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Minecraft Logo Design, History And Evolution

In the olden days, people studied the logos or icons of famous saints in churches. In a tech-based world, however, young people and increasingly adults are spending more and more time worshipping at the altar of their gaming PC’s, which are increasingly taking over consoles (like the old N-64) as their primary gaming machines.

The gaming industry, in turn, is overshadowing Hollywood, with many games becoming even more expensive than first-run movies to produce! Whether you’re a gamer or not, it’s hard to have a discussion about PC gaming without talking Minecraft and the ever evolving Minecraft Logo.

About Minecraft

It’s one of the most iconic games ever made, particularly in the PC realm, and it’s called Minecraft. We thought we should give you a little background for the non-gamers out there wondering why the Minecraft logo is such a big deal.

The original version, affectionately known by Minecraft devotees as “Minecraft Classic,” hit the public as a kind of “soft open.” It’s considered the second stage of the development cycle of Minecraft by some, but serious gamers still enjoy poking around its sandbox world.

It was pretty bare-bones, but still it was a necessary progression toward the versions of it popular today.

Notably, even though it was born as a personal computer game, Minecraft has enjoyed great success crossing over to and adapting to various console systems, making for easy, seamless play without all the hitches that non-gaming-nerds have little patience for resolving.

That said, the availability and compatibility of Minecraft’s array of versions, running the gamut of platforms and consoles, speaks to the popularity of the game.

Long story short, Minecraft is more than “a thing.” It’s a video gaming phenomenon, and it’s built upon a premise that doesn’t just allow for player creativity – it requires players to be creative. But don’t worry, it’s got plenty of outlets for all that gamer aggression with untold legions of opportunities to engage in combat!

Minecraft Logo Design & History

Most logos are designed to reflect a key value or characteristic of the game they represent, and the Minecraft logo is no different.

Precursor to the First Official Minecraft Logo: 2009

Crafted in 2009 by Hayden ‘Dock’ Scott-Baron, the original logo featured all-caps lettering with rounded edges which, when combined, served as a window to a kind of cartoon, concave open horizon. The sky is light blue with clouds within the letters of the word, “MINECRAFT,” and the grass is green; the clouds are slightly pixelated to convey the feel of a low-bit console system.

The First Official Minecraft Logo: 2009 Through 2011

Arguably the first “official version” of the Minecraft logo that would enter the American collective consciousness, the logo used by Minecraft in the game from 2009-2011 featured cobblestone.

This is significant because Minecraft is, if nothing else, a game about craft and creativity. Being a “sandbox” game, there’s not a linear path to success like the old Super Mario games, where each level predicably moves from left to right. In Minecraft, every gamer jumps into the sandbox of the game and builds; hence the cobblestone finish that game historians instantly recognize from the original version.

The Minecraft Logo Today: 2011 Through Present

Making its debut on Minecraft Beta 1.4, the new logo released by Mojang is distinguished from the first official logo by a face comprising the top inside part of the “A.” Compared with the first official logo, the quality of the new graphic sees a bit of an upgrade, receiving some touch-ups that make the stone comprising the letters in “MINECRAFT” appear cracked and thus more realistic.

Alternate Versions of the Logo

In addition to the traditional Minecraft logo, multiple copycat versions have also been released to celebrate each new iteration of the classic on every serious gamer’s hard drive. We’ll highlight some of these variants of the original here.

Microsoft Bedrock Edition

Microsoft has released a new logo version with the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft. The logo does not read, “Minecraft: Bedrock Edition” but rather sticks with the basic “Minecraft” with no subtitle, perhaps because the bedrock edition is a slick marketing way of conveying, “basic” or “foundational” edition. It’s also been called the “Bedrock Version,” the “Bedrock Engine,” or “Bedrock Codebase.”

This Bedrock Edition is merely a minor variation of the Mojang version previously discussed. It’s differentiated from the Mojang-released 2011 version by greater depth of the stones in the shadowy third-dimension mostly in the bottom portion of the logo. Cracks in the stone also get lighter, compared to the borders of the letters, for easier readability.

Java Edition

No discussion about the evolution of the Mindcraft logo is complete without one of the latest additions to the Mindcraft logo family: the “Java Edition” version. The Java Edition version sees the word “MINECRAFT” get proportionally smaller compared with the Bedrock version to make room for the subtitle, “Java Edition” in all caps beneath the title.

The Minecraft Logo in Pop Culture

With every phenomenon as big as Minecraft, there are inevitably copycats. And with every copycat, there’s another fan artist, another fan-coder, another dreamer coming up with their original homage to the Minecraft lifestyle. We’ll examine a few ways that the world at large has paid tribute to this god of modern games and the ubiquitous Minecraft logo.

