The first Apple logo was created by Ron Wayne. This name says little not only to ordinary people, but even to geeks. Meanwhile, Ronald is the third co-founder of Apple, and also the biggest loser of the 20th century. He sold his 10 percent stake in the company for $800 just 11 days after registration. If he had not taken this rash step, Ronald would now be one of the wealthiest people in the world with a fortune of $30 billion. Analysts say Apple's value will triple in three years, which means Wayne may have lost about $100 billion simply by not believing in Apple.
The logo created by Ronald Wayne has nothing in common with the current one. It was a miniature work of art. In the center was the outstanding English scientist Isaac Newton, on whom an apple was about to fall (insight!). In the future, the “Newton theme” will be continued when Apple releases its PDA.
If you enlarge the logo, you will notice that along the border there is the text: Newton... A Mind Forever Voyaging Through Strange Seas of Thought... Alone (Newton... A Mind that sails alone through strange seas of thought). This is a line from William Wordsworth's autobiographical poem "The Prelude", which in its entirety goes like this:
And from my pillow, looking forth by light
Of moon or favoring stars, I could behold
The antechapel where the statue stood
Of Newton with his prism and silent face,
The marble index of a mind for ever
Voyaging through strange seas of Thought, alone.
Translated it looks like this:
From my pillow, illuminated by the light
I could see the moon and good stars
On the pedestal is a statue of Newton.
He is holding a prism. Quiet face
Like the dial of a mind that's alone
Sailing through strange seas of Thought.
The logo turned out to be interesting (all these references to Newton, who really was lonely, a touch of mystery, etc.), but not very suitable for the realities of modern business. Therefore, Wayne's work was used for about a year. Steve Jobs then turned to graphic designer Rob Janoff for help. It was necessary to create a simple, modern-looking, well-recognizable logo.
Rob completed this task in about a week. In an interview with the Revert to Saved blog, Yanov talked about how the logo was created. Rob bought apples, put them in a bowl and began to draw, gradually removing unnecessary details. The famous “bite” was made on purpose: the logo had to be drawn so that it would be strongly associated with apples, and not other fruits/vegetables/berries. The similarity of the pronunciation byte/bite (byte/bite) also played into its favor.
Rob Yanov made the logo in color, which provided good ground for speculation and myths. The most common one, actively supported by Win and Linux users, comes down to the fact that the Apple symbol reflects support for sexual minorities. This is not entirely true. Apple truly supports the LGBT community, as evidenced by recent video, however, the color logo was created a year before gays began using the rainbow as a symbol.
The second myth is even more interesting. They say that an apple painted in the colors of the rainbow is a kind of sign of respect to Alan Turing. Turing is an outstanding English mathematician and cryptographer who made a significant contribution to the fight against fascism. During World War II, he cracked the Kriegsmarine and Enigma ciphers, and after that he had a huge influence on computer science (Turing test, work on the theory of artificial intelligence). Turing's merits did not save him from prosecution for homosexuality. Alan faced two years in prison if he did not agree to hormone therapy (which, among other things, led to breast growth and chemical castration). In addition, Turing was deprived of his most valuable asset: the opportunity to do what he loved - cryptography. As a result, Alan became a recluse, and then completely committed suicide. Moreover, the form of suicide was very unusual: Turing bit off an apple, which he had previously pumped with cyanide.
Rob Yanov refutes both myths. According to him, there is no need to look for a secret meaning. Apple's color logo was intended to reflect the fact that the company produces computers with color monitors. The Mac display at that time could display six colors. These colors were precisely indicated on the logo. There is also no pattern in the arrangement of colors. Yanov placed the colors in random order, only the green color was placed first intentionally.
The logo existed in this form for 22 years. In 1998, Steve Jobs, who had previously been ousted from Apple, returned to the company. Apple was experiencing huge financial problems at the time. Competitors sarcastically advised to close the shop and distribute the money to shareholders. Drastic measures were needed. And do you know what pulled Apple out of the crisis? Industrial designer Jonathan Ive has come up with a new case for the iMac G3.
Computers that look like candy canes literally saved Apple. Moreover, they became iconic - their images appeared in films, TV series, and glossy magazines. It is clear that a colorful logo on a colored poppy would look stupid. Apple has moved away from using a color logo. So, since 1998, we have seen a laconic monochrome logo. The company has matured. And with her, so do we.
