In 1981, at a press conference, a journalist asked Steve Jobs why he

chose the name Apple. He answered, ‘I love apples and like to eat
them.’ With this revelation from the famous business icon, it’s no
surprise he channelled all his energy and resources to ensure its
success.

○ 1976

You’d be forgiven for thinking

that the first Apple logo
represents a different company.
It’s not the smooth, sleek design
we’re familiar with today. In
fact, it looks like something
you’d expect to see slapped on a
bottle of craft beer.

LOGO NAME: SHAGUFTA SIDDIQUI

DEPARTMENT: INTERIOR DESIGN
SUBJECT: GRAPHICS
DURATION: ADVANCE DIPLOMA
 Page 2 of 17

The job of creating the company’s first logo fell to Ronald Wayne, who
decided to use Isaac Newton’s image sitting below a tree – the same
Isaac Newton who discovered gravity when an apple fell out of a tree
onto his head.

As we know, Ronald Wayne didn’t last long at Apple, and neither did
his logo

○ 1977

After only a year, Steve Jobs announced the logo as “old-fashioned” and
thought it was too challenging to use on a smaller scale. Jobs also
believed in the importance of modern computer design and wanted a
logo to reinforce this idea and impress customers.

After all, a logo represents

what a brand is. An old-style
logo will cause people to think
your brand is outdated, too.

To help create a new logo,

Jobs hired Rob Janoff, a
graphic designer tasked with
creating a logo that would
blend the name “Apple” with a modern-looking design.

And so, the famous Apple logo was born. Janoff’s design was quite
simple, a 2D apple with a bite taken out of it and a rainbow spectrum
splashed across it. The bite mark was included so people wouldn’t
confuse it with a cherry. And, it’s also a geeky play on words (“byte” is a
computer term).
 Page 3 of 17

○ 1998
Steve Jobs left Apple in 1985 after
being pushed out by the company’s
executives, but he returned in 1997,
as the company was losing money at
a rapid pace and faced the very real
threat of going bust.

In addition to revamping the company’s entire brand image, one of his

big challenges was rebooting the logo; it was a universally recognized
symbol and needed to be leveraged if the company was to survive.

He removed the rainbow colors and replaced it with solid black, to

complement the creation of their new, sleek, silver computer models.
This new logo would be used on their latest ground-breaking product,
the iMac, and would set the scene for a triumphant return.

Today Apple fully embraces flat, minimalist logo design with a logo that
comes in 3 colours: White, black, and
silver. It’s a simple-yet-powerful logo,
which perfectly resonates with the
Apple brand. It’s one of the easiest
symbols to recognize in the world, along
with the likes of McDonald’s golden
arches, and Nike’s swoosh.
 Page 4 of 17

Microsoft Windows logo evolution

The four-paneled brand mark of Windows has been around since the
beginning. It's a straightforward way to represent the brand name.
The tech logo is similar to the way Apple's logo is a literal apple.
However, this metaphor elegantly symbolizes the metaphor for
computing.

You may also notice that the current version of the logo is slanted.
This is because the brand wanted to celebrate the concept of windows
in perspective. Microsoft Windows wanted to symbolize how each
user utilizes the software to match each need.

Their old flag logo now was given a classical perspective, meaning the
designers did not use computerized systems to create this design.
This gives it depth and dimension, making the design more
attention-grabbing.

1985
 Page 5 of 17

By the mid-'80s, Microsoft was booming. Its

main product used to be the MS-DOS or Disk
Operating System, which was released in
1981. It all changed when the company
released the Windows operating system with
a Graphical User Interface in 1985.

This technological feat is represented by an asymmetric icon and a

serif wordmark. The color blue also helps communicate innovation,
which explains why there are many tech logos in this color. It looks
old-fashioned and nothing like the logos that were about to come .

1990

Microsoft Windows kept the traditional-looking

typography and paired it with a new icon. The
window illustration was designed to appear
wavy. The trailing pixel element creates an
illusion of motion. Plus, the new addition of
colors contributed a lot of vibrancies to this
design.

The 1992 logo introduced the wavy illustration that will be displayed
on our screens for years to come.

1995

When Microsoft launched Windows 95,

the 1995 logo was given new life with a
dramatic text and illustration placement.
You will also notice that the icon and the
letter O overlap to create a connection.
 Page 6 of 17

2001

The 2001 version of the Windows logo had a

lot of depth. It also looked cleaner without
the thick borders that line the "flag" design.
This version was definitely more subtle and
neat.

