slavery and, above all, the consequence of having second thoughts. Alexander Hamilton’s rise from obscurity to powerful politician and finally to his last moment of realization—that he indeed has enough and won’t back down from a challenge—is captured in the Hamilton logo.

What Does the Hamilton Logo Design Represent?

Person using a laptop and tablen on a table full of stuff

​Image via Pixabay

At face value, the Hamilton logo shows a black, five-pointed star. The top point is replaced by the shadow image of Alexander Hamilton rotated towards the right, legs at a bipedal base, posture erect, and left arm pointed straight up towards the sky with a pistol in hand. Alexander Hamilton represents the top point of the star and he is standing on the surface of the two side points, all supported by the bottom two points to make a complete star. This Hamilton logo summarizes the last moments of Alexander Hamilton’s life.


Threaded through the fabric of the play is the declaration that Alexander Hamilton does not intend to “throw away his shot.” Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had been having ongoing public fights and name-calling, and in those days a man had to defend his honor and could do so through the waning practice of dueling. There is a second meaning to that phrase, however, and that is that the determined, willful, and hard-charging statesman that was Alexander Hamilton would do anything he had to do—fight any fight he had to fight—in order to achieve his goals. That Alexander Hamilton would take full advantage of every opportunity that came his way is represented in the Hamilton logo.


The musical Hamilton provides an additional richness of depth in its content, with the second meaning to the theme that Alexander Hamilton would not “throw away his shot.” One etiquette of the dueling ritual was that if the first to shoot threw away his shot by aiming and firing towards the ground or sky, then the opponent was expected to understand this meant that the first to fire changed his mind and did not want to go through with the deadly act of shooting at another human being. The notion here is that Alexander Hamilton, at the last moment, realized that the reason for which the dual was arranged was in fact not reason enough to die. Alexander Hamilton was willing to back down from the challenge, but the story ended with the death of Hamilton and the end of Aaron Burr’s career and reputation.


That is the history of the dual according to the musical. Historians will watch Hamilton and volunteer fact checking. Two shots were indeed fired, according to the Seconds present. Neither man fired their one-shot at the ground or straight up in the air to signify the end of the dual and the end of male posturing and face-saving.


Alexander Hamilton fired first, sending his bullet into a tree just above and behind Aaron Burr’s position; Burr returned fire and killed Hamilton. That Alexander Hamilton did not fire directly into the ground created the doubt that lives on in the ivory towers of academia. Technically, he did not throw away his shot, but did he waste his one opportunity? Whether he accidentally fired or was bending the rules of etiquette by firing above his opponent as opposed to the ground, will remain a matter of opinion; the musical proposes that Hamilton did indeed throw away his shot.

What Is the History and Evolution Behind the Hamilton Logo?

Spotco, the advertising company that has designed logos for multiple Broadway hits, won the bragging rights to this cultural icon—the Hamilton logo. Almost 30 has-beens were designed over eight weeks; eight were considered favorites by the designers. Graphics, fonts, color and design were the determinants of the final product. Historical relevance, of course, took center stage for every design.

The Exclamation Point


The Exclamation Point looks like the attempt to cram as many catchphrases superimposed on a large red exclamation point as possible. Serving as the bottom point of the punctuation mark is the title of the musical superimposed on an almost unintelligible figure of what might be Alexander Hamilton.

The Pose


The Pose looks too much like the cover of a Stephen King novel. An eerie blue light glows behind the shadowy figure with arms outstretched. The messages ‘Life, Liberty, Legacy, Hamilton’ are right on point in terms of relevance, but the white wispy font makes it look like a ghostly entity or a message from a Ouija board imposed onto a screen.

Minimalist Efforts


The evolution of the Hamilton logo continued on with two attempts to return to minimalism. The Old School ‘H’ gives one the sensation that they are about to watch a Western such as The Wild West or Maverick. That was way too 60s and 70s. The Dusty ‘H’ is just that—a musty, dusty History Channel documentary on the ancient walls of Jericho. It was too dry.

Time Travel


Further shaping the Hamilton logo are two efforts that bounce between a hard rock concert and a college campus protest. ‘The Spray Paint’ and ‘The Hand and Quill’ simply do not convey the spirit and passion of the musical. The sensorium covertly travels through a time warp from the 1770s to the 1960s.

Return to the Revolution


‘The Quill’ and the ‘The Ink Stain Round 2′ are two attempts to convey the colonial-revolutionary context of the play, but again, observers are left feeling as patriotic and enthusiastic about the theme as they would be if they were looking at a handful of United States coins. The ‘Ink Stain Round 1′ is a collage of revolutionary war era images with a profile of Alexander Hamilton in the center thinking the words “rise up”; this logo is so busy that admission should be charged for the time it takes to study every component.

A Star Is Born


Eureka and at last. A star is born in the Hamilton logo. The figure of Alexander Hamilton is rotated towards his right, legs as a bipedal base, torso erect and arm held up high, creating the sensation of the dancing that is elemental to the musical. His arm is held up in defiance signifying the controversial nature of Alexander Hamilton. The pistol in his hand represents not just the dual, but the finality of the decisions Alexander Hamilton made and didn’t make.


That a star is used sums up the patriotic, Stars & Stripes flavor of the undercurrent of the play. The patriotic undertone is represented in the base of the star that Hamilton stands on and is a metaphor for the environment in which the play takes place. The antique gold, parchment feel of the background again is metaphorical for the environment in which the play takes place. The lighting on the background coming from above and to the left lends a perfect three-dimensional quality to the Hamilton logo.

Conclusion

Hamilton logo

image via: Hamiltonmusical

The musical Hamilton has stimulated a collective internal stirring of emotion, making it an astonishing success, and has given the Hamilton logo an iconic status. Although the evolution of the logo does not seem painful—the runners-up were not so far off the mark—the winning Hamilton logo is picture-perfect in the conveyance of multiple themes. Simplicity, color, font and design summarize the musical in one image. History, art and advertising have successfully collaborated to design a logo that captures the passion and power, precariousness and possibility surrounding the tempestuous relationships between Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and others of the time. The image that represents the musical has a history of its own—the Hamilton logo.

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