Logos speak of a company’s rich history. It can tell how the company climbed mountains to reach the peak of success. Every logo has a story to tell.
Your company logo is crucial for identity and branding, but did you ever think there was a story behind it all? The simple Nike swoosh has a whole history of background that created the brand that is world famous today, yet without any knowledge of this a consumer may only see the swoosh as a simple design. Logos don’t just function as the face of your brand, but great design has a story behind it all. These are some of the great stories behind famous logos and how they went up with the success of the company.
APPLE
The famous tech company founded by Steve Jobs has a partially-eaten apple as its logo. But, not many know that the first logo, designed by Ron Wayne, depicted Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree with the tagline, “A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought...alone.”
However, almost immediately, it was replaced by Rob Janoff’s design- a partially eaten apple, except in a rainbow-colored silhouette. Later, when Janoff presented Jobs several design themes for the bitten apple, Jobs instantly liked the logo since it seemed to “humanize” the company. The bite was designed to differentiate the logo from the fruit or as Janoff said, “prevent the apple from looking like a cherry tomato.” The colored theme was finally discontinued in 1998.
NIKE
Nike’s logo, which is very effective in all its simplicity, is one of the most powerful logos in US sports apparel. Nike is the Greek goddess of victory and the company’s logo is derived from her wing, ‘Swoosh’. According to Greek mythology, the Swoosh motivated and gives warriors immense power and strength.
According to legends, a Greek would say, “When we go to battle and win, we say it is Nike.” Perfect, eh?
STARBUCKS
Going all the way back to 1971, to when Starbucks was first coming to be, a search was out for a logo that captured the seafaring history of coffee and Seattle’s strong seaport roots. There was a lot of pouring over old marine books going on when they discovered the 16th century Norse woodcut of a twin-tailed mermaid, or siren.
There was something about her- a seductive mystery mixed with a nautical theme that was exactly what the founders were looking for. The logo was designed around her and through some minor tweaks has remained the logo for the company till today.
MCDONALDS
McDonalds Corporation has become synonymous with fast food and has become one of the largest restaurant chains in the world. The McDonalds logo has become a symbol of international business expansion and has been termed as “part of Americanization and American cultural imperialism.”
The famous Golden Arches in McDonalds’ logo represent style, significance and a strong corporate identity. It was created by Jim Schindler in 1962 and the idea was first introduced by Dick and Mac McDonald as arch shaped signs on the sides of their then ‘walkup hamburger stand,” From an angle those arches looked like the letter “M” and thus, were incorporated in the McDonalds logo as a merger of the two arches together.
