Logos: How they changed over time
The important thing for any brand is to be recognizable. People know brands like Nike and McDonald’s without even needing the name with it because the logo on its own is so recognizable. But, was it always like that? I mean, logos change over time as do the changing of the guard with old logos vanishing to time and new ones taking their place.
As it should be obvious with logos, they are never the same forever. As time passes, new ideas come about and change logo designs. Some keep the same basic elements the same while getting modernized for the times, while others get a complete overhaul. After all, the purpose of logo evolution is,
“Brands need to stay relevant and adapt to changes to stay ahead in the game”
Some Famous Logos Throughout History
Now, even with that sentiment, logos are not made equally. That’s because some are so famous, they don’t even need words to go with them or to describe them for the average person to recognize them. Some famous examples are Nike, McDonald’s, and Apple just to name a few.
(image from www.tailorbrands.com)
The Apple logo went from a picture and text, to a logo and text until they eventually landed on the black and white logo that is still in use today. The key was simplicity, since the company’s name is Apple, then the logo should be something appropriate to match, hence the apple. You can see that even after only 1 year, the logo changed to fit the market as they probably had problems with brand recognition. Once the logo became well known enough, they realized they didn’t need the name and so what was left was a simple apple. A process of keeping it relevant while also reaching as big a demographic as possible, especially for a computer company.
(image from www.tailorbrands.com)
The Nike logo, on the other hand, always had the design they wanted and stuck with to this day. Now, someone did have to come up with the logo initially, but the only changes throughout the years was the changing typefaces for the brand name, until eventually deciding to remove the name altogether because the iconic Nike swoosh symbol was enough for people to recognize what it is. After all, it is a shoe brand, so a lot of people would encounter their products and so the logo became synonymous with the Nike brand and is still in use today. A fine example of a logo that doesn’t need to change to fit modern relevance.
(image from www.thelogocreative.co.uk)
The McDonald's logo went through a lot over the years before the iconic yellow M was decided to be the logo. And not just that, the M itself went through design changes over the years until it became the simplistic design it is today. They also streamlined the title to just McDonald's instead of "McDonald's Famous Barbecue", and that was before the iconic M became their logo.
The Simpler, The Better
What all these famous logos have in common is the concept of simplicity. They all started somewhat elaborate and detailed, but as time went on, they became more simplistic and the answer is simple. The logos got more simple design wise so more people could recognize what they are and what they represent. The more of your audience you can reach, the better your business ends up doing, so having a recognizable piece of advertising helps out in the long run.
That begs the question of why. Why change logos at all and does it really help with brand recognition to the lowest common denominator? Well, some people from the Fordham IP Institute compiled studies on logos and talked about the many reasons why they change. They mention how,
“Logos strive to be the visual counterpart of how we situate a company in the marketplace; in saying less, they acknowledge what we already know; in saying it differently, they tweak our mental image of a brand”
and how sometimes, the companies have to change them to keep up with the times, or in competition with each other in their specific industry.
Logos have changed the way they influence the modern consumer and will continue to do so indefinitely. As our collective attention spans get shorter, simple logos help accomplish what complex ones used to do. If you see a logo and you see it enough, you begin to associate the logo with the company in question until the two are inseparable.
Hello, I am Joseph Crickmore.
But you can call me Joey. I love art and design, and anything else that can be created with my own hands. I have a younger brother who has an autistic disorder, so I always show my support on World Autism Awareness Day.
I myself am a designer, content creator, and freelance artist for commissions.
