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Unilever Logo Design History and Evolution

By Tanya O’Donnell Leave a Comment

Being the third largest consumer goods company in the world (at least by 2012 revenue) is no small task. Add to that the honor and responsibility of being the number one producer of food spreads in the world (such as butter or margarine), and at least some trouble is bound to occur. That is unless you happen to be the owner of the Unilever logo and brand, one of the most successful and oldest multinational companies in the world.

Headquartered in both London and Rotterdam, Unilever is the best at what it does, owning over four hundred different brands spread over 190 countries. With a primary listing on both Euronext Amsterdam and on the London Stock Exchange, it would seem like the multinational did something right by slowly shifting its focus from food brands to beauty and health products.

Despite the company being formed as early as September 1929, the earliest known rendition of the Unilever logo is from 1969. That is a different version than the one used today. The current Unilever logo design was only revealed in 2004, and it has been successfully used ever since.

current unilever logo

Changes and Evolution

The current version of the Unilever logo was unveiled in 2004, along with the company’s 75th birthday. It is a brilliant example of the perfect composite logo, managing to merge every theme for which the company sells products into a large letter U. This version is clearly far better than the previous version of the logo. However, that doesn’t mean that any of the Unilever logos are to be discounted.

Even the first Unilever logo, while not as impressive as the current one, had a few things going for it. Featuring some classic World Trade Center imagery, the old Unilever logo depicted a large, blue letter U, similar to the one today. However, instead of multiple symbols making up the letter, the U’s two vertical lines formed the twin towers of the WTC.

The font for the old Unilever logo was actually the only weak part of the entire ensemble. Featuring a simple serif custom typeface, the old Unilever logo spoke volumes, while at the same time not saying enough. While the logo itself could evoke a certain trustworthiness for the company’s products, the font was just bland and uninspiring. But that all changed with the reveal of the 2004 logo.

old Unilever logo
The previous version of the Unilever logo

Unilever Logo Design Elements

Once the Unilever logo was redesigned some twelve years ago, the brand’s entire image has changed drastically. It’s not necessarily that the company went in a different direction, it’s just that there finally is a Unilever logo meaning other than just the reliability and quality inspired by the image of the twin towers.

The main design elements of the new Unilever logo are, of course, the main logo and the Unilever text underneath it. Meanwhile, the meta Unilever logo history includes self-referential factors such as the shape, the color, and the font of the logo.

Whether we’re talking about the Hindustan branch of the Unilever multinational or about any other one of its subsidiaries, the brand has seen a greatly increased popularity ever since the logo was redesigned. But why is that? Why would an internationally renowned brand go through such an increase in popularity after a rebranding campaign?

We’ll take a look at the meaning behind the Unilever logo and see what it’s all about.

Unilever logo food solutions

Shape

According to Miles Nelwyn, the London-based graphic designer behind the 2004 redesign, the shape of the new logo is meant to feature 25 of the most successful product types for the company, all blended together to form the shape of the Unilever letter U.

For example, the sun at the top of the U’s left bar is meant to represent our primary natural resource, the company’s origins (Port Sunlight), as well as a number of brands which use sunlight radiance as a sort of limited means of communicating their scope.

Other examples would be the hand with the flower next to it, explained as to represent sensitivity and care, as well as skin and touch solutions, or the DNA double helix, meant to stand for life, bio-science, and healthy living. Similarly, the palm tree was meant to symbolize paradise, as well as palm oil, the product which initially started the company back in 1929.

While the designers considered using Unilever brands logos to merge and form the logo as it is today, it was decided that symbols of the products would do a better job. And they totally did, as the Unilever logo is widely considered one of the most smartly designed and successful composite logos of all time.

Unilever brands

Color

Often used by companies which have to establish a loyal customer base, blue is a very versatile color. It is a color used primarily in IT (Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Vimeo, Dell, Samsung, etc.) and the food industry (Pepsi, Oreo, Taco Bell, Pfizer, etc.), as it is supposed to create a trustful image for the company.