Rob Janow created an outstanding logo. This is not a banal insignia, but a real Symbol. But Yanov’s achievements were not particularly noted by Apple. At the beginning of this post I mentioned the Nike logo. It was created by Carolyn Davidson, a student and freelancer from Oregon. Nike, a young company at the time, paid $35 for the work. But ten years later, the company’s founder, Phillip Knight, presented her with an expensive ring with a diamond “stroke” - the signature style, as well as an envelope with company shares. Knight appreciated the designer's work, making her a co-owner of Nike (albeit with a small stake).
Black and white and monochrome logos are proof that the use of color is about quality, not quantity. It's not about how many shades you use, but how you use them.
Monochrome logos offer a certain classiness and dignity, sometimes even a modern or minimalist feel. In fact, black and white logos offer many strategic benefits:
- More economical to print
- Easier to scale to fit marketing materials of any size
- Easier to understand, even at first glance
- Stronger associations for brand recognition
Take the iconic Disney logo, instantly recognizable with its distinct and playful signature. The company liberally uses the same logo design with all the colors of the rainbow depending on the needs of what it is being used for. However, the black version is the most iconic and widespread, better representing the brand than any other offshoots.
Disney logo, via Wikimedia Commons The Disney logo works because it's good. design. If they are not crafted carefully, black and white logos can come across as bland and boring.
So how do you know what works and what doesn't?
Below we present 33 monochrome logos divided into five categories: stylish, vintage, artistic, typographic and modern. Each section explains which types of brands would benefit most from that logo, so you can find the style that best suits your business.
Classic monochrome logos
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Sleek and simple, these stylish monochrome logos take a traditional approach. These logos typically belong to a book, but for some companies this is ideal.
Black Fox Events logo design by KVA 
Evergreen CPAs Logo Design by Dara T
Since the color scheme of black and white logos is limited, it is best to stick to simple shapes and clear imagery. This doesn't mean design can't be complex. The Black Fox events and unicorn logos are very detailed. In fact, if they were multi-colored, these two might run the risk of being too busy, but these designs work well because they're the same color.
Classic monochrome logos are most effective with images that are easily identifiable, like basic animals, a plant leaf, basic shapes, etc. More complex images require more intricate detail, but for this style, stick to subjects that can be depicted simply.
Great monochrome logos work best for brands that...
- I don't want to take risks.
- Work in more formal or professional industries.
- You want to appear complex and capable.
- Represented by easily recognizable talismans.
Vintage monochrome logos
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Because of their grainy illustrations and complex colors, vintage monochrome logos are actually more detailed than modern ones.
Pint of Tea Logo Design by Dara T 
Strong Bold Coffee Logo Design by CBT
Heritage Canning Co. Logo Design. Tee™
Vintage style is easily recognizable by its characteristic characteristics:
- Grainy texture reminiscent of old printing presses
- Ornate frames, often circles, creating an emblem
- Dots on each side of the trademark
- Side dishes around words
- "Set" year
Looking at the logos from Fat Rabbit, Strong Bold Coffee and Copper Kettle Bakery, you can see how the grainy and hand-drawn style gives them an authentic “vintage” feel. The Copper Kettle Bakery also showcases decorative embellishments characteristic of the style, such as floral garnishes and a second, smaller framed line.
One of the biggest advantages of this style is that you can apply it to different degrees and combine it with other styles. For example, Pint of Tea takes the grain and texture of vintage logos and reinvents them by adding a brand name to the frame. Strong Bold Coffee combines a vintage design with a modern sans-serif font, creating something of a leg up in both styles.
Given the printing limitations of the time, the vintage logo style emerged as almost entirely monochrome. Nowadays, using a vintage logo with multiple colors makes it look more modern and some of that old fashioned vibe is lost. That's why, if you're considering a vintage logo to make your company more traditional, also consider making it one color to take things further.
Vintage monochrome logos work best for brands that...
- Want to take advantage of the vintage trend to appear hip?
- Often print their logos on non-digital materials (physical products, paper bags, etc.)
- Use images that look better in textured images
Artistic monochrome logos
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Black and white logos demonstrate a principle that photographers have known for over a century: fewer colors can be more artistic. Using just one color closes a lot of design doors, of course, but it also opens up a lot of others, especially more creative uses.
Mountain macaima logo design 
Buttermilk Southern Kitchen Logo Design by Dara T
Black Castle Properties Logo Design by Corne
Monochrome logos can take advantage of these artistic possibilities. The global wildlife conservation logo is a perfect example: instead of using multiple colors to differentiate animals, it uses contours in the natural shape of an elephant to create an original concept that leaves a lasting impression on viewers. Beggar Kings does something similar, using only shading to create a complete picture.