“MINECON EARTH”

A play on the traditional “MINECRAFT” logo, the “MINECON EARTH” logo is featured on the “splash screen” graphic of the online streaming channel where you can watch MINECON Earth. The logo features a variation of the “MINECON” logo, with “EARTH” beneath it in similar 3D lettering.

Above it, a virtual Rubick’s Cube of the Minecraft world spins its various layers: a compelling animated infographic if there ever was one! Behind it, a twinkling sky flies by.

Blockify Everything!

At Minecon Earth described above, a convention for Minecraft fanatics, attendees often show off their favorite renditions of pop culture icons, blockified Minecraft-style like the letters in the logo. One of these famous scenes, prominently displayed on the Minecon Earth Web site, is the cliff scene from Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.

Another blockified Minecon Earth-featured image is that of blockified pandas. Minecon Earth and Microsoft are involved in a collaborative effort related to these images to conserve panda life, where players are encouraged to place bamboo – which pandas eat, in Minecraft.

Minecraft Blockified Brand Penetration and Merchandise Licensing

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Other images pulled directly out of pop culture and blockified in the style of the Minecraft logo include Disney’s Cinderella Castle, the Conan O’Brien Show, and many others you’ll recognize.

Much of these images, blockified just like the Minecraft logo, make their way onto the shelves of huge retailers like Target in the form of tee shirts, plush toys, and lanyards. Someone’s definitely cashing in on Minecraft licensing and merch! One thing is certain; it’s a sure sign that Minecraft is a major cultural phenomenon, inspired by the way the very title is blockified in the iconic logo.

Minecraft Logo Maker

Just to give you an idea of just how obsessed Minecraft fans are, they’re not content to let the original logo be. They want to design their own “Minecraft logos!” Thus, a cottage industry has sprung up of various customizable Minecraft logo-makers for the serious enthusiast. Customers or visitors to the various Minecraft logo maker Web sites have the option of creating various iterations of the logo complete with their own names.

Other variables these superfans of Minecraft culture can set include the color of various elements in the logo, like, for example, the water, resulting in a kind of personalized crest. It’s usually not free to create a customized Minecraft-style logo, so like the merchandise available, these customizable logos will take your money any way you’re willing to give it to them, including via bitcoin and credit card.

Minecraft users are so dedicated to the Minecraft brand that they want the world to know they are Minecraft players: and there’s no better way to do that than by sporting your very own merch with your very own customizable stickers, hats, or you-name-it, all with that classic, Minecraft logo-inspired, “blockify everything!” art that screams “MINECRAFT!”

Conclusion

Minecraft is a brand that is focused on its base of super-fans, and nowhere is this conveyed better than in the famous Minecraft logo. Here, we’ve covered some basics about Minecraft in case you’ve been living under a rock.

We’ve gone into the history of the Minecraft logo, including a pre-release beta version which was never really used, plus the original and its descendant logo. We’ve also covered some variations of the logo used for various purposes and editions.

We’ve covered how the logo’s style has become intermingled with other manner of pop culture. We’ve also covered how even you can make your own Minecraft logo and how legions of block-thirsty Minecraft fans have done just that. The only thing left for you to do is to start blockifying something.

Harley Davidson Design, History And Evolution

By Logo Realm Team Leave a Comment

When we think of Harley Davidson, we visualize a bearded, leathered, and tattooed biker dude astride a Fat Boy motorcycle. Some of us may see Marlon Brando – the Wild One – on a Harley Electro-Glide, or Easy Rider Peter Fonda riding his Captain America Harley chopper.

When we consider the Harley Davidson logo, the last thing we see in our mind’s eye is a little old lady painting a logo onto the first two Harley Davidson machines in 1904. That is exactly how the Harley Davidson logo started – by the Davidson’s Aunt Jane.

About Harley Davidson

Harley Davidson manufactures and sells customized, cruiser, touring, street, trike, and other designs of motorcycles with a lot of history under the rider. In 1901, William Harley dreamed up an engine designed to fit onto a bicycle.

In 1903, the first production Harley Davidson racing motorcycle went on sale to the public. By 1905, a Harley Davidson motorcycle had won a 15-mile race in Chicago. The rest, as they say, is history.

A Bike by Any Other Name

In terms of design variation, Harley Davidson takes the proverbial design ball and runs with it, offering variations on variations.

The Harley Davidson logo stands for, among other things. Designers who are even willing to go back in time and re-create a good thing. But for the motorcycle illiterate, there are (generally speaking), four genres of bikes.