2006

For Windows Vista, the brand gave its logo a glass-like effect.

The button has a smooth sheen that

showcases how the rendering engine has
improved. This version is also known as "The
Pearl" and released during the company's
AERO design aesthetic period.

This is the last time the brand used the four colours on its logo.
People from the internet have theorized that the colours
represent different products of Microsoft. Microsoft. Red stands for
Office, green is for XBOX, blue is for Windows, and yellow is for Bing.

2012

For this version, Microsoft Windows created a

logo that embodied three things: Swiss design,
confidence, and digital authenticity. Microsoft no
longer wanted to carry faux-industrial traits.
 Page 7 of 17

Which is why the company bid farewell to the flag with the help of
the firm Pentagram. It now has a flat logo that results in more
accessible design.

2020

Windows 10 carries the same monochrome logo today.

The company released a logo with a rounded

icon for its new product. It also uses different
shades of blue. This version of Windows is said
to be designed for dual-screen tablets.

Version #0. A no-no

Do they owe the success to their famous
logo? Before their official launch the
twitter logo looked like this: Would you
have imagined? But luckily they
changed everything before they showed
the service to the world.
 Page 8 of 17

The first logo you remember was

the one created by graphic
designer Linda Gavin for the
official launch of Twitter in 2005.
She was given a day to create the
logo that lasted for several years.
The style was born then. The
main thing about their style
today is the simplicity and people
love it. The tendency to simplify
can be seen in the name, the logo,
even the web site. It was in 2006.

Version #2. The Twitter Bird

About 4 years later, in

2010, the company
decided to invent
something that could
reflect twitter nature.
The text logo was no
longer enough. They
created the bird as a
representation of what
a tweet feels like: the
posts are quick and
short, and all of this
sounds like something a bird would do. And the bird looked like a
symbolic representation of the services Twitter offered. This bird is a
bit more intricate than the next one, it had a bit of plumage and the
second wing in the background.

Logo #3. The Bird Alone

 Page 9 of 17

In 2012 the company decided to

make some changes once again.
They became so famous that the
name in the logo was of no need
anymore. The change they did
then was simply deleting the
letters from the logo. The concept
of the bird itself didn’t become a
lot more different, but it got rid of
the plumage and the wing was
shaped by three overlapping circles. They made it larger and changed
the colour to darker blue thus made it more pleasant to look at for a
wider audience. The symbol of the company was established and
people would recognize Twitter just by seeing the bird.

 BMW Logo evolution

1913 – 1916

The RAPP logo, designed in 1913

was composed of a circular
medallion with a thick black
framing, where two delicate white
stripes and two white stars were
placed, separating the “RAPP
MOTOR” wordmark in all capitals.

Inside the circle, there was a black horse silhouette in profile. The
chess knight figurine was turned to the left.
 Page 10 of 17

○ 1916 – 1933

The first version of the iconic blue and

white checked insignia was designed in
1916. It featured a thick black framing with
a thin gold outline and “BMW” letters in a
rounded serif typeface arched along its
upper part.

The inner-circle was composed of a bright

blue and white pattern, resembling of the plane’s propeller, and
representing the company’s value of its legacy and roots.

The choice of colors is pretty easy to explain — blue and white is the
official palette of the Bavarian Flag.

○ 1923 – 1953
In 1923 the logo was modified and modernized: the contours were
cleaned and made bolder. Now the framing became even thicker than
it used to be due to the enlargement of the
Golden outline.

As for the main change, it was definitely the

typeface of the gold “BMW” lettering, which
became sleeker and chicer now with smooth bold
serif lines.

○ 1936 – 1963
 Page 11 of 17

Gold was replaced by silver in

1936. As for the main blue and
white pattern, it became lighter,
and now the logo looked fresh,
resembling something ice-cold.
The black outline became a little
more delicate due to the thin
silver outline.

The gray lettering was now

executed in a sharp straight serif
font with distinct cuts and edges, reflecting a powerful and
progressive brand. This logo stayed with the company for almost 30
years.

○ 1963 – 1997

The contours of the badge were refined in

1963. The logo got a perfectly balanced
modern look, and the color palette became
a bit more intense and calm.

The “BMW” wordmark was now executed

in white sans-serif font with clear looks
lines, reflecting authority and value of quality and style.

The silver outline of the framing was also replaced by thin white
lines, making the emblem flat, yet modern and very strong.

○ 1970 – 1989
 Page 12 of 17

The additional logo version was designed for the famous German
automaker in 1970 — it was a bright and colourful badge, where the
official emblem from 1963 was placed in the middle of a bigger circle,
composed of thick lines in different shades of blue, white and pink.