Art styles work well for double meanings and double hooks, such as the Black Castle keyhole and husky combination or the owl/owl hop. They also lend themselves to a new take on an old concept, such as how the Buttermilk logo reimagines a vintage logo style in a way that has never been seen before.
Artistic monochrome logos are best for brands that...
- Want an image with double meaning
- Want to stand out from your competition
- Prefer more psychological logos that make people think
- Connect yourself with art and creativity
Typographic monochrome logos
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Monograms make up a large portion of all logos, but most brands want something more visual than two or three letters. It's what you do with those letters—the font, shapes, placement, and artistry—that determines how effective the logo they make is.
Bashford Design Logo Design by Arthean 
Kyber Capital logo design by ludibes
Typographic logos do something original and memorable with letters so that they appeal to everyday people. One way is to reformat them to form a specific image—like the barbell in Neal Hudson's logo. Another way is to add stylish details to make the logo more decorative and invigorating. The Bashford Design logo does this well. You can also combine letters for creative purposes, such as Antipodes Merino and DTR Partners.
When all else fails, you can always come up with a new font to encapsulate your brand's personality. We've never seen K before like in Cyber Capital, but we can still recognize it as K.
Typographic monochrome logos are best for brands that...
- Emphasize their brand name by prioritizing recognition
- Named after people
- too formal for mascots or image logos
Modern monochrome logos
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The natural minimalism of monochrome logos works well with modern styles. Today's aesthetic trends encourage a smaller approach in which more than one color seems decadent.
Csoki accident insurance logo design
Modern style is difficult to define, but we can identify it by some common characteristics
- Summary. Shapes like the Third Eye logo, which depict nothing, in particular, are a staple of modern design.
- Angular or geometric. Grid designs such as the Northampton logo appear futuristic with their many straight lines that automatically denote the leading edge.
- Creation. Art styles and contemporary styles have a lot of overlap; The monochrome logo for Nyrdy could fit any category, but the angular shapes and minimalism force it to adapt a little to the modern times.
- Violation of conventions. If the Jamie Groom logo was missing a quarter, the missing quarter in the Jamie Groom logo would fit in well with other typographic logos, but it's the missing piece that gives it a modern and edgy appeal.
- Humor. In the spirit of breaking conventions, logos can also create an expectation of confusion. Emergency Trauma Resource plays on the famous legal logo to not only share information, but also joke.
Contemporary styles represent a brand's younger, edgier, and more unconventional personas, but this can work against some companies that market themselves as more traditional. How effective they are depends on how you want to perceive yourself.
Modern monochrome logos work best for brands that...
- Target youth
- Benefit from the appearance of a futuristic or cutting edge
- Rely on humor or uniqueness in their branding
- Want to twist things up a bit with a more traditional classy style?
Black (and white) is back, baby!
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When it comes to colors in logos, a little goes a long way. If rainbows aren't important to your brand or your target customers are children, a monochrome or black and white logo can achieve as much as a multicolored one, but with the added benefits of being cheaper to print and easier to reproduce. Take inspiration from the examples above and start dreaming about how you want your logo to look.
Few people know, but the photo above is the real Apple logo.
Apple's main symbol has been updated several times already. Changing the logo is a kind of control point, marking a transition to new views and principles of the company. Moreover, these changes were never random.
Are you sure you remember the old company logos? Let's figure it out.
Newton logo (1976 - 1977)
The first Apple logo is far from the modern, laconic symbol. By and large, he stood out in those days. The logo was created by one of the founders of Apple, Ronald Wayne, who quickly sold his stake in the company. It's a cool idea - to use the widely circulated story about the discovery of gravity by Isaac Newton. But its implementation leaves much to be desired.
Minimalism? No, we haven't heard. The logo looks more like a coat of arms: a shield, a heraldic ribbon, a pompous signature. It is absolutely not suitable for application to products, and all because of its bulky geometry and the abundance of small parts. Fortunately, it didn't last long.
Rainbow Logo (1977 - 1998)
An ambitious company needs a recognizable symbol. That's why Apple's founders turned to designer Rob Janoff of Regis McKenna. It was he who created the well-known bitten apple in rainbow colors.
In an interview, the designer said that he simply bought a bag of apples and experimented with them for a week. Many hoax fans like to attribute hidden meanings to this logo. But Rob Janoff debunked all the myths, according to him, he did not make any references to Alan Turing or the Garden of Eden:
- stripes of all the colors of the rainbow indicate the competitive advantage of Apple computers, which could display color images;
- the incorrect order of these colors is justified by the fact that an apple leaf should be green;
- the fruit was “bitten” so as not to confuse the apple with other fruits;
- the consonant “byte” and “bite” remain only curious coincidences.
