Pandora Logo Design, History, & Evolution

The Pandora logo was originally plain serif text in medium-dark blue and all caps. Later, a design firm in Los Angeles, California, called BIRD, updated the logo by changing it to a deeper blue and switching up the font to look bolder and modern. The new serifs on the Pandora logo were themselves curved and then ended in a pronounced point. This type of serif is frequently called a “slab serif.” A registered mark was also added to the end of the word “Pandora.”

Overall, both of the previous incarnations of the Pandora logo were somewhat plain and uninteresting, and yet they served their purpose. They supplied a brand identity to Pandora Media, and the service’s users became accustomed to the association between the streaming service and its word mark.

In 2016, to coincide with the launch of the paid service Pandora Plus, the company revealed a new Pandora logo with a corresponding monogram of a simple “P” that is used in multiple applications, including the icon for the mobile app.

The new Pandora logo and “P” monogram have both drawn a significant amount of criticism. Prominent graphic design experts have described the Pandora logo that features just the name of the company as generic, plain, and uninteresting. The logo is neither good nor bad; it just is.

Like previous editions of the logo, it serves the purpose of brand identity. It is clear and easily readable, and it can be used in a variety of applications. The “P” monogram is just a simple, fat “P” shape without the hole in the middle, and it doesn’t match the “P” in the new word mark. The “P” can be filled in with color or graphics and allows for a lot of flexibility in its use.

Regarding the usage of the “P,” Pandora has incorporated the graphic into its advertising and signage by filling it with a mixture of animated designs. The designs feature brightly colored patterns, and they flash and wiggle in a style akin to familiar treatments in the MTV logo of the 1980s and 90s. It evokes a nostalgic vibe that people can easily associate with musical entertainment and programming.

Some design critics felt that the “P” monogram was trying too hard to be everything to everyone, and that Pandora was pandering to too many types of people in their desperation to compete with the likes of streaming music titans like Spotify.

The most significant outcome of the new branding was Paypal’s reaction to the “P” emblem. A lawsuit was filed against Pandora in which Paypal accused the music company’s new logo of being too similar to the Paypal emblem. For comparison, both logos feature a bold “P” shape in similar shades of blue.

However, the lawsuit drew a fair amount of criticism. Some thought it was laughable that Paypal seemed to be claiming ownership over the letter “P.” Along with that same line of thought, critics were amused over Paypal’s attempts at painting Pandora as a sinking has-been tech company who copied the Paypal logo in an attempt to associate itself with a more successful brand. The lawsuit was settled in 2017, but no details of the settlement were revealed. Pandora is still using the “P” monogram throughout their media channels.