The History of Logo Design: Are They Just Passing Trends?

The History of Logo Design: Are They Just Passing Trends? Page 1
Jason Hill 2016 http://logodesignhistory.jasonhill.id.au/

In an age where an overabundance of brands is flooding the marketplace and consumers are spoilt
for choice, a company's branding is a crucial aspect to its success. Logos characterise the identity of a
company and act as the primary visual representation of a brands general meaning, shaping their
reputation along with customers’ attitudes (Whan Park et al., 2012). A brand's logo can be as simple
as a symbol or the name of the company, or be a combination of the two (Page & Thorsteinsson,
2009). This research project aims to investigate the details of logo design history, and whether or not
trends continue throughout time or change dramatically between eras. Just as graphic design has
gone through numerous design trends, the logo design industry has also seen a variety of changes
due to improvements with technology, introduction of new marketing methods and increasing
pressure placed on businesses to remain relevant and identifiable. Major changes often happen
every decade, and are evident in the basic fundamentals of corporate logos such as typography,
shape, image, style, size and colour (Hynes, 2008).
Corporate logos first became mainstream during the Second Industrial Revolution in the late 19th
century. From the 1880s, Art Nouveau influenced almost everything from architecture, interior
design, jewellery and art and sought to revive the quality of workmanship and crafts. The style was
richly ornamental and asymmetrical, characterised by organic lines that took the form of flower
stalks, vine tendrils and insect wings (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014). Companies including Ford,
Pepsi, GE Healthcare, Renault and Fiat all had logos that were reminiscent of this era, with the logos
being implemented in the 1890s and early 1900s.
1903
Ford
1898
Pepsi-Cola
1892
GE Healthcare
1900
Renault
1901
Fiat
The Ford badge was wrapped in a thorny, vine-like illustration, whilst the Fiat logo features flowing
flowers on both sides of the word 'Fiat'. Although the Renault logo doesn't have an organic aspect,
the flowing ribbons at the top of the circle fit the decorative style of the era. The more minimalist,
Pepsi and GE logos are text only, however the Pepsi has a distinct spikey vine approach, and the GE
logo adopts an ornamental style typography similar to that of the Renault logo.
Economic desperation in the 1930s due to The Great Depression led manufacturers to enhance
product appearance making items feel new and desirable to consumers. Through influence of
industrial designers such as Raymond Loewy, Henry Dreyfuss and Norman Bel Geddes, modernism
and streamlining became the industry standard design tools used to rejuvenate outdated products
(Eldridge & Halliwell, 2008). The marketing efforts of dominant brands during this time is clearly
evident through the revision of corporate logos. Business professional and marketing expert, Dave
Chase states that during The Great Depression, the businesses that continued as if nothing was
wrong and spent money on advertising, inevitably succeeded despite the difficult times (Chase,
2008).

1926 to 1933 | 1926 to 1990
Skoda
1929 | 1932
Fiat
The Skoda and Fiat logo redesigns did away with Art Nouveau practices, and instead opted for a flat
and simple approach. The Skoda logo was no longer identified by the cursive font, but rather the
'winged arrow' icon, breaking away from traditional text-centric logos.
The flat design style remained fairly consistent through the 1940s, with many logos starting to
incorporate bright colours into their designs. The Shell and Renault logos were no longer black and
white, each being colourised with a bright yellow, as well as red for Shell. As explained in a logo
design colour study, warm colours such as red, yellow and orange have the potential to mentally
stimulate and create excitement (and sometimes even anger if used without caution) (Hynes, 2008).
1930 | 1948
Shell
1925 | 1946
Renault
The 1950s and 1960s saw a widespread introduction of Swiss Typography, which was less like art
and more like a science emphasising mathematical principles, minimal decoration and plain
typography (Ambrose & Harris, 2006). Simple san-serif typefaces became popular, designs were
sharp, crisp and there were no unnecessary embellishments. The notion of a clean, readable, grid-
based design is evident in the transformation of the ABC and Caterpillar logo, with some concepts
also being translated to the Pepsi logo of the 1960s.
1957 | 1962
ABC (America)
1941 | 1957
Caterpillar
1950 | 1962
Pepsi
All three logos changed to bold san-serif fonts, with additional text and service marks alongside the
ABC and Caterpillar logos also being removed. Pepsi opted for a more streamlined approach and
removed the '-Cola' from the company branding, no longer being identified as Pepsi-Cola. Following
the concepts of Swiss Typography, these logos are very symmetrical, have even letter spacing, and
are aligned mathematically, in these cases, centred.

