Let's play a game. Say or shout the word "apple" depending on your current mood. The more energy you have to expend, the taller you should be. After that word comes out of your mouth, immediately close your eyes for a few moments.
Now that you're back, we have a question: are you more apt to imagine the fruit or the company that has redefined so many aspects of our lives through technology?
Admittedly, you might see the universally recognizable logo compared to the actual fruit, given the context of why it's here, but there's still a lot to be said for the power behind Apple's deeply impactful and emotional branding. Their logo, the beautifully simple, elegant, smart and fascinating bitten apple logo, is arguably one of the most powerful designs out there. Let's dive into the how and why of it all.
From "Apple Computer Co." An apple"
Apple, as you know it today, is named after one of its founders, Steve Jobs, who visited an apple farm during one of his "Fruit Diet" escapades. Jobs found the name "fun, energetic and not at all intimidating". Originally called Apple Computer Co., founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne (former employees of Jobs at Atari). Initial work for the company took place in April 1976 at Jobs' childhood home in Los Altos, California. The three founders had a vision of developing and selling personal computers. In less than a year, that dream came true when Apple Computer Co. became Apple Computer, Inc. in the winter of 1977. Computer sales saw a significant increase, and the company itself experienced tremendous revenue growth. That is.
Caption: The birth of Apple in Steve Jobs' childhood home in Los Altos, California
Fast forward to 1980, when Apple went public, streamlined its company name, and achieved instant financial success. Forty years later, the multinational is much more than its original concept. From consumer electronics to software, digital distribution and finally a distinct household name, Apple is one of the world's most notable brands, which not only helped transform the industrial landscape, but also ushered in an era in a way completely new form of personal computing.
A bold brand and its development.
Caption: The evolution of the Apple logo
The first Apple logo was designed by two of its founders, Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne, in 1976 and was inspired by a Wordsworth quote. The black and white illustration, created in ink, showed the English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian and author Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. Inside the frame was a text by the English Romantic poet "Newton...a mind that travels forever through strange seas of thought". The company's inaugural name, "Apple Computer Co.", draped across the top and bottom of a cloth-like banner.
The following year, Steve Jobs hired designer Rob Janoff, art director at Regis McKenna and known for his work in corporate design and branding, to create a new logo for the burgeoning startup. Jobs supposedly believed that the first logo looked old-fashioned and difficult to reproduce in smaller sizes.
The only instruction Janoff received from Jobs was not to "make it cute". Janoff studied small apples from every possible angle. The bite seen in the Apple logo was originally implemented so people wouldn't mistake an apple for a cherry tomato. Janoff's colleague revealed that "bytes" are the basis of arithmetic. The geeky pun (bite/byte) was an incredibly relevant reference for the tech company, and the happy coincidence of the design only added to its memorability. Janoff brought two versions of the logo to the meeting; One version included a bite and one without. The logo featured stripes, a solid color, and a metallic apple. The choice fell on the colored variant, called "rainbow apple". A bold and modern sans serif font accompanied the apple graphic. The designer himself stated that there was no reason to put the colors in them, but noted that Jobs wanted the green on top "because that's where the leaf was".
The shape of the apple itself had nothing to do with computers. His goal is to make people realize that an Apple computer is not a pointy piece of metal that has no place in your home and that your child doesn't want to be around. Many different fruits have a stem, they are somewhat round and have a leaf hanging from it. So, the original intention of biting into the apple was to indicate that it is an apple and not something else. Also metaphorically, the bite suggested biting all the knowledge that users would get from that computer.
The funny thing is my creative director said Chip after I found out"Oh, guess what, Rob. You just created something you didn't realize. The word 'byte' is a computer word. And you took a bite out of Apple. I wasn't computer savvy enough to see that initially. a joke that lasts! Any logo that makes a joke or addresses you in this way will be remembered.rainbow colorsit had to do with the USP of this product. Apple's computer was the only one that could display color images.
- Rob Janoff in an interview with Forbes magazine
Caption: Logo redesign by Rob Janoff for Apple
This version of the logo was a tribute to the Apple II, the world's first computer with a color screen. The redesign was unveiled at the West Coast Computer Fair in 1977, shortly before the computer's launch. The Apple II's distinctive color graphics were communicated well through the redesigned Apple logo color palette.
Later, innovative design firm Regis McKenna, which also helped develop the brand identity for competitors such as Compaq and Intel, continued to work with Apple to create a comprehensive business and marketing plan for the company.