Often associated with trust, confidence, faith, truth, loyalty, and wisdom, blue is used in the Unilever logo to evoke feelings of trust and loyalty, determining customers to return to the brands owned by the multinational corporation and use its products. Seeing as the company is the third largest in the world, it would seem like the efforts that went into determining the logo’s color has worked.

more Unilever brands

Font

There really isn’t all that much to say about the Unilever logo font. A stylish, handwritten custom typeface sits underneath the big U of the Unilever logo, complimenting it with its sophisticated elegance. The two go perfectly together, with the uniformity of the font making up for the seemingly random patterns of the logo, and with the convoluted patterns making up for the simplicity of the font.

One of the fairly small number of companies which make a handwritten font actually work without looking tacky, Unilever has scored when hiring Wolff Olins and Miles Nelwyn to create their logo. The end result is perhaps one of the most inspirational and motivational logos seen in the past decade, from the compositional nature of the letter U to the font in which the company’s name is written underneath the logo.

Netherlands Unilever logo

Inspiration and Trivia

While we have talked about the history of the Unilever logo and how it came to be, as well as about what it is meant to evoke in customers, we have yet to talk about the direction of the design process. When the Unilever PR heads hired Wolff Olins for the design of the new logo, the idea around which the multinational based the design was of “adding vitality to life.”

And despite the fact that it sounds like a pretty difficult idea to represent in a logo, the plan went forward without a hitch, eventually giving birth to the Unilever logo as we all know it today.

The first steps towards establishing Unilever were taken in 1927, as two margarine factories in the Netherlands and Germany merged to form Margarine Unie. Then, in 1929, the two joined Lever Brothers, a British soap maker. This resulted in Unilever, as the names of the two were mashed into one.

The partnership with Lever Brothers began because it was the perfect move – palm oil was used in both soaps and margarine, so the import would move more smoothly for larger quantities. Following the same business model, the company joined with more and more companies over the years, eventually becoming the multinational corporation it has become today.

Despite the fact that Unilever owns more than 400 different brands, only 14 of those make the bulk of the profit for the company – Axe (Lynx), Becel (Flora), Dove, Surf, Heartbrand ice creams, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Lux, Lipton, Magnum, Rama, Rexona (Sure\Degree\Rexena\Shield), Sunsilk, and, Omo.

Unilever logo text

The largest food spread producer and the third-largest consumer goods company in the world, Unilever was founded 86 years ago by the merger of two margarine companies with a British soap maker. The rest is history, as the Unilever logo and brand have been a vital part of the market ever since.

Image source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Washington Redskins Logo Design History

By Eric N. Addams 2 Comments

Originally named the Boston Braves, the team that would eventually be known as the Washington Redskins has had a very long and proud history. Sadly, however, that history is constantly being overshadowed by controversies related to the allegedly racist and offensive Washington Redskins logo. So, what’s the truth? Is the Washington Redskins logo offensive, or is the team just following tradition?

Redskins logo

We will not be able to answer that question. It is up to each of to interpret how we see the world around us, so we can’t actually come out and give a straight answer to the pressing question. What we can do, however, is to present you the facts as straight and objectively as we can, and help you make an informed decision.

Still, regardless of the nature of the Washington Redskins logo, the proud and successful history of the team is uncontestable. Winning thirteen NFL divisional titles, six different NFL conference championships, as well as many other awards and praises, the FedEXField-based team is a living example of ambition, skill, enthusiasm, and tradition.

Redskins Logo Design Elements

The main design elements of the Redskins logos over the years are, of course, the Native American head and the circle around it. The feathers have also become a staple of the Washington Redskins logo, as they evolved from simply being there to being a separately integrated element. However, those are just the concrete elements of the logo.

redskins logo alternate logos

The other, meta elements of the Washington Redskins logo, just like for any logo out there, are the shape, color, and font. While each of these stands for different things on their own, they give meaning to something totally new when taken together. So, let’s see how the Washington Redskins logo changed over the years, and how it came to be in the first place.