Customized

Harley Davidson will elaborate on one of their models to create the ride of a rider’s dream. All the dreamer has to bring is a lot of money and a list of add-ons or designs that Harley can put together to personalize the riding experience. Add to the tailor-made machinery, a leather outfit, a pair of Levi’s, and The Rebel cap retailing for $500, and you too can be Marlon Brando.

Cruiser

First appearing in the 1930s, the cruiser design focuses on the rider’s comfort. The captain’s chair reclines so that feet are forward rather than down and the hands are somewhat elevated. The engines were originally designed for comfort and ease with shifting but left a lot to be desired in terms of horsepower. Power cruisers are beefed-up options for those riders desiring a little more power.

Touring

Designed for long-distance touring, riders sit upright behind weather and wind protection and large capacity gas tanks. Passengers are well accommodated and so is baggage, including saddlebags. These big bikes can weigh up to 900 pounds. The only thing missing is a roof.

Harley Davidson Logo Design & History

No matter what motorcycle image comes to mind, the Harley Davidson logo evokes the American “freedom of the road” mentality.

The first legally recognized Harley Davidson logo was officially registered at the US patent office in 1911.

It is known as the Bar and Shield logo. Although the logo has been varied over the years, logo designers have, for the most part, kept fidelity with the original.

Harley Davidson Logo: The First

Good old Aunt Jane Davidson: in 1904 she helped out the lads – her two nephews, including William Harley – by adding the finishing touches to their first two motorcycles with her hand-painted red striping detailing the words “Harley-Davidson Motor Company” on the fuel tanks.

Jumping forward in time to the 1960s and 1970s, the company manufactured golf carts, snowmobiles, and travel trailers in addition to their trademarked motorcycles. As a result, the logo was modified by dropping the words “Motor Company” and leaving the logo to read simply, “Harley-Davidson.” The words “Motor Company” were added back to the Harley-Davidson logo in the 1980s when the company got rid of its non-motorcycle interests.

Harley Davidson Logo: The Classic

Perhaps it was the clear branding of this first patented Harley Davidson logo that enabled the motorcycle company to survive the Great Depression. The first logo featured a bar with the words Harley Davidson in capital letters.

Behind the bar is a standard shield, shaped like a policeman’s badge, with the word “Motor” above the bar within the shield and the word “Cycles” below the bar, again within the shield. The logo featured three colors: black, white, and orange.

Harley Davidson Logo: The 50th Anniversary V-Medallion

In 1953, Harley-Davidson celebrated their 50-year anniversary by changing the classic Harley Davidson logo into a medallion. A central bar featured the name “Harley-Davidson” in a script font, with a large capital V (for V-2 engine) behind it.

Behind the bar and between the arms of the V, a modified shield displayed “50 Years” above the bar and “American Made” below the bar. The top of each arm of the V protruded above the circular border of the medallion, and the lateral edges of the bar extended beyond the circular border as well.

Harley Davidson Logo: Monochromatic Classic

Logo designers for Harley-Davidson returned to their senses in 1965 when they reverted to the original and highly successful design – the Bar and Shield. No one can argue with the elegance of simplicity; the colors were swapped out for black and white.

Harley Davidson Logo: Number 1

In 1971, the Number 1 logo was introduced to market the FX Super Glide motorcycle. Borrowed from the earlier days of motorcycle dirt track racing, this logo is simply a stylized number 1 with white stars on a blue background at the top of the number. Red and white stripes extended horizontally down the body of the number. The base of the number is where the block letter brand, “Harley-Davidson,” is located.

Harley Davidson Logo: 100th Anniversary

Thank heavens 2003 rolled around and gave Harley Davidson logo designers an opportunity to save buyers of Number 1 logo-laden products and memorabilia.

Although the Bar and Shield had always been around, this Bar and Shield logo is centered over a stylized pair of wings. Below the shield is the 100. On either side of the shield in the same latitude as the bar is the year 1903 to the right and 2003 to the left.

Harley Davidson Logo: 105th Anniversary

Logo designers decided to do a bit of blending for Harley-Davidson’s 105th birthday in 2008 by combining a medallion, a pair of wings, a Bar and Shield and a pair of years.

The classic central shield is black and orange; the center of the medallion is black, circled in white, and trimmed with a black stripe around the circumference of the medallion. The wings are curved upward like the kind you see on the Viking helmets of opera singers. “105 years” is at the top and “1903 * 2008” rests in the bottom curve of the medallion.

Conclusion

Harley Davidson has used its logo and its permissions wisely. Dealers are allowed to make variations on the original logo. Harley owners – The Harley Owners Group (HOGS) – design variations on the brand name and logo to signify their affection for and relationship with the motorcycle.

As well, the Harley-Davidson logo appears on motorcycle accouterments such as clothing, shoes, decals, luggage, and home decor.