It took the company a few years to realize that color printing was cumbersome and that the process of printing the vibrant Apple logo was a huge expense. In 1984, the company typeface was replaced with a custom Garamond (called Apple Garamond), the wordmark was dropped (thanks to Landor Associates), a heavily emotional branding was introduced, and graphic iconography emerged.
Caption: Apple's rainbow logo
Apple's Superbowl ads demonstrated how their focus on imagination and innovation could take them to the top. Many argue that this is where the success of the Apple brand began. At an unspecified time in the future, and with a group of expressionless men marching into a large, dark room, smart jocks steal the spotlight as they race across the room to destroy Big Brother's screen presence. After the shock of its arrival wears off, text appears: “On January 24, Apple Computer will introduce the Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984'."
This debut was built and thrived because community and belonging matter, even in areas that aren't as inclusive as they were in the early days of the tech industry. Apple made people feel like they were part of something exciting.
In 1997, Apple launched its "Think Different" campaign created by art director Craig Tanimoto. The campaign featured a series of billboards and print ads that showcased revolutionary icons through simplified black-and-white portraits. Apple's rainbow logo emanated from the bottom corner.
Caption: Apple's successful "Think Different" campaign
The company typeface has been updated again, this time to Gill Sans humanistic sans serif.
1998 was Apple's next big makeover. The logo changed its color rendering to muted tones, becoming translucent and monochrome. The company released its first iMac, the Bondi Blue, so its logo should reflect this evolution, as the rainbow would have collided with the computer's sky-blue screen. This was Apple's first major update in 22 years.
“Like our products and our customers, the Apple brand is evolving. To reflect this, we've made some major changes to the Apple logo, how we use it, and how we hope our channel will use it too. Don't worry, we don't replace the logo, we just update it. We will continue to reflect who we are and what we stand for as a company with the same timeless symbol: a bitten apple. However, we've reduced some of the clutter in the original design and updated the way we use color and light. In other words, we bring the same standards of style and innovation to our company logo that make our products and design stand out. Solid colors instead of rainbow stripes. Instead of a single solid color, a palette of logo colors for a variety of uses. The solid colors emphasize the timeless shape of the Apple logo."
- Apple's official statement after changing the rainbow logo to monochrome
Smaller but notable changes took place in the following years. A water-soaked version of the logo appeared in 2001. The Avenir font was added to Apple's internal favorites and appeared in Mountain Lion and iOS 6. Apple introduced the iPod in 2003 when Steve Jobs announced a new "tool for the heart" ". He challenged the crowd on the Silicon Valley stage to imagine "a thousand songs in your pocket" while building brand credibility. This hype has always been part of Apple's marketing strategy.
“Marketing is all about values. It's a complicated and noisy world and we won't have the opportunity for people to remember us very much. No company is. So we have to be very clear about what we want them to know about us."
-Steve Jobs
In 2013, Apple's logo design changed to a two-dimensional flat logo. This allowed for unification across different platforms. Apple branding has become consistent across the store's graphics, hardware, guides, and more. In 2015, the company switched from Helvetica to the San Francisco font. This was rolled out to all operating systems and printed materials in conjunction with the launch of the Apple Watch. Consistency is an important aspect of creating an enduring logo and explains why Apple's logo design foundation has thrived for decades. Last year, Apple applied to rebrand a multicolored icon with the intention of selling products with the new logo.
Caption: Classic and modern colors of Apple design
Today, Apple's modernized "Millennial" logo comes in three colors: silver, white and black.
Caption: Apple logo design in black
Its monochrome attributes effortlessly convey a simple, honest aesthetic. As the bitten apple is largely recognizable and bland, this inevitably generated some sort of intrigue – fans and admirers alike looking for an unspoken truth behind the design. Apple, as a successful company, symbolizes something that everyone wants to bite. Apple has become synonymous with high standards of quality and sets a high bar for technological progress. The bite itself indicates a particular way of taking advantage of greater consumption by a brand that has reached the top.
The miracle of the bite is a constant search for hidden meanings. While we're here to outline some of them, let's get started on our next game.
Apple logo theories
Here we describe three theories and ask you to choose your favorite.
