Logo Evolution: Tracing the Journey of Famous Brands - The Logo Creative | International Logo Design & Branding Studio

Q: What is the oldest unchanged logo?

Coca-Cola’s logo , created in 1886, has largely remained the same, maintaining its script style despite minor tweaks.

As humans we look at symbols and quickly identify brands, this is the impact of a good logo design. In the ever-changing world of advertising, marketing, and branding, logos play a crucial role as they give a brand identity to a company. In this article we look at Logo Evolution: Tracing the Journey of Famous Brands.

Through this article, we will take you to the journey of logos of some really famous brands. With changing times, these logos have changed as well to stay relevant. Let’s trace their interesting stories of transformations.

Table of Contents

1. Apple Inc

People from different walks of life can effortlessly identify the logo of this tech giant. Apple’s first logo was created in 1976 and it had the illustration of Issac Newton sitting under an apple tree with a quote from William Wordsworth inscribed around it.

In 1977, Rob Janoff created an iconic design featuring a rainbow- coloured apple with a bite taken out of it. The rainbow colour was used to symbolise the variety of capabilities of Apple computers.

This design was used for almost 20 years, but in the late 1990s, a new monochrome logo was introduced. The silver apple looked chic and stylish and it was used till 2007.

You must be wondering about the significance of representing an apple with a bite taken out from it. Well, it symbolises knowledge, user-friendly technology, and innovation.

2. Coca-Cola

The power of branding is unfathomable, and its best example is the logo story of Coca Cola. Since 1886, this brand has seen variations in its logo several times.

Even though it had alterations, there are some elements that remain unchanged- Spencerian handwriting script and the iconic contour bottle shape.

The first logo of Coca-Cola was created in 1885 by Frank Robinson who was a co-founder and bookkeeper of this brand. In the design, the words- ‘Coca-Cola’ were written in 19th century style of handwriting script, which is known as Spencerian.

Then later in 1890, the swirly design came with the extra curvy script to give the brand a fun vibe. It also featured hanging musical notes.

The script logo has witnessed many transformations but its classic charm has always been maintained. In 1958, the logo was simplified. The bottle shape was worked upon and the result was truly amazing.

This instantly recognizable logo has become synonymous with the most famous soft drink in the world.

3. Nike

One of the leading brands in the world of sports and athletics, Nike also has a great logo with a story of minor changes and design adjustments.

Nike’s first logo was created in 1971 by graphic designer Carolyn Davidson. The design featured the swoosh which represents motion, speed, and the wing of the Greek goddess Nike.

With years, the Nike logo has certainly witnessed some changes, but they are minor amendments related to the logo’s proportions and thickness. The brand never changed its core design elements.

In 1995, the name ‘Nike’ was set in a bold italicised font, with the swoosh underneath. This iconic swoosh became so popular that it was rebranded to become the sole logo. Since then, the Nike logo remains unchanged and is now recognized around the world as an emblem of athleticism, speed, and quality in sporting goods.

4. Starbucks

A global network of coffeehouses, Starbucks is an extremely popular brand which has a logo with a rich history. The original Starbucks logo featured a mermaid, or siren, based on a 16th-century Norse woodcut.

She was depicted with two tails and exposed breasts. In the late 1980s, the logo was redesigned and this time the mermaid was modernised and breasts weren’t exposed. With a more polished appearance, the logo became an iconic symbol of quality coffee and community.

In 2011, Starbucks was a household name. The use of green colour in the logo represents wealth, healing, and nature. In addition, the use of white colour is used as the main siren symbol, representing simplicity and cleanliness.

5. Google

Google isn’t that old as other brands we have added to this blog, but it too has gone through a logo revolution. Founded in 1998, Google had a childlike logo featuring exclamation points.

Next year in 1999, the logo was redesigned with a more mature look. Over the years, it witnessed subtle changes keeping its simplicity intact. The core elements were unchanged.

The 2015 sans serif iteration aimed to cement Google’s brand identity as friendly, approachable, and simplistic. The logo reflects Google’s commitment to making information accessible and user-friendly.

6. Adidas

It has a wordmark logo which is designed keeping simplicity in mind. In the 1950s, other shoe brands had different elements and drawings of shoes in the logos, but Adidas always had the wordmark design.

The first revolution in the logo of Adidas was minor. The colour scheme was inverted so that the wordmark itself was black- surrounded by whitespace. This design looks more mature than the previous design.

By 2005, Adidas added 4 logo designs to their branding, their striped trefoil, Adidas Mountain, round emblem, and Adidas wordmark. Each of these designs varied in its colour schemes.

In social media and marketing campaigns these logos were extensively used.

Final words

The evolution of famous brand logos shows us that the world of branding, marketing and designing is constantly changing. And thus, to stay relevant, all these popular companies had to introduce significant transformations in their logo designs. This way, these logos became the most recognizable symbols.

The long journey of these logos remind us that in order to achieve success, a company needs to evolve itself while keeping the tastes and values of its customers.

To write this article in detail, our researchers have worked really hard and found out some incredible facts about the evolution of these popular brands’ logos.

Check out our other articles about logo design and branding!

Further Reading:

Join The Logo Community

We hope you enjoyed these Logo Evolution: Tracing the Journey of Famous Brands. If you would like more personal tips, advice, insights, and access to our community threads and other goodies, join me in our community. You can comment directly on posts and have a discussion.

*TIP – We use and recommend DesignCuts for all your fonts, mockups and design bundles.

FAQ – Logo Evolution: Tracing the Journey of Famous Brands

Why do brands evolve their logos?

Brands evolve their logos to stay relevant, reflect modern design trends, and align with changing consumer preferences.

What is the oldest unchanged logo?

Coca-Cola’s logo, created in 1886, has largely remained the same, maintaining its script style despite minor tweaks.

What’s the story behind Nike’s swoosh logo?

Nike’s swoosh, designed in 1971, represents motion and the wing of the Greek goddess Nike, symbolizing speed and athleticism.