From the 1970s up to the 1990s, the unrestrained avant-garde movement of Postmodernism
became the dominant graphic design force. Paintings and books no one understood, uninhabitable
and unattractive buildings, and faceless, alienating products with little sensuous appeal were all
characteristic of this era (Julier, 1993). It’s for these reasons that logo design wasn’t affected to a
major degree. For the next few decades, logos gradually became simpler and many didn't change
until the 1990s. Shell redesigned their logo, switching from an illustrated style logo, to the now
widely recognised Shell icon. The Starbucks logo remained fairly similar throughout this period, with
only minor changes such as incorporating colour and changing the font in 1987. Nike also underwent
a font change in 1978, and then inverted the colour in 1985, however the iconic Nike Swoosh and
the 1978 typeface remained. Common trends throughout this period included a widespread use of
san-serif fonts and increased use of negative space. Negative space is prominent in the third Nike
logo and the Shell logo each using colour differentiation to distinguish logo elements.
1971 | 1995 | 1999
Shell
1971 | 1987 | 1992
Starbucks
1971 | 1978 | 1985
Pepsi
Often referred to as the 'Rise of Corporate' identity (Vit, Palacio & Gomez Palacio, 2009), the 1990s
saw a new wave of marketing overhauls in an effort to maintain a brand presence in an increasingly
crowded and competitive marketplace. Within the years to come, many companies began refreshing
their logos, with brand imaging, positioning and awareness advertising all becoming top priorities
(Bagot, Davidson & Mandese, 1990).
1984 | 1997
Vodafone
1980 | 1993
Samsung
1965 | 1998
Nokia
1978 | 1991
KFC
Vodafone’s iconic opening quotation mark was introduced in 1997, an update from the previous
text-only logo first created in 1984. Samsung's change of management in 1993 also saw a change of
logo, removing the three stars (Samsung means 'three stars' in Korean), altering the font and
changing the colour scheme (Samsung, 2013). The Nokia logo also faced a major redesign in 1998,
following an industry shift to becoming predominantly a phone manufacturer (Nokia, 2016). In 1991,

fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken also refreshed their image, abbreviating the company name
to KFC alongside adopting the now well recognised red and blue colour scheme and bold KFC font.
The 2000s marked a major leap forward in the realm of home
computers, with the release of Microsoft and Apple's new
computer operating systems. The introduction of updated
software such as the web browser, video and photo editing
applications made multimedia practices such as graphic design
easier, faster, more affordable and available to a wide audience
(Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011). Often referred to as the era of
3D design, the 2000s quickly became the era of embossed text,
gloss finishes, subtle shadows and virtual lighting. Apple was the
leader of this revolution, with the new operating system
employing all of these new design aesthetics.
The Apple logo, which was previously a simple flat black and
white icon epitomises the 3D design era. The logo had a glossy
finish and an emulated lighting effect due to the variations in
brightness. The revised Pepsi logo went to the extent of adding 3D water and ice droplets to their
symbol. Similarly, the Renault logo opted for a light gloss style finish, with multiple shadows cast
from a variety of different directions on the silver diamond. A sense of depth was also achieved with
the logo by placing the diamond inside a debossed section of a yellow square. Microsoft also used
these techniques with the Windows XP logo, including a combination of shadows and emulated
lighting to create a 3D Windows symbol.
1998 | 2001| 2007
Vodafone
1998 | 2003
Samsung
1992 | 2004
Renault
1995 (95) | 2001 (XP)
Windows
It was only a few years until Microsoft introduced a completely different design style, now popularly
known as 'Flat Design', which emphasised a revised style of minimalism introduced by Swiss
Typography. It was considered a risky move because of how different it was to the 3D trends,
however new Microsoft products such as the Xbox and Windows operating systems reinforced the
notion that a very minimalistic and useable interface can be successful (Pratas, 2014). This 'new'
trend of simple, usable, no-frills design quickly caught on to logo design, moving away from the
somewhat dated and tacky 3D design.
OS X Operating System
Window Style
(Omnigroup - Graffletopia, 2008)