Monochrome logo (1998–present)
By the end of the nineties, Apple was on the verge of failure. After his return to the company, Steve Jobs made a splash - he closed unpromising projects, updated the staff and stopped renewing licenses for proprietary software. In order to forever disown the disastrous old course, the logo was also changed. From 1998 until now it has been a solid apple.
If the size of the previous logo rarely exceeded 1.5 x 1.5 cm, then the monochrome version is usually larger, brighter and more noticeable. Nowadays the “apple” is painted in three colors: black, white and gray. But before there were more varieties, here are the most famous:
iMac G3 logo
The release of the iMac G3 in 1998 marked the return of Apple. Stylish all-in-one PCs had just such a logo, and it was the same color as part of the case. The PowerMac, Apple Studio Display and iBook, released a year later, received similar logos.
“Aqua” logo
This logo first appeared on the PowerMac G4 Cube and was used for several years in advertising and banners. Plus, it could be seen in early versions of OS X, because the logo fit perfectly into the concept of the Aqua interface.
"Glass" logo
Users of Apple's desktop OS first saw this logo in 2002 when upgrading to OS X Panther. With the release of the iPhone in 2007, this symbol moved to mobile devices. It was replaced only in 2013 in connection with the release of iOS 7 and the abandonment of skeuomorphism.
Metal logo
Metal logos are one of Apple's favorite and recognizable features. Having appeared in the iMac G4 all-in-one PCs, such logos roamed across all categories of Apple products. iPhone cases with holes? All for the sake of the treasured metal apple.
Logo “Product.RED”
Apple is partnering with Product Red to help the latter raise funds for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. On the official website of the Cupertino company you can find products, part of the proceeds from which go to this fund. Once a year, on the first of December, on World AIDS Day, Apple turns its logo red.
What's next?
Of course, Apple won't change the shape of its logo. You shouldn’t expect exotic color solutions from the company either; minimalism is in fashion now. Perhaps soon we will see the familiar logo made from new materials. Maybe
A logo is a tool for public recognition of a company’s services and products. In other words, it is part of the company's branding. Without such recognition, people will not be able to differentiate between companies, and therefore will not expect certain standards from the companies they interact with. If a logo is designed effectively, it can subconsciously convey the organization's unique selling proposition to the consumer. To evaluate the effectiveness of logos, it is best to examine the history of their development over the years. In this article, you can look at how the logos of some of the most famous companies in the world have evolved over the years, decades and even centuries. We hope this gives you an opportunity to see how companies have been able to design their logos and make them recognizable.
Volkswagen
In the early 1930s, the design bureau of Ferdinand Porsche in Stuttgart developed several prototypes of small cars with 4-cylinder engines from Zundapp and NSU. In 1934, Adolf Hitler instructed Porsche to establish mass production of such cars. He decided to give the German people a mass-produced and cheap model, which he called “Volkswagen” (VW for short), that is, “The People’s Car”. After Germany was defeated in World War II, the British took over the plant. The logo has been significantly changed.
Today, the Volkswagen logo contains blue and gray colors.
Nike
In 1971, company founder Phil Knight met graphic arts student Carolyn Davidson and asked her to design a logo that would be used for shoes. He explained to the designer that he needed a dynamic logo. She created several versions of the logo and collaborated with the company to develop catalogs, brochures, emblems and other products. Carolyn Davidson worked for Nike for 29 years. Tracing the evolution of the Nike logo, you can see that initially it was a combined sign in which a graphic element was combined with text. In the first version, the direction of the text coincides with the graphic element, but in subsequent versions the text is positioned strictly horizontally, which gives greater contrast. In the final version, the logo became purely graphic and as laconic as possible. On the one hand, in this form it is more expressive, but, on the other hand, it can be assumed that by this time the company name had already become a brand, and there was no longer any need to indicate it on the logo.
Today the Nike logo looks like this:
Mozilla Firefox
The logo originally featured a Phoenix with its wings spread to match the original name: Phoenix.
Later, for legal reasons, the name was changed, retaining the image of a fiery bird - Firebird. The icons at that time looked like this:
But this name was also abandoned. It has been changed to Firefox. The most interesting thing is that firefox is not a fox, but a red panda. The first prototype of the logo, created by British graphic artist John Hicks, looked like a panda.