Sadie Plant, author of 1997's Zeroes and Ones: Digital Women and the New Technoculture, was one of those who wondered about the Apple logo as a tribute to Alan Turing. Turing was the father of the modern computer and revolutionized the intersecting fields of mathematics, science and engineering with his publication On Computable Numbers. In this publication, Turing pioneered his research on artificial intelligence and cracked German war codes. He was not recognized for his work, went to prison for gross indecent exposure, and was humiliated with estrogen injections designed to "cure" his homosexuality. Turing ended up biting into an apple that he sprayed with cyanide and died on June 7, 1954. Conspiracy theorists believed that Apple's founders considered this when looking for a logo and wanted Turing for his contribution to the apple field.
The Apple logo was associated with the Garden of Eden, where Eve took a bite of a forbidden fruit plucked from the tree of knowledge, which, if you remember, gave her the wisdom of the gods when she gave in to temptation.
Caption: Apple and the Garden of Eden
Graphic designer Thiago Barcelos applied the Fibonacci sequence, or golden ratio, to Janoff's original Apple logo. While the design made no reference to these calculations, the underlying structure of the logo could subconsciously explain why the Apple brand could have withstood the test of time in a rapidly changing industry.
Caption: Apple and the Golden Radio
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Caption: Create your own logo with Logogenie logo maker
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FAQs
What is the history behind the Apple logo? ›
The first logo was created by Ronald Wayne, one of which co-founded Apple in the early days in 1976, who wanted to represent the law of gravity that is inspired by an apple. The first image to represent the computer company was Isaac Newton, the man who revolutionised science with his discoveries on gravity.
When did Apple design their logo? ›The original Apple logo was designed in 1976 by Ronald Wayne, one of Apple's co-founders.
What was the first logo of Apple company? ›The first Apple logo, drawn by Ronald Wayne, depicts Isaac Newton under an apple tree. Created by Rob Janoff in 1977, the Apple logo with the rainbow scheme was used from April of that year until August 26, 1999.
How many times did Apple change their logo? ›The Apple logo design hasn't always been the same. It has undergone four significant design changes to become the iconic, bitten apple logo we know today.
Why did Apple use the bitten Apple logo? ›The reason for the bite was to clarify it clear that the fruit is an Apple since with no reference to help us gauge proportion, it could just as easily be a cherry. The bite also allowed the word 'apple' to initially be placed inside the space in the Apple.
Is the Apple logo from the Bible? ›Rob Janoff, the designer of the Apple logo, claims that he didn't explicitly intend a Biblical reference in the Apple logo meaning when he created the logo in 1977. He didn't have to. Mr. Janoff said he included the bite “for scale, so people get that it was an apple not a cherry.
What is the summary of Apple company? ›(formerly Apple Computer Inc.) is an American computer and consumer electronics company famous for creating the iPhone, iPad and Macintosh computers. Apple is one of the largest companies globally with a market cap of over 2 trillion dollars.
Who designed the second Apple logo? ›The Second Apple Logo
Rob Janoff designed the rainbow “bitten” logo that was used by Apple for 22 years.
British tea company Twinings has the oldest logo that has been in continuous use with no alterations made to the logo's design. It was created for the tea company more than two centuries ago, in 1787.
How much is the Apple logo worth today? ›The brand and logo of Apple has been named the most valuable in the world – worth nearly $119bn (£80bn), or more than the entire gross domestic product of Morocco, Ecuador or Oman.
How much did Apple logo cost? ›
“You give me $ 100,000 and I'll solve the problem, Then it's up to you to use the trademark or not, I don't care”. Steve smiled and accepted. Paul Rand elaborated the design and introduced it in the presence of Steve and his collaborators. Steve opened the brand manual for the first time.
What did the Red Apple symbolize? ›The usual explanation is that the Red Apple was a term for a globe held by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in a giant statue that once stood outside the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, symbolizing a desire for world domination.
What is Apple's slogan? ›The slogan "Think different" was created by Craig Tanimoto, an art director at Chiat\Day, who also contributed to the initial concept work.
Does the Bible say Adam and Eve ate an apple? ›What does the Bible say about the forbidden fruit? Although the idea that Adam and Eve ate an apple is common today, the Book of Genesis never mentions the identity of the forbidden fruit.
What did God say about the apple? ›And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. '"
Why is the apple symbol half eaten? ›Software giant Google also made a significant change to its logo in 2015 as well as in the logo of its operating system Android. Many also claim that the bite in the logo of Apple was to create a buzz among computer enthusiasts as it rhymes with a byte, a unit for data in the computing and telecommunication segment.
