Just as time moves forward and progresses, so does the logo design used by a company. A logo is a brand identity and as a company grows and expands over the years, its logo might need a little revamp to accommodate its changing image and vision. As logos evolve with a business, they change and develop to better line up with the goals of the company that they represent.
While I was scouring the Internet yesterday for logo design ideas, I stumbled upon a few different sites that talked about famous logos and how they have evolved over time. I have decided to take my favorites from these lists and share them with you today. Notice how each logo is refined over time and changed into the beautiful and modern design that it is now.
Apple
I chose to talk about the Apple logo for two reasons. The first is that it is such a sleek and prolific logo in our society today that I felt it would be helpful to other designers to see where it all started. The second reason was because Apple’s logo demonstrates how a logo can transform from an idea into an iconic symbol.
The first Apple logo depicts the story of Sir Isaac Newton sitting under a tree when an apple fell on his head and he came up with the Law of Gravity. Apple was trying to tell a story and say that they too were hit on the head with a new, brilliant and innovative idea. From there, the logo was refined and simplified. Although it still represented this moment of revelation for those who know the story, the Apple logo has been striped down to include only the apple bitten on the right side. The bite was homage to Alan M. Turing, the forefather of computer science (he died eating a poisoned apple). The Apple logo was stripped with color to represent the introduction of color to technology. Today, the apple logo has been refined and simplified even further into a super sleek design that represents the company’s ingenuity, creativity and the future.
Microsoft
The first Microsoft logo was designed in 1975. This logo was very much in tune with the times and it was designed with the 70s in mind. The logo used a fluid and rounded typeface that was energetic and inline with the current Disco trends. Later that same year, Microsoft redesigned its logo, this time to be in all uppercase with a stylized ‘O’. Microsoft used this logo until 1994 when Microsoft refined its logo again. This time, it was created with a Helvetica Italic font and the ‘O’ was simplified to just a slash. In 2012, Microsoft came out with the logo that it still uses today. The current Microsoft logo is a multicolored, 4-square window symbol. This logo is said to represent Microsoft’s many varied product that are for sale on the market today.
Isn’t it so interesting? I hope that by reading the two above stories, you realize that logo a company’s logo should change and evolve with time. Below are a few more examples of famous logos that have also evolved over time. I won’t go into all the details with each one but have a look, enjoy and learn from what you see. If, after reading this article, you realize that you need a new logo for your company, click here to look through Pixellogo’s extensive and affordable logo design collection. Here are those other logos I promised you….
Xerox
Pepsi
Mazda
Renault
Seimens
IBM
Kodak
Please note that all of the images in this post were taken from the Famous Logos website