EVOLUTION OF LOGO
PRESENTED
E VOLUTION OF BY
LOGO PRESENTED BY MANSEE
MANSEE MURARKA
MURARKA
LOGO
Logos are images, texts, shapes, or a combination of
the three that depict the name and purpose of a
business.
However, a logo can and should be more than a
symbol of identification.
If designed well, it also tells a company’s story, by
conveying your brand message, in a way that helps to
establish an emotional connection with the target
audience.
A strong logo stands out to consumers, ensure they remember
brand, and create positive associations. Logos have deep
symbolic association connected to people’s memories and
emotions.
A good logo is memorable, differentiates you from everyone
else, and fosters brand loyalty .
A brand logo represents entire business, and if the logo is bad,
people could assume that business isn’t up to the mark .
Like trends, clothes, food, and pretty much everything else in
life, brand logos do eventually go out of date. It’s so important
to keep up, regularly updated logo, and keep brand moving with
WALMART
Walmart, in full Walmart, Inc., formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., American
operator of discount stores that was one of the world’s biggest retailers and among the
world’s largest corporations. Company headquarters are in Bentonville, Arkansas. It is
known for being the largest company in the world by revenue. It is also the world's
largest private employer with approximately 2.2 million employees.
Wal-Mart was founded by Sam
Walton in Rogers, Arkansas, in
1962 and focused its early growth in
rural areas, thereby avoiding direct
competition with retailing giants
such as Sears and Kmart.
From the very beginning, the company’s name has been the center
point of logo design. The logo has undergone several transformations:
it has changed fonts, color, and, most important, orthography.
1950
The earliest logo featured the original name,
“Walton’s,” in red capital letters. The designer
chose a simple sans serif type.
1962
Here, the name “Walmart” is used, which is
given in blue. While the type is also a sans
serif, it looks more elongated than its
predecessor.
1964
The black roundel was initially used as an alternative
Walmart logo. Here, the name “Wal-Mart” was
hyphenated.
1965
The roundel disappeared leaving only the name of the
store in a rather heavy sans-serif type. To the right, the
lettering “Discount City” could be seen.
1967
In this version, the letters were placed inside rectangles
with a thin black border. While the overall style of the
typeface was very similar to the previous version, there
were also a couple of notable differences.
1968
The typeface was slightly updated. The proportions of
the glyphs were modified: the letters were now
shorter; their basic shape grew closer to a square.
1969
The roundel emblem made a comeback. While the
board in the middle looked the same, the text in the
upper and lower fields was changed.
1970
Once again we see the logo where each of the glyphs
is placed inside a rectangle. This time, the colors were
inverted: the glyphs and the border of the boxes grew
white, while the background grew black.
1975
Unlike the previous emblems, this one had a distinctive style.
The unusual serifs and the decorative dots in the middle of
each letter made the design memorable.
1977
While the overall style preserved unchanged, there were a
couple of subtle differences in the design of some elements.
For instance, the hyphen grew bolder.
1981
After a complete overhaul, the letters in the Walmart logo
adopted not only a new shape but also a new color. Now, they
were brown and looked very simple. The type was a regular
sans serif. Probably the most unusual part was the lack of
breathing space between the “L” and “M.”
1992
While the type remained almost the same, it was now dark blue (there were also
versions in different colors). The hyphen was replaced by a star, which added a
distinctive accent.
2008
All the letters, except the “W,” were lowercased. The heavy geometric type was
replaced by a friendlier, rounded one. The new logo had a happy and youthful feel
due to the sunshine theme. It was introduced by the choice of colors (blue and
yellow) and the shape of the emblem, which reminded sunrays.
CONCLUSION
Before the most recent logo was unveiled, Walmart used a logo that sported a red, white, and
blue color scheme in an attempt to invoke patriotic appeal to their still largely USA-centric
customer base. The latest logo, though, was designed using a soft blue and yellow scheme in
an attempt to be more welcoming and inviting to their customers across the world.