The Monochromatic Classic is the image for when pavement meets steel. The subliminal evocation of riding America’s highways and byways suggests the necessity of owning a touring or cruiser type bike.

The V-Medallion logo departs from the original and speaks to the originality of the custom design bike. The Number 1 logo screams dirt bike racing or street spinning and might make the street bike model a big kid’s request for Christmas.

The 100th Anniversary logo is reminiscent of an airplane captain’s shirt pin, or perhaps the insignia on an airport baggage porter’s cap. One isn’t completely sure if they should head out on the road or fly in the sky.

No matter how many times one might blink, look away and then look back. The 105th-anniversary logo is straight out of a Wagnerian opera. Brunnhilde rocked opera houses in her Viking helmet with wings on either side; Bugs Bunny was hysterically funny as Brunnhilde in drag. Given those images, one can see how the Classic Harley-Davidson logo stands at first place.

The Classic orange, white, and black Bar and Shield logo is brilliant. Some things cannot be perfected and need not be burdened with marketing attempts to fit as many messages onto an evocative symbol as possible. It is not the logo that needs to be changed, it’s the product.

Although the owners and admirers of Harley-Davidson motorcycles are rapidly aging and will eventually retire from the ride. Whatever Harley Davidson does to appeal to the younger, upcoming generations. They will probably not need to worry about the Classic Harley Davidson Bar and Shield logo.

The old saying, “don’t fix it if it isn’t broken,” certainly applies to this marvel of marketing. Perhaps those who design logos at Harley Davidson should figuratively jump on their touring bikes and cruise back through the streets of time to the First logo. Sometimes it’s the old-timers who are the most successful.

Fortnite Logo Design, History And Evolution

By Logo Realm Team Leave a Comment

What is the Fortnite logo? Well, let’s first explore the game itself. When it comes to video games in the modern world, the possibilities are seemingly endless.

Over the past few decades, two games that broke the mold and became breakaway hits on the market were Grand Theft Auto and Minecraft. Grand Theft Auto Online would further change the landscape of gaming, allowing us to run free in an online world playing against other human competitors, often in heated gunplay or car chases.

Combining the elements

Minecraft allows the player to mine materials from the environment around them and build in three-dimensions. Fortnite combines both elements of these games and has the great Fortnite logo to top it all off.

In this article, we’ll first explore an overview of Fortnite followed by the uniqueness of the game’s logo and a consideration of its history and development.

Fortnite Game Overview

As mentioned above, Fortnite, at its most basic, is Grand Theft Auto Online meets Minecraft. In Fortnite, you are ejected from a party bus floating above an island – an island with a variety of different locations, or towns, each with a unique layout, architecture, and appearance.

Each and every building from within the towns, and even the trees and rocks on the landscape can be smashed down with your mining tool, and harvested for their material, whether brick, wood, or steel. With the materials, the player is able to build structures – weakest being wood and strongest being steel.

Building Your Fortress

The materials that are harvested can be used to build walls around yourself to block incoming bullets or to create cover while you use health-replenishing med-packs or shield potions.

The structures can be as simple as a square box around you with a set of steps to rise up a level to gain some ground over your enemy, or they can be built out into complex and impressive multi-roomed and floored fortresses from where you can gain ground over your opponents.

You can even trap them within a maze of your own making, complete with deadly wall-traps that can be found in the environment and placed in structures.

Maximizing Your Load-Out

In Fortnite, your inventory is referred to as your “load-out”, with the game allowing you to carry up to 5 items of weapons, med-packs, shields, bombs, and porta-fortresses, which are essentially bombs that when ignited, build an immediate fortress around you that can then climbed using bouncing tires.

This gives you ground over your enemies and the ability to bounce off the sides in any direction without damage. Building your load-out is what will determine your success or failure in the game.

Quick Tip!

Additionally, a carefully balanced mix of close-, medium-, and long-range weapons, plus shields keeps you alive.

The load-out that you choose will determine what you are capable of doing in the game. A load-out of only pistols limits your ability to attack your enemies to close-combat, while assault rifles are useful at medium range, and sniper rifles provide long-range ability.

There are also a variety of special weapons that can be found throughout the game, including rocket launchers and grenade launchers. Each weapon has a color with the colors determining the quality of the weapon and damage it does. In ascending order, the colors are gray, green, blue, purple, and gold.

Watch Out for the Storm

In Fortnite, players are prevented from “camping” which is holding up in a single location for the entire game in hopes of out-surviving the other players.

Fortnite has the “storm eye”. Like the concept used in the popular movie series “The Hunger Games”, the players must be in a particular zone at a particular time, and if not, they are damaged and ultimately killed by being outside the zone of play. Outside the zone of play is the storm.