Apple
Current
Pepsi
Current
Windows
Current
2008 | 2012
Google Chrome
2011 | 2016
Instagram
Apple reverted back to an older version of their logo, removing all unnecessary glosses, gradients
and shadows in order to emphasise the sleek simplicity of their product designs. Pepsi further
simplified their logo by removing the brand name, stripping back to just the tri-coloured circle. The
Windows logo also lost all gradients, shadows and faux lighting, opting for four slightly angled and
brighter squares. The Google Chrome logo was very reminiscent of the previous design style, with
over exaggerated 3D perspectives, heavy gloss features and simulated lighting. The new revision
switched to a 2D perspective and did away with these styles. The Instagram logo also received a
major overhaul recently, and completely redesigned the identity of the popular image sharing app.
The browns and creams were no longer existent, the detailed lens and viewfinder replaced with
simple circles and the Polaroid stripe was removed.
Although these eras showcase different design concepts, they share similar design principles by
drawing on the elements that worked well in the past, whilst removing the ones that no longer
served a purpose. The first recognisable period of logo design lasted for over 30 years, with Art
Nouveau style designs dominating the commercial space. Although successful and relevant at the
time, the style became dated, and companies were looking to revamp their image in light of the
recession of The Great Depression. The new industrialised style was introduced in order to make
products irresistible again, reinventing almost all design principles in an effort to sell. Soon after,
logos began to introduce bright colour schemes, with yellow and red becoming popular choices with
many companies including Shell and Renault. The notion of simplifying designs continued for the
next few decades, and took an almost extreme step in the 1950s with the widespread introduction
of Swiss Typography. Logos became very scientific, with designs becoming symmetrical, letter
spacing placed mathematically, and elements aligned according to grid-like patterns. Although the
period was short lived in the graphic design world, many of the principles of Swiss Typography are
still commonplace today. Whilst logos aren't perfectly symmetrical, majority still follow the concepts
of equal spacing and precise alignment. It's evident that the process of simplifying logos became the
dominant force behind logo changes, with each era taking new steps towards a minimalist design.
The years following Swiss Typography didn't introduce any major changes, but rather further
developed the previous trend. The Rise of Corporate Identity in the 1990s saw major changes in
logos with a new emphasis being placed on branding. The concepts weren't exactly new, but
influenced the path of logo design to come. Fonts were the major identifier, with many companies
such as Vodafone, Samsung and KFC still using the typefaces introduced in the 1990s. The 2000s
proved to be a pivotal point in logo design, and many of the earlier design fundamentals were
disregarded. Logos were no longer flat, and skeuomorphism dominated designs with emulated
lighting, gloss and shadows filling the market. The trend was short lived and became dated very
quickly. Soon after, Flat Design as we know today was introduced, building upon minimalist design.
Many logos are now either identified by a symbol or a word, not a combination of the two. The
Vodafone quotation mark introduced in the 1990s, has now become the Vodafone logo. Similarly,
the KFC font from the 1990s has now became the identifier of the fast food chain.