Changes and Evolution

Despite the current controversies, the Washington Redskins logo history hasn’t always been seen as offensive or racist. The first instance of the logo was recorded in 1937, and it went through a few changes over the years. The current version came to be in 1983, and hasn’t changed since then.

The first Redskins logo change took place in 1952, fifteen years after the first logo was designed. Since then, the team went through at least seven different main logos and three different secondary ones. The feathers, initially a background detail, started being featured more and more prominently.

redskins logo history

Shape

Initially, the Washington Redskins logo consisted of a simple stitched Native American head facing right. The head was inside a circle, and it was sporting two tucked feathers. This lasted from 1937 to 1951. In 1952, the second Washington Redskins logo was revealed.

The second logo lasted for eight years, and it saw a pretty big change from the first version. The circle surrounding the head was removed, and the Native American was given an expression best described as contemptuous. The next logo lasted for four years, from 1960 to 1965, and it was a simplification of the previous logos. The circle was brought back, and the Indian head was designed very minimalistically. The expression was now more stern than anything else.

Next, the 1965 logo suffered a complete redesign. The Native head was gone, as was the circle, replaced by an arrowhead and shaft, with two feathers attached to them. This logo lasted for five years, and was often confused for a spear instead of an arrow. While not as successful as the previous ones, this logo was brought back at an anniversary.

The next logo lasted for only one year, and it featured the first incarnation of the tucked feathers as we know them today. However, instead of the Indian chief head, the Washington Redskins logo now featured a simple, crimson, stylized letter R. This was quickly replaced by the precursor of the logo we all know today.

The Native American head was brought back in 1982, but it was facing left this time. The chief was given a more dignified expression, somewhat peaceful; however, it wasn’t meant to be. The final version of the Washington Redskins logo came in 1983, and it is the version we all know today.

redskins logo helmet

Color and Font

The colors always present throughout most of the Washington Redskins logo history are burgundy, yellow, white, brown, and black. While some versions, such as the 1960 emblem, scrapped some of the colors altogether, the traditional color scheme for the Washington Redskins logo has remained mostly consistent.

While each of the five colors is meant to stand for something different when featured on the team’s uniform, equipment, and merchandise, they stand for something much bigger when seen together – they are meant to invoke sentiments and emotions such as prestige, passion, elegance, excellence, determination, and tradition.

As for the font of the Washington Redskins logo, it is a simple, hand-drawn typeface, meant to resonate positively with the look of the logo. It is a very appealing font, as even the most fervent critics of the football team have nothing bad to say about the team logo’s font. Whether it’s the Washington Redskins new logo or the old one, the font was never the problem.

redskins logo on uniforms

Inspiration and Trivia

This area is where the controversy surrounding the Washington Redskins logo can get the most difficult to approach. The source of inspiration for the logo has been widely disputed, and the team was heavily criticized for their look and practices. Meanwhile, etymologists and historians are also taking part in the discussions, offering contradicting histories of the same events.

First of all, the logo is reported to have been designed so as to honor William Henry “Lone Star” Dietz, one of the first and most respected coaches the team has ever had, as well as four other players that happened to be Native Americans. One of the main problems with the logo is that Dietz reportedly wasn’t an actual American Indian.

redskins logo on players

Some historians claim that “Lone Star” Dietz wasn’t actually Native American at all, instead just claiming to be one so as to not be forced to draft for World War 1. And it would seem like at least some of those claims are true. The Netflix original show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt recently touched upon that, and will most likely focus on the plot point during the next season.

Despite the pretty reasonable claims that the Washington Redskins logo, name, and pre-game hype are offensive, Redskins fans refuse to accept that. Well, some are refusing to accept, while other are claiming to see the point, but still refuse the logo and name change demanded by so many people.