The storm moves about and shrinks during the game, requiring the players to relocate and thus encounter and battle one another.

Play Style

There are a wide variety of styles that can be chosen to employ in Fortnite, ranging from the gatherer who eludes battle and hopes to win by the other players dying in the storm, to the hyper-aggressive hunter who gathers weapons mainly by killing other players and taking their load-outs.

The style of play that you choose is purely personal, and either can be equally effective, but the hunter style of game-play results in your abilities growing at a faster rate as you use them more often. The most enjoyable style of play, however, is personal, so try them all out and determine which style of game-play best suits you.

Logo Design and History

CC 2.0 by Sergey Galyonkin via Wikimedia Commons

The Fortnite logo has varied in its appearance throughout its history, beginning as a relatively simple text logo. In time, the logo would evolve from only letters into a relatively complex image containing a variety of components including the peaks of towers, castles, and even the top of carnival tents.

The logo design is now a graphic that has become closely linked with the game and brand. Each element of the logo communicates to the player an element within the game.

The text “Fortnite” is built within a graphic logo that depicts the gaming content. The center of the Fortnite logo is a tall fort, presumably the leading fort in the game, the one that must be targeted to take the victory royale in the battle royale competition.

Beside the large fort is a satellite dish with various communication posts scattered throughout the playing world to exhibit the coordination of the players in the game. There is a hill topped by an umbrella in the next graphic element of the logo.

Satellite dishes and communication towers scattered throughout the game provide the player with a source of weapons, treasure chests, and advantageous high ground.

Trees are also drawn into the logo which are the source of the wood materials for the players to build their fortresses or quick shields for instant protection.

Two different types of trees are drawn into the logo – pointed pine trees and rounded trees. The round trees can be landed on while the pine trees cannot.

The Fortnite logo is capable of communicating to the player a variety of elements of the game-play that is in place within Fortnite. The lead tower communicates the importance of establishing a sound fortress to defend in the larger game modes.

The trees underline the importance of mining materials and taking cover, with the structures shown in the logo demonstrate what the player can build with their materials.

The hill-like shape of the Fortnite logo is also illustrative of the “king-of-the-hill” concept of the battle royale game mode in which solo, duo, or squad teams of 4 players compete for domination among a total population of 100 players per game.

Fortnite Logo Evolution

Fortnite has undergone a relatively broad revolution in terms of the Fortnite logo design. We’ll consider a few of the main iterations of the logo that we’ve seen that led to the current version we explored above with the hill atop the tall fortress.

The earliest design of the Fortnite logo was simply the text “Fortnite”. This allowed the game to be marketed purely on word-of-mouth by people in the know, but to advertise the game to people who have not played it, the logo would have to evolve a bit into a more representative image that communicates more about the game.

After the text-only logo, Fortnite would then present a logo in which the name of the game is written in planks that have been assembled together to make the letters.

Evolution of games = evolution of logo

This element of the imagery communicated to the viewer that things are built with wood in the game. This was further reinforced by the addition of three words, “Create. Collaborate. Defend”.

This was from an earlier iteration of the game in which players built forts together to fight against hordes of zombies and collaborating on their defense.

As the game evolved and the battle royale mode of player-versus-player emerged, the Fortnite logo again evolved.

The battle royale mode of Fortnite is what most resembles Grand Theft Auto Online, and also received its own logo, which is the text “Fortnite” and the text “Battle Royale”, with a pair of military-style dog tags draped over the lettering for “Battle Royale”.

This logo is for the game mode that has propelled Fortnite to the front of the modern multi-player gaming pack. Outside of the plain text and the wooden text logo, this communicates a mode, while the current and new Fortnite logo communicates the spirit of the game and more of the possibilities that are in store for the player.

Fortnite Logo: Conclusion

Fortnite has grown to become an extremely popular game. Its creative and comprehensive graphic logo communicates the content of the game to potential players. The logo, like the game, has undergone change and evolution to better appeal to its fans and potential fans.

For more information on logos and their evolution, check back to Logo Realm at for ongoing articles and updates.

Target Logo Design, History And Evolution

By Logo Realm Team Leave a Comment

The evolution of corporate logos is one of the most fascinating topics in modern culture. Some logos remain relatively unchanged for decades while other logos get regular updates. In this article, we’ll examine the Target logo.

Consciously or not, our interaction with corporate logos makes up the background tapestry of our whole lives. Almost invariably, significant life experiences happen in the presence of some corporate logo, and seeing that logo years later can bring back memories that may have been dormant for many years.

