Steve Jobs’ Apple Logo

With the passing of Steve Jobs, everyone has their own special thoughts and memories about how Steve and Apple has changed the world. One of my favorite movies is “Pirates of Silicon Valley“, which is a fun movie about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates growing up, and how they both started their own companies and got to where they are today. Over the next few days you will probably learn a lot of new things above Steve that you never know, such as he played a part in the construction and design of those crazy glass stair cases in Apple stores, along with the sleek wooden tables, which are based off the same design of the desks in Apple headquarters.

Yes, Steve will be missed, but he did change the world in the process and his products and brand is well known through out the world today, and for many decades to come.

With all of that said, let’s take a look at the progression of the Apple logo over the years, and how it’s become one of the most recognized symbols in the world today.

What’s that funny logo at the beginning? Yes, it’s actually the Apple logo back in 1976! The concept is Isaac Newton sitting under an apples tree. As you can see from the dates under the logos, this one didn’t last long. It was missing simplicity and color, which Apple soon implemented into their colorful new Apple design, which lasted over twenty years. With more people using computers and the internet growing like crazy, it was time for another updated and sleek design. Apple would go live with their latest futuristic, yet still simplistic Apple logo.

So what was the story behind going from one crazy original design to a completely new concept?

Jobs thought that the overly complex [Newton] logo had something to do with the slow sales of the Apple I, so he commissioned Rob Janoff of the Regis McKenna Agency to design a new one. Janoff came up with the iconic rainbow-striped Apple logo used from 1976 to 1999. (source)

Works for me! Imagine if Apple still had they same logo today? Things could be very different. I can’t imagine seeing that logo lit up on the back of laptops everywhere, or people placing stickers on their cars or getting “Apple Computer Co” tattoos on their bodies, like we see today!

With the passing of Steve Jobs comes one more Apple Logo that will be sure to be used and spread around for many years to come. Another simple design, yet is speaks so strongly to all the Apple users around the world about the loss of Steve and his impact at Apple. This design was created by a 19-year-old artist named Jonathan Mak, a self-described designer, photographer and philosopher living in Hong Kong. Since posting his design, his page has had nearly 900 comments and has been receiving world wide television and internet exposure.

Simplicity and color are key when it comes to creating a brandable logo. Just think about the greatest and most well known companies/brands in the world… Pepsi, CocaCola, Apple, Nike and Starbucks. They’ve all made progression with their logos over the years, but have always stayed true to have a brandable design with simple colors and design that are memorable.