3 Most Spectacular Company Logos Evolution

The Why, What and How of Company Logos Evolution illustrated in these 3 spectacular examples where Big Brands do it right. Take a Look!

Graphic design is the most essential and basic form of communication that a company can choose. There are two key elements that matter in branding – name and logo. Brands have so many aspects to consider when developing a logo as it should be remembered for decades. However, there have been some spectacular cases of company logo evolution throughout the graphic design history.

Some of the most iconic logos today have been through so many changes that you might not even recognize them. Yet, they are now well-known worldwide and recognizable even without being accompanied by their brand’s name. Below we will outline 3 of the most famous and impressive company logo evolution examples.

Why Company Logos Need an Evolution

Brand awareness and consistency require that company logos shouldn’t go through dramatic changes in time, as they might lose their recognition. However, visual communication needs to evolve and adjust so that it can be better, friendlier and in line with visual trends. The message you send this year through branding might not be actual, authentic and in line with your intentions in 15 – 20 years.

Graphic designers learn about drawing techniques and logo adjustment ideas from by looking into the logo history of large brands. Specialized websites such as LogoRealm feature the elements and changes to logos to provide designers with insights on branding.

How Can Company Logos Change?

Branding involves so many aspects marketers should consider – brand visibility, consistency, recognition, awareness, recognition, architecture, equity and so much more. Even the branding term itself is vague and hard to define. Everything seems to matter. Yet, companies choose the branding aspects they should consider at a key moment depending on:

• Purpose of the logo change;
• Brand’s core values and message.

You can adjust the logo in diverse and sometimes unusual ways. Below you can find the key elements graphic designers consider when adjusting or changing a logo.

• Colors.
• Shapes.
• Size.
• Elements removal or adding.

3 Iconic Company Logo Evolution Cases to Learn From

1.     Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola became an official trademark in 1886. The company’s first logo didn’t have script design. It only featured the brand’s name written in black on a slab serif and chunky sans serif. One year later, the first brand logo was brawn by Frank Robinson, the company’s bookkeeper in a Spencerian script.

The font slightly adjusted as time passed. However, it kept the shapes and the small dash which made it iconic. Coca-Cola’s company logo evolution featured circles, taglines and shapes which are now perceived as part of an overall trademark.

Some features such as the bottle behind the logo in a red circle are still visible today on some products and classic versions of bottles. The logo elements such as the bottle sometimes include 3D elements such as drops of water.

Famous Coca-Cola logo-related initiative: The brand started a campaign called Share a Coke back in 2014. The initiative soon earned an international success, as customers were searching for Coca-Cola products with their name on them. The campaign featured plenty of common and uncommon local names which were stylized with a unique font. This is one of those successful campaigns that return year after year.

2.     Walmart

Walmart is now among the world’s largest retailers, according to Forbes. However, the brand had its share of public criticism and they overcame them by focusing on brand message, values and purpose. Walmart’s first logo appeared in 1950 and featured the name Walton’s. It changed its name 12 years later.

In 1964 the logo earned a western font which was accompanied by the slogan We sell for less. Satisfaction guaranteed. Walmart’s first dash turned into a little blue star in 1992.

It was only in 2008 that the font turned into its friendly version we know today. The brand’s name became Walmart. Sometimes, it also features the Save money. Live better slogan.

Famous Walmart logo-related initiative: Walmart decided to put its logo in a few adds and add another surprising brand element – a receipt. The brand challenged a few Hollywood directors to create adds using their recognizable customer receipt. The campaign was successful and the brand also managed to connect its adds to the Academy Awards and surprise its public.

3.     Apple

Apple is iconic in the world of tech and device innovation. You recognize its logo on a smartphone or a tablet without even seeing its name. The company was founded back in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

However, you might not recognize its initial logo, as it featured a black-and-white manuscript-type sketch of Isaac Newton sitting under the apple tree. It also contained the name Apple Computer Co. The logo also included the tagline Newton… a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought.

Designer Rob Janoff created the simple rainbow apple in 1977. The designer confessed that the apple was bitten to make sure that it wasn’t confused with a cherry tomato. Since then, the logo has gone through very slight changes and became black, 3D blue and white. There’s also a mystique around the logo which states that pioneering English computer scientist committed suicide in 1954. Investigators allegedly found a half-eaten apple beside his bed. However, Steve Jobs commented years after that the story was just a coincidence.

Famous Apple logo-related initiative: Apple is one of the brands which actively involved in influencer marketing and even defined it up to a point. We all know those mirror pictures influencers take so that the smartphone Apple logo is visible. We could say that Apple is among the pioneers of influencer marketing. Although Apple allegedly doesn’t consider end customer opinions, the brand realizes the importance of influencers. The brand has collaborated with famous YouTube influencers in the past and is always seeking for new opportunities and a fresh public.

Brand Wrap-Up

There might be brands which have logos that didn’t dramatically change as time passed. All of them have gone through adjustments which sometimes went unannounced. When a logo change appears with a press release, it’s usually part of a rebranding strategy.

The company logo evolution includes some outstanding changes, names of famous graphic designers, brand initiatives and even subtle messages. You might be amused to see how graphic designers motivate the changes and drawings they chose at the time. Yet, company logos are spectacular when they are recognized without including their names. The more famous they are, the larger is the success of their graphic designers. Discover more of the stories behind brands logos!