About Target

Everyone is familiar with the iconic red and white Target logo of the popular discount store. Most large and medium-sized cities have a Target either on the outskirts of town or nestled in a corner of a busy city center.

People even define themselves as “Target shoppers” and proudly carry their Target logo-emblazoned bags home after successful shopping trips. But as familiar as you are with the brand, how much do you really know about the history of this discount shopping icon?

History

Founded in Roseville, Minnesota on May 1st, 1962, Target has grown to become the 8th-largest department store retailer in the United States. Modern stores are roughly 135,000 square feet and offer everything from clothing to electronics.

The first Super Target opened in 1995 in Omaha, Nebraska. A Super Target is roughly 50% larger than standard Targets and features a full grocery store.

Target Brands

There are many brands promoted under the Target logo and are featured at the retail locations. These brands include the following:

Archer Farms
Circo
PillowFort
Merona
Embark

Company Outlook

CC 3.0 by Ser Amantio di Nicolao via Wikimedia Commons

Over the years, the Target logo has become one of the retail cornerstones of the US retail economy. Target has evolved as American society has changed, and the company ranks on the Fortune magazine list of the “World’s Most Admired Companies”.

The business community respects Target for its sound business principals, fair treatment of workers, and philanthropic efforts.

Target Logo Design

The Target logo is a red and white bulls-eye recognized by 96% of American consumers. The Target logo features a red dot at the center surrounded by a concentric white ring, with a second concentric red ring, followed by another concentric red ring.

The logo is symmetrical and pleasing to the eye. Variations include adding the Target name in black or red in Helvetica Neue Bold font. The Target name may appear to the right or below the bulls-eye logo.

What Makes the Target Logo So Perfect?

Iconic examples of graphic design are always simple, convey a thought, and are memorable. For example, the “I love New York” T-shirt with its black letters on a white background and a red heart has become almost a required purchase for all visitors to the Big Apple. The Target logo features design elements featured in many iconic logos.

Iconic Design Elements

Simplicity
Symmetry
The color red

How Do These Elements Work Together?

A simple design is easy to recognize even at a great distance or when viewed only for an instant. Logos must alert drivers traveling at highway speeds they are nearing a store location.

The Target logo, the bulls-eye, represents both a destination and a positive achievement. The symmetry of the logo pleases the eye and is easy to remember. The Target logo is an extra large bulls-eye, which creates the sub-conscious expectation that success will be easier.

The red and white color scheme stands out against a blue sky background.The Target logo had a large advantage over other logos because of the historical significance of the target symbol.

However, the Target logo is a union of a historical symbol with modern corporate marketing. The Target logo is different enough from marksman targets that the corporate logo will never be mistaken for anything other than the brand identity.

Target did an excellent job of crafting their version of a corporate symbol. Like many corporate logos, the Target logo evolved throughout the years.

Target Logo History & Evolution

With a relatively simple design, the Target logo has only undergone subtle changes throughout the years. However, subtle changes can be the difference between an effective logo and a failure.

Few companies have a name that so readily lends itself to symbolic representation as Target. But even with that advantage, it took Target several tries before they arrived at the iconic logo they have today.

The 1962 Logo

Video screenshot from Kaison Smith via YouTube

The original logo released in 1962 was a red and white bulls-eye logo with the “Target” name written in black scripted lettering across the front. The main difference of the original logo was that the central dot was white instead of red and there were three concentric red circles.

Although this logo is very similar to today’s logo, there are many design pros and cons:

PROS

Good color scheme
Recognizable design

CONS

The white center is less eye-catching
The multiple concentric circles can be dizzying to look at
The “Target” name seems to obscure the logo

The Overall Effect

The 1962 logo is much less effective than today’s logo. The overlapping design elements and the multiple concentric circles make the logo too busy. The result is that the eye has too much to take in and interpret and as a result, the brain is not likely to associate this logo with the retail store.

Also, the target element is too similar to a marksman target which dilutes the capacity for this logo to achieve brand recognition.

The 1969 Logo

Beginning in 1969, Target experimented with incorporating their logo in advertising in unexpected ways. By then, they had reduced their logo to a central dot with two concentric circles to simplify it.

However, in 1969 they used a black and white color scheme which does not catch the eye like the final red and white design.

PROS

Less busy design
Recognizable as a target

CONS

Drab black and white color scheme

The 1975 Logo

Video screenshot from Kaison Smith via YouTube

The 1975 logo is the first iteration of the iconic Target logo we know today. However, in 1975, the bulls-eye was just a small feature of the logo. The logo featured the bulls-eye followed by “Target” written in large, black, block letters.

The 1975 bulls-eye was the modern version with the red center and the single red concentric circle. Unfortunately, the text lettering overshadowed the iconic bulls-eye in this logo.