And that is a perfectly reasonable reaction for a long-time football fan. Football is generally about tradition and pride. Changing a team’s decades-old name and logo because of the way language evolved over time and because of some long-dead officials’ purposeful or unintentional mistake does sound pretty drastic. However, only time will tell us how everything will get sorted out.

redskins logo wordmark

Whether you consider that the people demanding the change of the Washington Redskins logo are right or wrong is pretty irrelevant right now. We did not try to sway one side’s opinion in favor of the other’s; instead, we simply tried to present to you the facts as they happen to be. We hope that our small history lesson was helpful, and we ask you to come back here for more of your logo history needs.

Image sources: 1, 2, 3

Monster Energy Drink Logo Design History

By Tanya O’Donnell 2 Comments

When anything becomes as popular as the Monster Energy Drink logo and brand, controversies and scandals are bound to pop up. Whether they are in regards to the Monster Energy Drink logo, to the company’s business practices, or to the safety of their products, scandals will inevitably break out.

Monster Energy Drink logo

If such a thing as for a beverage to start a whole cultural movement is possible, then, Monster Energy Drink has certainly done just that. The North American caffeinated beverage has spawned an entire subculture, with groups and groups of people who are taking the Monster tenets by heart and living that particular lifestyle.

That alone makes it obvious that the company behind it must be doing something right. So, let’s take a look at the incredibly popular brand and finally determine the answer to the question that has been gnawing at both its fans and opponents – What is the meaning of the Monster Energy Drink logo?

Changes and Evolution

Introduced only 14 years ago, in 2002, the Monster Energy Drink logo hasn’t actually gone through any sort of changes. Created by McLean Design, one of the best and most appreciated logo design companies in not only North America but in the whole world, the logo was a huge success as soon as it came out.

Monster Energy Drink logo on cans

It never actually warranted a change, as that usually only comes into the picture when profits start dropping. And in its nearly fourteen years of existence, Monster Energy Drink has never actually had any seriously declining sales. Plus, with the Monster Energy Drink logo being one of the most recognizable in the world, it’s unlikely that it’s going to change anytime soon.

Monster Energy Drink Logo Design Elements

Since we are going to analyze the Monster Energy Drink logo, we are going to have to look at each one of the main design elements individually and see how they build to the overall image of the world-famous brand. It is going to be an interesting and fascinating journey into the principles of graphic design.

Most highly renowned and acclaimed logos are constituted of elements which work very individually, but when become something even better when taken together. And of course, McLean Design did an amazing job in designing the logo for Monster Energy Drink. All of the logo’s elements work together to create a whole new image.

Monster Energy Drink logo on other cans

Shape

This is perhaps the part of the article most of you wanted to read about. And, let’s be fair – as far as conspiracy theories go, this one sounds pretty legit. With the amount of people and work that went into designing the Monster Energy Drink logo, it seems pretty unlikely that none of them caught onto the logo’s similarities to the Hebrew characters for 666.

Plus, with the energy drink’s trademark slogan being “Unleash the Beast”, it seems even more unlikely that the coincidences would run this far – or does it? Yes, it does seem unlikely, but unlikely things happen all the time.

You have to keep in mind that a design team working on making logos doesn’t always have the necessary background to pick up on the fact that the three claw marks on the logo they’re designing somewhat resemble the Hebrew symbol for Vav, or six. The same applies to the “Unleash the Beast” slogan. It is a pretty common saying, and Beasts are mentioned throughout numerous myths.

No, the Monster Energy Drink logo is just what it looks like – a very neatly designed emblem, meant to inspire both feelings of nostalgia, with its ‘90s look, and to draw in new caffeine enthusiasts with its creative and unique design.

Regardless of what you think the Monster Energy Drink 666 logo stands for, the beast in possession of the claws that made their mark on the can has yet to capture its last victim. And, sure – the claw marks might stand for 666, but it’s far more likely that they stand for M, the energy drink’s initial.