It's evident that through the years, logo design has changed to meet constantly changing cultural,
market and consumer trends. From the extravagant and artistically embellished Art Nouveau period,
to the mathematical design fundamentals of Swiss Typography, to the over styled skeuomorphic in
the early 2000s, each era had distinct design patterns. Many eras were short lived, and companies
such as Pepsi consistently changed their logo in an effort to remain fresh and trendy. However, case
studies such as Shell, Nike and Starbucks prove that logos can stand test of time with minimal
changes due to simplicity, uniqueness and only loose ties to a particular design era. Although design
trends can be somewhat unpredictable with constantly changing ideologies and technology, many of
the design fundamentals remain relevant despite what is currently popular. The modernism designs
introduced in the 1930s proved to be a perfect example of how current designs are influenced by
the past, especially in the current trend of flat, minimalistic designs. Furthermore, Swiss Typography
demonstrated a pivotal moment in design trends, establishing fundamentals that majority of logos
now follow, such as the principles of equal spacing and precise alignment - symmetrical or not.
Whatever the next trend may be, there's a high possibility that the combination of Swiss
Typography's precision and modernism's simplicity will be a foundation of the era's designs.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Agency Sales, 1988 , 'How to create a great logo', Agency Sales, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 16-21.
Ambrose, G. & Harris, P., 2006, Fundamentals of Typography, AVA Publishing, Lausanne.
Armstrong, H., 2009, Graphic Design Theory : Readings From the Field, Princeton Architectural Press,
New York.
Bagot, B., Davidson, C. & Mandese, J., 1990 , '1990 Marketing & Media Influencers', Marketing &
Media Decisions, vol. 25, no. 7, pp. 31-35.
Bennett, A., 2006, Design Studies: Theory and Research in Graphic Design, Princeton Architectural
Press, New York.
Chase, D. 2008, How Brands Thrived During the Great Depression, viewed September 2016,
<http://www.strategicgrowthconcepts.com/marketing/marketing-information-articles/How-Brands-
Thrived-During-the-Great-Depression_AE62.html>.
Creative Bloq 2015, 5 key logo trends and what you can learn from them, viewed September 2016,
<http://www.creativebloq.com/logo-design/key-historical-trends-and-what-you-can-learn-
61515525>.
Eldridge, D.N. & Halliwell, M., 2008, Twentieth-Century American Culture : American Culture in the
1930s, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
Encyclopædia Britannica 2011, Mac OS, viewed September 2016,
<https://www.britannica.com/technology/Mac-OS>.
Encyclopædia Britannica 2014, Art Nouveau, viewed September 2016,
<https://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Nouveau>.
Grobert, J., Cuny, C. & Fornerino, M., 2016 , 'Surprise! We changed the logo', Journal of Product &
Brand Management, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 239-246.
Hynes, N., 2008 , 'Colour and meaning in corporate logos: An empirical study', Brand Management,
vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 545-555.
Julier, G., 1993, The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Design Since 1900, Thames & Hudson.
Nokia 2016, Our Story, viewed September 2016, <http://company.nokia.com/en/about-us/our-
company/our-story>.
omnigroup 2008, Mac OS X Interface 2 , viewed September 2016,
<https://www.graffletopia.com/stencils/320>.
Page, T. & Thorsteinsson, G., 2009 , 'Brand power through effective design', i-manager's Journal on
Management, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 11-25.

Perrey, J. & Spillecke, D., 2013, Retail Marketing and Branding : A Definitive Guide to Maximizing ROI
(2), John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., West Sussex.
Pitta, D.A. & Katsanis, L.P., 1984 , 'Article: Understanding brand equity for successful brand
extension', Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 51-64.
Pratas, A., 2014, Creating Flat Design Websites, Packt Publishing, Birmingham.
Samsung 2013, [Infographic] 20 Things You Didn’t Know about Samsung, viewed September 2016,
<https://news.samsung.com/global/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-samsung>.
Siddiqua, M. 2015, 10 Decades of Logo Design Evolution, viewed September 2016,
<http://blog.logodesignguru.com/logo-design-evolution-decades/>.
Vit, A., Palacio, B.G. & Gomez Palacio, B., 2009, Graphic Design, Referenced : A Visual Guide to the
Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design, Rockport Publishers.
Whan Park, C., Eisingerich, A.B., Pol, G. & Whan Park, J., 2012 , 'The role of brand logos in firm
performance', Journal of Business Research, vol. 66, pp. 180-187.
Obtaining Logos
Logos were sourced from a variety of online sources (including company websites, logo design
forums and Wikipedia) and remain the intellectual property of the companies involved. Many logos
are classed under the public domain as they don’t meet the threshold of originality – and therefore
are available to use. Trademarked logos or logos subject to copyright are used under the provision of
fair use as stated in the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) for research or study, criticism or review.
Additional information regarding fair use can be obtained from the following links:
 James Cook University
o Copyright, Access and Use Conditions
https://www.jcu.edu.au/library/find/books,-dvds-and-more/special-
collections/access-And-use-conditions-nqheritage
 Australian Government – Australian Law Reform Commission
o 4. The Case for Fair Use in Australia - What is fair use?
https://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/4-case-fair-use-australia/what-fair-use
o 7. Fair Dealing - Current law
https://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/7-fair-dealing/current-law

The History of Logo Design: Are They Just Passing Trends?

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The History of Logo Design: Are They Just Passing Trends?