PROS

Bulls-eye is perfect
Good color scheme
Good symmetry

CONS

The block lettering overshadows the bulls-eye
The logo has too many elements to interpret at highway speeds

The 1989 Logo

Video screenshot from Kaison Smith via YouTube

In 1975, Target had come close to a perfect logo. However, before adopting the modern logo the company first had to create a marketing disaster. The 1989 logo abandoned the target symbol entirely.

Instead, they used a script version of the word “Target” written in red with a white shadow. This logo version featured none of the graphic design advantages of previous logos. Target retired the script logo after only 12 months.

PROS

A dramatic change can create a wave of attention
The script logo fit in with the designs of the eighties and nineties

CONS

Logo was too hard to read
Logo was text only with no symbols

The 2006 Logo

Video screenshot from Kaison Smith via YouTube

It wasn’t until 2006 that Target uncoupled the target symbol from the text lettering of the store name. The result was a simple symbol and easy to recognize at a distance with a vibrant color scheme.

The 2006 logo is instantly recognizable as the symbol of the Target retail store and is versatile enough to place on an advertisement with no textual reference to the retail store and still evokes customer recognition.

The 2006 iteration of the Target logo is a textbook logo representing a high-water mark all corporate advertising departments should strive for.

Conclusion

Corporate logos have long served as a backdrop to American life. As individuals travel through cities or airports, they do so in front of a tapestry of color made up of corporate logos.

Although we are not always consciously aware of corporate logos, they constantly flash into our field of vision and our minds subconsciously note the shapes, colors, and symbols.

These symbols surround us daily, and they become intertwined with the memories of all our life experience.The modern Target logo is one of the most recognizable corporate symbols at work in US retail today. As simple as the logo is, the modern version did not come into existence until 44 years after the first Target logo.

Earlier designs contained elements of the final version. However, the earlier designs featured components that obscured the best features of the final product. Only by whittling down the original logo was Target able to reveal the iconic one they have today.

The bulls-eye has always been a symbol of a victory or a destination, and Target was smart to incorporate this symbol into their identity.

However, the early Target logos overly resembled marksman bulls-eyes, so over time, Target learned how to differentiate their logo from a sportsman symbol to a symbol of corporate identity.

The color scheme, symmetry, and simplicity of the Target logo make it an iconic design and one of the most effective corporate logos at work in the landscape of American retail stores.

Disney Logo Design, History, And Evolution

By Logo Realm Team Leave a Comment

Iconic organizations seem to have an easily identifiable logo. A great logo is an important, if subtle, ingredient to becoming an iconic organization. The Walt Disney Company is no different. Today, Disney is easily one of the most recognizable companies in the world and the Disney logo is an undeniable part of its success. Of course, it helps when your founder and original logo creator is one of the best illustrators of all time.

Though the company dates back to the 1920s, it may surprise people that many of the current elements of the logo have much more recent origins. Even the famous Walt Disney “signature” has a past that’s somewhat shrouded in mystery. Like any nearly 100-year-old company, Disney has tweaked a few things over the years to stay on top, and their logo has seen a few changes.

Let’s a take a look.

Walt Disney, the Man

Walter Elias “Walt” Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Hermosa, Illinois. He founded Walt Disney Productions along with his brother Roy. The successful animator won 22 Academy Awards during his lifetime and founded the famous theme parks, Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

One of five children, he worked hard from a young age to help support his family. Never a good student in the traditional sense, Walt grew up daydreamer, getting his early inspirations from Mark Twain and Charles Dickens.

As a teenager, he began to draw and sold his work in his local neighborhood. He also joined the Red Cross and drove an ambulance for a year in Paris during World War I.

In 1919, he had a short stint as a newspaper artist before embarking on his well-known career as an animator, entrepreneur, and successful businessman.

At the end of 1937, Disney’s first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, had its premiere. It made a staggering $1.5 million during the Great Depression and won eight Oscars.

Over the next few years, Walt Disney Studios made a series of animated films including Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi,resulting in enormous business success.

In the mid-1950s, Disneyland was opened in California. It was both an entertainment and financial success for Walt and the Disney company. Plans were made to outdo Disneyland by creating an even larger spectacle.

Walt was involved in the planning and property purchase for what would become Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida when he passed away of lung cancer at the end of 1966. He was 65 years old.

About the Walt Disney Brand

Founded in 1923, Disney is now a household name. It took a few early failures for Walt Disney to find his niche in the motion picture business, but a now-famous mouse launched him and his company on the path to success and worldwide recognition. From humble beginnings to today’s multi-billion dollar enterprise, Disney, as well as today’s company executives, grew and evolved their brand and logo in an effort to deliver on Walt’s original idea.