Monster Energy Drink logo decal

Color

The main colors of the Monster Energy Drink logo are green and black. The green, neon claw marks on the black background work together in a very dynamic and highly complex relation. While each of the colors stands for something else individually, the Monster Energy Drink logo blends them together, evoking notions of energy, excitement, health, youth, elegance, and vitality.

Each one of the 34 different Monster Energy Drinks variants present throughout North America has its own color scheme. And each one of those color schemes is representative of what that particular energy drink stands for – from Assault to Khaos, and even to Rehab and Unleaded, the colors of the cans tell you exactly what to expect.

Vegas Monster Energy Drink logo

Font

Featuring a very modernistic, yet nostalgic powerful custom typeface, images of Monster Energy Drink logo are fairly unique among the sea of simplistic designs we have been seeing today. What the logo does best is to proclaim proudly that it knows exactly how eye-drawing it is and that it takes pride in it.

While many may describe it as tacky, over-the-top, or simply as trying too hard, the truth is that the Monster Energy Drink logo is just as popular as the drink – a unique logo for a uniquely popular beverage. If executed differently, the design might have seemed too much, but as it is, it’s one of the most popular fonts of all time.

Monster Energy Drink logo can art

Inspiration and Trivia

Like most, if not all, energy drink companies tend to be, the Monster Energy Drink logo and brand are often associated with sporting events of all types. The more extreme the sport, the better, as Monster is associated with competitions such as BMX, snowboarding, Formula 1, as well as a great number of E-sports events.

Monster has been the subject of many scandals over the years due to the company’s overly enthusiastic legal team. Suing every company, regardless of their size, which happens to have “monster”, “beast”, or any other whiff of copyright in their name, Monster’s legal procedures have become the target of many jokes and much ridicule in both pop culture and sporting events.

Speaking of pop culture, the Monster Energy Drink logo and brand have inspired the creation of one of the best villains in recent TV history, iZombie’s Vaughn Du Clark. He is the head of Max Rager, an energy drink company which is an obvious fictional representation of Monster. In the show’s mythos, a cocktail of Monster Max Rager and a synthetic drug could turn you into a brain-craving zombie.

The plot was most likely inspired by a number of cases in which people with pre-existing heart conditions drinking an excessive amount of the energy drink ended up dying. Since a causal link between drinking the energy drink and the fatalities was never proven, conspiracy theorists started proclaiming that the company is falsifying records.

One last famous scandal involving the Monster Energy Drink logo and brand took place back in 2012, when the Beastie Boys sued the energy drink company for using one of their songs illegally in an online campaign. Monster Beverage Corp. lost and had to pay the Beastie Boys $1.7. However, the company is still continuing its suing spree, the latest victim being a small root brewery named Thunder Beast.

artsy picture of Monster Energy Drink logo

One of the most instantly recognizable and appreciated energy drinks in the world, Monster has been through its fair share of controversies. However, regardless of its faults, the company made the Monster Energy Drink logo into an example of perfecting marketing strategies. Creative and unique, Monster has gathered its own following through the help of a combination of quality products and brilliant publicity.

Image source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Papa Johns Logo History and Evolution

By Eric N. Addams 1 Comment

Founded in 1983, Papa John’s Pizza has become the third largest pizza delivery and take-out restaurant chain in the world back in 2015. Debatably one of the best pizzerias in America, Papa John’s has a long tradition of using better ingredients to make better pizza. So, let’s take a quick look at the Papa Johns logo and see what got the company so far.

Papa Johns logo

Starting out in a broom closet in the back of Mick’s Lounge, his father’s tavern, “Papa” John Schnatter eventually became one of the most renowned food industry CEOs in history. Even though the company hasn’t been around for as long as other fast food establishments, Papa John’s and the Papa Johns logo have already made their mark on history.

With more than 4,700 locations opened worldwide and a revenue reported at $1.439 billion in 2013, Papa John’s came a long way from consisting of a broom closet and used pizza equipment worth less than $1,600. But there’s time for more backstory later on. For now, let’s see where the Papa Johns logo and image came from.