○ 1997 – Today
The most recognizable and distinct logo for BMW was created in 1997
and remained to be official until 2020. But even after the
introduction of the new design in 2020, the previous badge still stays
on the bonnets of the iconic German autos.

The version of 1997 is composed

of a three-dimensional circle with
a thick black frame in a silver-
gray outline and white sand-serif
nameplate. The inner blue and
white patterns now have black
lines, separating the propeller’s
segments from each other. This
makes the logo look strict yet
contemporary and professional.

○ 2020 – Today
 Page 13 of 17

In 2020 the company goes minimalist

and redraws its logo in a 2D way,
removing the black colour. Now the circle
with blue and white checkers boasts a
thin gray outline and a thick white
frame, where the grey “BMW” inscription
in a modern slightly extended typeface is placed.

The logo looks fresh and cool, reflecting the progress of the brand and
its willingness to move to the new era.

 Starbucks Logo Evolution

The Starbucks logo and packaging have a striking look and feel that
stands out and catches your eye. (Which is a smart move, as your
logo is the face of your company.)

Having a memorable and recognizable logo helps to increase loyalty

and brand awareness—a double whammy for Starbucks, who have
nailed both.

Starbucks’ current logo is minimalist compared to previous designs.

It helps them advertise on websites, print their logo on products like
coffee cups and t-shirts, and other promotional materials to spread
their message of inspiration and nurturing across the world.

Let’s take a look at how the logo came to be.

 1971
 Page 14 of 17

Starbucks wasn’t
always called
Starbucks. The original
founders first named
their company Pequod,
after the whaling ship
in the story of Moby-
Dick. They quickly
realized this wasn’t a
catchy name and
switched it to Starbuck, who was the ship’s chief mate.

It’s this naval theme that led them to their very first logo
design of the twin-tailed mermaid. In Greek mythology,
these sirens (as they’re also called) would lure sailors into
crashing their ships off the coast of small islands. The
Starbucks logo would do the same, except it would lure
customers into buying tasty coffee.
The first logo used a coffee brown color (earthly, stable,
nurturing), and the mermaid was fully visible, holding her
tail in both hands. The circular design allowed them to spin
their company name around the logo, with the word’s coffee,
tea, and spices—letting customers know what’s available.

 1987
During this time, the company was bought by Howard
Schultz, who wasted no time redesigning the logo. This
would be the first evolution of the Starbucks logo.
 Page 15 of 17

Schultz hired Terry

Heckler, an artist, and
designer to help with the
new logo. Drawing
inspiration from the port
of Seattle and wanting to
incorporate the idea of a
fresh start and new
opportunities to grow and succeed, Heckler made some big
changes to the logo.
The mermaid received a makeover. Her breasts were covered
by her hair, she kept her crown, and she became more
streamlined.
The logo’s color transformed from brown to Kelly green to
represent the company’s new purpose. The words “tea” and
“spices” were dropped as well. Instead, they created a new
wordmark – Starbucks Coffee, with two stars connecting the
words.
The stars’ use and placement helped the logo stand out and
push its brand identity to be memorable and easy to
recognize.

 1992
In 1992, Starbucks went through its third logo design
change. The logo zoomed in on the mermaid, creating a more
intimate, close-up view. Her naval was no longer visible, and
only some of her tail could be seen.
 Page 16 of 17

The font was also sharpened

with a more professional and
modern appearance. The
result is a logo with a cleaner
look and feel, with the siren
having a bigger impact and
focus.

 2008
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the company decided to
attempt a considerable rebranding effort.
With a blast to the past, they reimagined the original 1971
logo with a few modern twists and changed the logo’s color
from green to black.

The result was a failure, and they received huge backlash

from their customers. Their green branding and simple logo
design had become so popular and familiar to the public that
their audience refused to accept anything other than the
beloved green logo.
 Page 17 of 17

Just goes to show you how powerful the bond is between

branding and your logo.

 2011
Realizing just how strong and successful their brand had
become, Starbucks dropped many of the familiar design
elements from its logo—giving it a very modern look and
feel, with minimalism leading the charge.

They said goodbye to

the wordmark, stars,
and outer ring. The logo
now focused entirely on
the siren, which they
enlarged and gave a
facelift. Her eyes, nose,
and hair were
redesigned to be more
symmetrical, and they
brought back the iconic green background colour.
Starbucks explained that this latest approach allows the
logo to appeal and connect with audiences worldwide.