The company’s transition to a new logo in 2008 was to emphasize its move from promoting
cheap stuff to being a company that strives to use innovative and fair marketing strategies.
In an interview, the company’s spokesperson confessed their goal was to show that the
company had changed rather than to demonstrate an outstanding Walmart logo.
The Walmart logo reflects the company’s new eco-friendly approach to running their global
business. Today, it is one of the most recognizable emblems.
The combination of blue and yellow evokes a feeling of friendliness and inspires hope. It is
Walmart’s new philosophy, which the company is projecting around the globe. Also, it
reflects the company’s effort to provide best quality products and achieve the highest
possible product quality level.
Nike
Nike is an American multinational corporation that is engaged
in the design, development, and worldwide marketing and
sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and
services . The company was founded on January 25, 1964, as
Blue Ribbon Sports, by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, and
officially became Nike, on May 30, 1971. The company is
headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, in the Portland
metropolitan area. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic
shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports
equipment .
The Nike “swoosh” is one of the most recognizable and iconic
logos of all time. It is so well known that many of their recent
advertisements forgo the Nike name entirely and use only the
logo, usually combined with their slogan “Just do it.”
The logo was designed by graphic design student Carolyn
Davidson, who had been attending the university where Nike
founder Phil Knight was working as an accounting professor.
Despite being a famously simple logo, it has evolved and
changed since it was initially conceived.
1971
Carolyn Davidson’s initial
mockups didn’t impress
Knight much, but he chose
to use it anyway, accepting
that it would probably grow
on him over time.
1978
In 1978, the cursive serif font was
replaced by Futura Bold, a much more
geometric shape, with the edge of the
“E” running into the tail of the swoosh.
The kerning style is notably interesting,
with varied spacing between each letter.
1985
For a short time, Nike placed their logo
in a red square. This didn’t last very
long, though it was during the mid-80s
that Nike began scoring major athlete
endorsements, the most prominent of
which was Michael Jordan. By the late
80s, Nike introduced their slogan “Just
Do It”. According to legend, the slogan
was inspired by the last words of death
row murderer Gary Gilmore, who is said
to have exclaimed “let’s do it” before his
execution
1995
By 1995, Nike adopted their current logo, the lone swoosh. Today, the
swoosh is understood to be a symbol of speed, athleticism, and quality in
apparel design. Frequently cited as one of the most recognizable logos in
the world, the Nike logo makes a strong argument for simplicity.
Simple and concise Swoosh has proven to be one of the most persistent logos in history. It has
remained almost unchanged for decades with some minor modifications. Initially, the wing shape
had a black outline and internal transparency, and the name Nike was written over the smooth
handwritten lettering. After 7 years, the logo was finalized: the Swoosh changed its bend a little,
was slightly blurred and turned black. The inscription Nike was placed above the image, and its
font became more restrained and symmetrical.
The logo has undergone only minor revisions. In a few more years, the font and symbol slightly
stretched out. Designers used white on a black background. And the main event in the history of
the Nike logo happened in 1995. The inscription Nike was lost and only the wing shape left. By
that time, the emblem had become so popular and recognizable that there was no longer a need
for the company name. That continues to be the Nike logo today. Anyone who sees the famous
Swoosh on sportswear and footwear will recognize the associated brand.
CONCLUSIO
N
Nike still gained the title of sports brand number 1 in the world, despite the fact that the company did not
manage to beat Adidas in popularity among football players.
Today, the Swoosh is considered the most recognizable logo among buyers and athletes.
It can be seen not only on sneakers, but also on shorts, T-shirts, jackets, caps and sports equipment.
From time to time, the company holds promotions, releasing products with various words and
abbreviations over the Swoosh, where the inscription Nike was located before.
At the same time, the traditional font remains.
The logo was liked by many sports stars. The brand cooperates with them to this day. Athletes win prizes
and set new world records wearing Nike clothes and shoes.