Papa Johns Logo Design Elements

The elements featured in the Papa Johns logo are unmistakable. The ribbon, marquee, and text featured in the logo are joined by the registered trademark symbol. The simplistic, yet appealing logo is memorable, evoking ideas and sentiments of nostalgia, traditionalism, and quality.

While it is, objectively, by any standards or postulates of graphic design, a somewhat poorly thought out logo, the Papa Johns logo still is one of the staple logos in the American restaurant industry. Plus, despite the fact that the flaws within the logo are glaring, it has, in fact, received very little criticism whatsoever.

Papa Johns logo guarantee

Changes and Evolution

In its 31 years of existence, the Papa Johns logo has never changed once. It has become a symbol, as it is one of the very few successful restaurant chains to manage to go this long without a major rebranding or major logo redesign. We will talk about how the Papa Johns logo first saw the light of day later on but for now, we will focus on the logo and what it is meant to evoke in people.

Of course, the fact that the logo never changed after all these years is meant to stir up ideas of stability, traditionalism, and loyalty. The most likely situation is that the PR firm hired by the company had to deal with John Schnatter’s refusal to change the logo for which he already had a soft spot, so they decided to make it into a well-established, staple symbol of the Papa Johns image and brand.

Shape

The marquee-like shape around the Papa John’s text is topped by a ribbon of a strange shade of green, not all that uncommon  for delivery services with light-colored backgrounds. Despite having mostly rounded corners, the Papa Johns logo doesn’t shy away from a bunch of sharp ones, either.

It’s pretty clear from the start that the logo was designed with functionality in mind, so that it can easily be applied on both storefronts and merchandise, as well as on company inventory. Still, it doesn’t look as rushed as it could have looked under the circumstance, and it did make some creative choices.

For example, the rounded corners surrounding the big Papa John’s text give the logo a mild, non-threatening nature and look. Meanwhile, the sharp corners present just above it, in the ribbon shape, draw the eyes to it, strongly hinting at the premiere, award-deserving quality of the pizzas behind the Papa Johns logo.

Papa Johns logo in Virginia

Color

The main color of the Papa Johns logo is, of course, the red. A very common color for restaurant or food brand logos, red is associated with energy, determination, passion, love, and desire. It is a very intense color, increasing the blood pressure and respiration rate, and enhancing our metabolism. Other food companies using red in their logo are Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola, KFC, McDonald’s, etc.

Meanwhile, the green is yet again used in a very creative way in the frame of the Papa Johns logo. The color is generally used in association with feelings and meanings of freshness, harmony, and growth. In this context, however, green was put to great use, made to suggest that the better, fresher ingredients suggested by the Papa John’s slogan actually do make for a better pizza.

Last, but not least, the white present in the Papa Johns logo is meant to suggest benevolence and purity, as well as to draw in hesitant customers to the safety and comfort of the pizzeria. It is also very likely that white was also to symbolize a successful beginning back in 1983, when the first restaurant opened.

Papa Johns logo

Font

By far the worst part of the Papa Johns logo, there are two big problems that plague the ingenuity of the logo’s creator – namely, two extra fonts. Yes, we had to get into this issue. The Papa Johns pizza logo features three distinct fonts, all three trying to draw the customers’ attention to what they have to say.

This, sadly, makes the so-far highly creative and visually pleasing Papa Johns logo into something quite tiring for the eyes. Despite the fact that all three fonts use serif, there isn’t much in common between the three. And the fact that they are so strikingly different, with all three even having different colors, greatly diminishes the effects described so far.

First of all, the white font present in the ribbon is meant to draw attention to the premium quality of the product. Next, the big, red, arching Papa John’s font draws attention to the restaurant’s name, and it is also meant to get people hungry. Last of all, the font present in the slogan part of the Papa Johns logo, while in the same color scheme as the rest of the design, simply feels out of place.