Later, a globe was added to the logo as a symbol of the Internet, and the panda was made to look a little like a fox. The logo looked so unique that when developing it, they immediately abandoned the text signature.
Pepsi
As one of the oldest companies, it has changed more than one logo in its history. But the red color can be seen in every logo. And only since the 50s, 2 other official colors were added: blue and white.
Now the logo of this company looks like this.
Microsoft
In 1975, the year the company was founded, its name was “Micro-soft”. That’s exactly how, with a hyphen, which was later removed, they created a logo with the disco-style typography that was so popular at that time.
After 7 years, disco went out of fashion, including in design, and Microsoft introduced a new logo with a central letter O in the form of a stylized eye. The company's employees nicknamed him Blibbet and loved him so much that when the logo was changed in 1987, one of the employees created a "Save Blibbet" campaign. They didn’t return the eye, but they made small concessions - they started making “Blibbet Burgers” for employees in the cafeteria. The logo of the 1987 version was actually the same as what we see now.
In the fall of 2012, a new Microsoft logo was released. It includes the multi-colored symbol that everyone is used to seeing on the company's Windows products. Microsoft spokesman Jeff Hansen told the Seattle Times that the logo "symbolizes not only our past, but also the future - newness and freshness."
Siemens
The logo of this company used to be a combination of two Latin letters S and H, after the first letters of their creators Siemens and Halske. And in 1973, it was decided to simply call the company Siemens AG.
Currently the logo looks like this:
Xerox
Their very first logo is considered by many to be the best - it lasted 43 years. Then it lost its protrusions and turned red. According to the Xerox president, the new energetic logo emphasizes the brand's modern style, less formal and more lively, in line with “the business of today.” It has preserved the history of the company and has great prospects for the future.
Apple
The first logo was designed by Ron Wayne, one of the three founders of Apple, along with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The logo at that time depicted Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree, symbolizing insight and lines from the poem by William Wordsworth: “Newton... A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought... alone.” Soon, Steve Jobs decided to abandon the Newton logo, as he believed that it was too complex and, given its small size, was difficult to reproduce on various surfaces. In 1977, a different colored apple-shaped logo was chosen. Largely thanks to this bright, memorable and fashionable logo at that time, the company was able to reach a new level and increase sales. The monochrome logo replaced the famous rainbow logo in 1999. Almost simultaneously with the monochrome logo, there was also a glass logo. The official one today is the chrome logo, developed in 2007. The Apple logo is one of the most iconic, recognizable and treasured logos in the world, so it's no surprise that it hasn't changed radically since 1977.
Chrome logo
BMW
The company was formed as a result of the merger of two small aircraft engine manufacturers - Rapp-Flugmotoren Werke And Otto-Werke. The type of her activity is captured in the logo - a rotating airplane propeller against a blue sky. The company logo remained almost unchanged.
Today the logo looks like this:
Coca Cola
For the second century in a row, the world famous drink “Coca-Cola” is one of the most recognizable brands. The name itself, the Coca-Cola logo, the unique font of the trademark - all this was invented by Frank Robinson, without even knowing at that time about the future of his discovery. In 1980, a new spelling was introduced, but this logo was completely unsuccessful and the company quickly abandoned this idea. Today, the Coca-Cola logo looks almost the same as it did a hundred years ago, with the exception of the inversion, which the logo lost in 2008. Now the name of the drink is written in red letters on a white background.
LG
The LG empire began its history during the Second World War in South Korea. It all started with the production of tooth powder. Initially, these were two separate organizations: the cosmetics company Lucky Chemical Industrial (since 1947) and the radio-electronic plant GoldStar (since 1958). After the merger, the company received the name Lucky Goldstar, and in 1995 changed it to LG Electronics. Today, LG is a huge South Korean conglomerate, including companies such as LG Chemicals, LG Telecom, and even the LG Twins baseball team. They are all united by the common slogan “Life is Good!”
Mazda
The first Mazda logo appeared in 1934, shortly after the launch of the MazdaGo three-wheeled truck. The name Mazda was chosen after the supreme deity of the ancient Iranians. The first stylization of the key letter for the company, M, in the long history of Mazda. The curved curve simultaneously refers us to the emblem of Hiroshima, the hometown of Mazda Motor Manufacturer. The lines diverging in different directions resemble a two-lane highway. In 1991, for just two years, a logo for Mazda cars was developed. This Mazda logo was associated with wings, the sun and a circle of light. And finally, in June 1997, the logo by which we recognize Mazda cars today was presented.
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