From the beginnings of the company, Walt’s desire was to bring happiness to people through magical experiences, “to make magical experiences come alive.” Today, remaining relevant to its guests by providing a consistent brand experience is what drives the company.

Developing the Disney logo and keeping it fresh over the years has always been part of the equation. Obviously, it knows what it’s doing since Disney has recently been named by Brand Finance as the world’s most powerful brand.

With successful movie and television ventures that generate billions of dollars in advertising and merchandise revenue, not to mention wildly popular theme parks, Disney’s future looks as magical as its past.

Famous Walt Disney Quotes

It’s not surprising that some things that Walt Disney said over the course of his life have become memorable quotes that still resonate with everyone from young children to budding entrepreneurs.

Here are some great advice from the quintessential showman and successful businessman:

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
“I believe in being an innovator.”
“You’re dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.”
“We allow no geniuses around our studio.”
“We believed in our idea, a family park where parents and children could have fun together.”
“I never called my work an ‘art’. It’s part of show business, the business of building entertainment.”

History of the Disney Logo

Making his public debut in the cartoon short, “Steamboat Willie,” Mickey Mouse was the central character that set Walt Disney on the path to success.

Not surprisingly, he played a key role in early Disney logos that featured his image along with an early version of Walt’s famous signature and the phrase “animation studios”. This logo and versions of it were used in cartoon shorts after Mickey gained popularity.

When the company began to make feature-length movies, the original Disney logo included a profile of Mickey Mouse that was animated – changing colors and revolving on screen.

It was a way of showing off the technological advancements Walt and company were making at that time. As time went on, full-length movies and television ventures featured similar logos to the early versions with tweaks made depending on the medium.

Though Mickey Mouse remained a central figure in the company’s success, perhaps surprisingly, he began to disappear from the Disney logo and Cinderella’s castle began to make its iconic appearance.

The castle and shooting star was a regular staple of Disney television specials loved by children and adults.

Evolution of the Disney Logo

Video screenshot from The Deadly Squid via YouTube

With the release of 1985’s, The Black Cauldron, the “modern” logo many identify with made its initial appearance. It included a silhouette of Cinderella’s castle (based on the Disneyland version) along with the script in various shades of blue and white.

It would remain the logo for all Disney movies made, with little change, for the next 10 years.

Beginning with 1995’s Toy Story, the 1985 logo was swapped out for one that was more dynamic and befitting to the film it introduced. This new logo featured a computer-animated castle and colors other than the traditional light blue and white combination.

Other Disney movies got their own unique logo animation, with the original lined castle and “Walt Disney Pictures” line being used on all movies for standardization.

With the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest in 2006, a new “modern” logo appeared. Lasting a full 25 seconds, it was a computer-generated animation in which the camera pans backward over a dynamic kingdom-scape culminating in a “fly-over” of Cinderella’s castle. It ends by revealing the latest version of the iconic logo.

Since 2006, all movie intros have been a version of this logo-revealing sequence. The only one major change came in 2011 with the decision to drop “Walt” and “Pictures” from the title, which simply left the title, “Disney”.

The current logo has intricate detail, things like balconies, windows and a moat that captivates the movie-goer from the moment the movie reel is set in motion. True to the original logo and Walt Disney’s intention, it’s an example of the technological capabilities of the Disney company.

What Makes the Disney Logo Effective

It’s unquestioned that the Disney logo is incredibly effective. Instantly recognizable the world over, it is one of the key elements that has helped to make Disney an enormously successful company.

One of the most important elements that make the logo work is the fact that it changes along with its ever-changing audience. When the current generation seems to demand a new logo, the team at Disney can be counted on to come through for them.

It’s a good reminder that logos can be worth the time and effort it takes to create them. A company’s brand and values become instantly identified with an effective logo.

Make sure your logo is well thought-out to set your business apart. The difference between a great logo and a bad one will be measured in dollars and cents.

Elements of a Good Logo

It should be unique
It should be easy to understand
It should look good
It should be easy to remember
It should be relevant to your business

Conclusion

The Disney logo is one of the most iconic and recognizable logos in the history of business. You would expect that from a company whose success has been long-standing with a history rich in artistic heritage.

A multi-billion dollar business should have a logo befitting its stature within its industry. But to know the story of Disney is to know of its humble beginnings.

Like most companies, it began modestly and not without setbacks. Through talent, perseverance, and hard work, the company is a world-renowned giant in the entertainment industry. Much of its success can be attributed to the decisions made by its founder and current company executives.

Creating and updating an effective logo cannot be understated as a key element to Disney’s initial and continued success. An effective logo will help any company achieve its goals.