Papa Johns logo delivery

Inspiration

At the start of this year, John Schnatter came out with a very cute and fun story about how the Papa Johns logo first came to be. Having had pizza on his mind since high school, Papa John even considered dropping out of college at some point, so as to pursue his dream career. His parents, however, were adamant against the idea.

During his college dorm days, Schnatter lived six doors down from a marketing major. Both of them sleeping in the LaFollette dorm at Ball State, the future restaurant owner went up to the marketing major and asked him for a name and a logo for his concept. Three days later, the logo was complete, and only minor changes were made to it ever since.

After being so pleased with the results, Schnatter promised the marketing major one free pizza a day for the rest of his life. Of course, since they were still a few years away from the inception of Papa John’s, the two lost track of each other. Now it’s almost 35 years later, and Schnatter is still wondering what the man to whom he owes so much pizza is doing.

Papa Johns logo home

Trivia

Since we are still on the subject of how Papa John’s and the Papa Johns logo first came to be, let’s talk about it. Always having loved pizza, John Schnatter opened the first Papa John’s restaurant in a broom closet at the back of his father’s tavern. However, the place became so popular, that in less than a year, Schnatter afforded to move into the space next door.

Despite their traditional values and usually conservative marketing strategies, Papa John’s had to apologize to LeBron James back in 2008, after a D.C. franchise distributed offensive T-shirts of LeBron James. Everything was settled with 172,000 single-topping pizzas sold at 23 cents apiece.

Papa John’s also got in trouble back in 1997, as Pizza Hut filed a lawsuit against the Papa Johns logo and brand for making false advertising. The claims involved the inaccuracy of the pizzeria’s slogan, which suggested that fresher ingredients automatically made for better pizza. While it was initially decided in the favor of Pizza Hut, an appeal determined that the misdirection in no way impacted the customer’s decisions.

Papa Johns logo

The third-most successful pizzeria in the world, Papa John’s has had a long, successful history of respecting tradition and delivering the best products they could make. The Papa Johns logo and brand have definitely made a lasting mark on the American fast food industry, showing that taking care and pride in your products does indeed pay off.

Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

IBM Logo Design History and Evolution

By Anthony Pena Leave a Comment

The International Business Machines Corporation, most frequently referred to as IBM, is one of the world’s leading IT companies. Founded by Charles Ranlett Flint over a century ago, the IBM logo and brand are known for their spotless services in the fields of IT consulting, computer service, software, and hardware. They currently offer these services successfully in more than 160 countries.

silver IBM logo on black

Whether we’re talking about IBM AIX, WebSphere, Cognos Analytics, IBM DB2, Tivoli, or Maximo, we know that the company is offering some of the best services in the field. Offering consulting, infrastructure, and hosting services for areas ranging from nanotechnology to mainframe computers, the IBM logo and brand are considered by some to be the future of technology.

And while IBM, as a company, is one of the most progressive and technologically advanced firms in the world, the IBM logo is also one of the most impressive examples of graphic design to ever hit the public eye. But that’s to be expected, seeing as the one who designed the IBM logo was Paul Rand – one of the most widely beloved and appreciated graphic designers of the last century.

multiple renditions of the IBM logo

IBM Logo Design Elements

As with most logos which have an actual design process and which are meant to serve a major company for a long while, the IBM logo has three main design elements which work very well with one another to transmit certain feelings and sentiments to the public. But of course, seeing as IBM, and the IBM logo and brand have such a long history, they have changed quite a bit over the years.

The three main design are the shape of the logo, the color in which it is depicted officially, and the font of the logo. While all three have their own meaning, when looked at together they combine to form the brand’s identity as seen by the millions of users it successfully serviced. But before we start analyzing each element of the logo, let’s first time about the IBM logos and how they changed over the years.

IBM logo history

Changes and Evolution

Since the company went by other names until around 1924, that’s when the first official IBM logo came around. It consisted of the words International Business Machines stylized to look like a globe, with International hovering between Business and Machines, somewhat similar to the Daily Planet logo.