Celebrities choose Nike, and this increases loyalty and trust among customers who instantly recognize
the wing shape.
The Swoosh history is proof that even the simplest and most uncomplicated image can gain world fame
and recognition.
VISA
Visa is an American company that provides payment services. It
appeared in 1958 when the financial conglomerate Bank of
America began issuing BankAmericard cards and established
BankAmericard Service Corporation. A little later, the system was
renamed, choosing the universal name Visa.
The visual brand identity has not changed much over the past 40 years. The
logo with the inscription “Visa” first appeared in the mid-1970s and suffered
a few minor redesigns. Before that, a similar brand name was used, but with
the phrase “BankAmericard.”
1958 – 1976
The first emblem looked like a
rectangular plastic card with rounded
corners. Its upper part was dark blue,
the middle was white, and the bottom
was orange. In the center was the
inscription “BankAmericard,” made in
bold sans serif. All letters are uppercase,
but “B” and “A” are higher than the rest.
1976 – 1992
To make the brand multinational, the owners renamed the financial system.
This is how Visa appeared – one of the most successful brands in the world.
The change of name allowed to increase the reach of the target audience,
because the geographical connection to America disappeared. And also, it
became an occasion for updating the logo.
Designers followed a familiar
pattern: they replaced
BankAmericard with Visa,
preserving the old proportions
and colors. The word is written
in italics, with an emphasis on
the tilt “V.” Letters have serifs.
1992 – 2000
In 1992, the palette brightened. The rounded corners of the outer frame
became straight, and the outline became wide and blue. This version of the
logo is still found in some commercials
2000 – 2006
At the end of the 20th century, developers increased the letter spacing and
slightly reduced the “V” slope. Also, they changed blue to cyan and orange
to yellow.
2006 – 2014
Despite the global success, managers decided to revitalize the brand. It
seemed illogical to them that the company provides a huge amount of
financial services, and only a credit card is displayed on its logo. In
November 2003, specialists began to develop a new trademark. It is almost
no different from previous versions: in fact, this is the same inscription
“Visa,” but without rectangular elements and an external frame.
The font is still italic, although
the slope has decreased. The
protruding corner “V” is
painted in yellow to
emphasize the clarity and
conciseness of the image
2014 – present
In 2014, the company first abandoned its classic palette. She removed the
golden color, which was identified with the hills of California, and left only
blue – a symbol of the blue sky. To diversify the logo, designers used a
gradient.
Rumor has it that the brand got
rid of yellow to get closer to
people. Indeed, for many, this
color is associated with gold,
which means unattainable luxury
and prestige. The Visa system, in
turn, tried to make loans publicly
available.
Influences
The blue and gold colors that Visa first picked for their logo were
intended to reference the blue skies and golden hills of California
which is where the bank was founded. Even after getting rid of the
gold, Visa continues to use blue because it evokes feelings of trust,
loyalty, and
stability.
Because of its positive connotations, blue is used in many financial
logos, including American Express and Paypal. Visa’s logo was
changed to its modern form as part of an extensive rebranding push
by Visa. The lengthy flick and the color gradient help to convey a
sense of speed and movement in the simple logo.
Conclusion
The clear and simple design of Visa’s logo helps to encourage brand
recognition. Despite a few simple changes to make the logo look less
outdated, the Visa logo has remained consistent enough to encourage
brand loyalty. Every design element, from the color of the logo to the shape
of the letters, conveys a sense of stability, trust, and reliability that is ideal
for a credit card company.
So why exactly does my company need a logo refresh?
Among the reasons every company needs a logo refresh every now and then;
1.) Consumers want to feel like the company they are working with is up to date.
2.) The previous effect is multiplied if the competitors are refreshing their logos i.e.,
brand should update their logo due to the increasing competition.
3.) Online usage across many social media outlets changes overtime. Brands need to
ensure that the logo is adapting to those changes.
THANK YOU