After that, the IBM logo went through a couple of stages, getting closer to the one we know and love today, until finally being redesigned by the internationally famous graphic designer, Paul Rand. Interestingly, the redesign was warranted by the inability of the photocopiers of that time to properly render large colored areas.

The IBM logo history is a perfect representation of the evolution of minimalism and simplicity done the right way. From the gravely unsuccessful globe IBM old logo, the subsequent IBM logos became simpler and simpler, eventually giving way to the masterpiece designed by its famous creator. Now, let’s start analyzing the elements of the IBM logo.

ibm logo think pad

Shape

We aren’t going to focus on the other, older IBM logos, since they weren’t designed by someone with the legendary talent of Paul Rand. We aren’t going to talk about variants like the IBM Power, IBM Rational, or the IBM Watson logo, as they weren’t designed by Paul Rand either. So, let’s just focus on the main IBM logo and on the one Paul Rand used for inspiration.

From 1967 to 1972, the IBM logo was extremely similar to the one we know and love today. The biggest difference was that instead of being made out of eight stripes, it was made out of thirteen. This had begun to be a serious problem, as photocopiers back then couldn’t really reproduce it properly.

After Paul Rand had offered to help with the IBM logo repeatedly in the past, the company finally decided that they’ve received one too many faxes with dripping colors and hired him to give their logo a new, better look. Rand, however, liked the logo so much, that he decided to keep as much of it as possible.

He went from the 13 lines of the old IBM logo to the current 8, in a very successful effort to inspire speed and dynamism. Plus, seeing as the letter formatting was just becoming trendy for the time period, it was the perfect time to correct and give a few finishing touches to the logo that would become so famous.

ibm watson logo

Color

Often associated with stability and depth, as well as with loyalty, trust, intelligence, confidence, and truth, blue is frequently used to produce a calming effect in people. Even more importantly, blue is often used in company logos, such as in the IBM logo, to convey a sense of dominance, strength, and professionalism.

Interestingly, the combination between the blue of the logo and the striped design work together to transmit feelings of speed and dynamism. It gives a distinctive quality to the IBM logo, one missing from most current-day logos, but present in many of the old-school companies.

Font

Consisting of a very simple, yet unforgettable custom typeface, the IBM logo font is a very simple, stylish, bolded, and serif font meant to depict the customer-oriented and innovative nature of the company and their products.

The fact that the IBM logo font has changed so little after the company parted with the globe IBM logo goes to show exactly how close the company was to developing the perfect emblem. The only thing that got in their way was a little extra bit of ambition, which drove them to make the logo just a tiny bit more complex than they should have.

previous IBM logo

Inspiration and Trivia

One of the most interesting things about the company actually doesn’t even involve the main IBM logo. Ever since the company launched their certification program, more and more people have been looking for SVG, EPS, PNG, and other high-quality image vector files in order to fake the papers and appear to be certified. Despite some preventive measures from the company, smarter, more skilled forgers can still occasionally pull it off.

An Indian subsidiary of IBM, with facilities in several important cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, is said to hire close to a third of IBM’s total number of employees. By all accounts, the numbers are right, with the IBM India Private Limited subsidiary hiring more employees than any other country; however, the company is very secretive about its affairs and refuses to disclose any numbers.

IBM’s slogan, coined by Thomas J. Watson in December of 1911, is simply THINK. It is also what named the new, highly successful ThinkPad. The series of laptops and tablets started being produced by Lenovo, only to continue as IBM merchandise. The ThinkPad series is supposed to offer smarter, premier devices, and can be found in any representative or IBM partner store.

ibm logo silver black

Belonging to one of the most internationally famous IT brands in the world, the IBM logo and brand are some of the most beloved properties on the face of the planet. Most people look at the brand with hopes for the future glimmering in their eyes, as the company is among the world leaders in computer research, development, and funding. Plus, IBM logo merchandise is among the best-selling tech in the world.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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