How many people recognize the Apple logo? ›98.75% of the world recognizes Cupertino's Apple.
What does the Apple symbolize in the company? ›The apple represented knowledge, as in the biblical story of Adam and Eve, or referenced the falling fruit that led Sir Isaac Newton to the concept of gravity.
What is the main purpose of Apple? ›Apple's main purpose is to create products that enrich people's daily lives. That involves not only developing entirely new product categories such as the iPhone and the Apple Watch but also continually innovating within those categories.
What are 5 facts about Apple company? ›- Apple takes credit for over 2 million jobs in the U.S. ...
- Apple is worth more than nearly every economy in the world. ...
- Apple makes nearly $2,000 every second. ...
- Apple was the first publicly traded company to cross the $1, $2, and $3 trillion market cap milestones.
Why is the Apple logo rainbow? ›
The reason of the rainbow is that the Apple II was the FIRST personal computer able to display COLORS on a TV set. That thanks to the genius of Steve Wozniak. The rainbow represents the colors you can display on the display.
Who gave Apple its iconic design? ›Sir Jonathan Paul Ive KBE HonFREng RDI (born 27 February 1967) is a British industrial and product designer, as well as businessman.
Who designed the Apple icons? ›Susan Kare (/kɛər/ "care"; born February 5, 1954) is an American artist and graphic designer best known for her interface elements and typeface contributions to the first Apple Macintosh from 1983 to 1986. She was employee #10 and Creative Director at NeXT, the company formed by Steve Jobs after he left Apple in 1985.
What is the most famous logo of all time? ›Coca-Cola logo and brand is the most recognisable in the world. The red and white Coca-Cola logo is recognised by 94% of the world's population.
What was the first logo in history? ›The first logo ever trademarked was in 1876 for Bass Brewery. It was a red triangle with the “Bass” text beneath, in a sweeping cursive text not dissimilar to Coca Cola's instantly recognizable scrawl.
What is the number 1 logo in the world? ›1. Nike. Nike's swoosh, designed by Carolyn Davidson, is one of the most iconic logos in the world, literally. The swoosh mimics the wings of Nike, the goddess of victory in Greek mythology and the company's namesake.
What is a fact about Apple logo? ›To help create a new logo, Jobs hired Rob Janoff, a graphic designer tasked with creating a logo that would blend the name “Apple” with a modern-looking design. And so, the famous Apple logo was born. Janoff's design was quite simple, a 2D apple with a bite taken out of it and a rainbow spectrum splashed across it.
What is an interesting fact about the Apple logo? ›The original Apple logo, designed by Ronald Wayne, shows an image of Isaac Newton reading a book under a tree. It captures the moment right before an apple fell on his head. The design includes the company name in a ribbon wrapping around the image.
How much did Bill Gates give Apple? ›On August 6, 1997, Microsoft's Bill Gate invested $150 million in Apple which was in the brink of bankruptcy. Following the deal, Steve Jobs told Gates, “Bill, thank you. The world's a better place.” At the time, Time Magazine used the quote on their cover.
What is the world's most expensive logo? ›Symantec. And the most expensive logo goes to Symantec—costing a whopping amount of $1,280,000,000. A spot for the logo of a major tech company may seem like an odd choice for this list. But as designer Paul Rand once said, “Good design is good business.” And Symantec's logo is not only good design; it's great business ...
Did the Beatles sell the Apple logo? ›
The dispute was finally resolved in 2007, with Apple Corps transferring ownership of the "Apple" name and all associated trademarks to Apple Inc., and Apple Inc. exclusively licensing these back to the Beatles' company.
How much is the Apple 1 worth? ›Apple-1 computers have sold for up to $815,000 in the past, depending on the history of the machine and the condition.
Why did Steve Jobs choose Apple logo? ›He hired Rob Janoff, an experienced logo designer, to rebrand the company. Jobs wanted a logo that would represent modern computer design's importance and blend in with the brand name “Apple.” The result was an image of a two-dimensional apple colored with a spectrum of rainbow colors.
Why is the Apple logo in the middle? ›Back Tap uses the iPhone's accelerometer, which can be activated by tapping anywhere on the back of the phone. But since the logo sits slap bang in the middle of the back of your phone so it makes a handy target. If you're going to tap the back of the phone, you're probably going to tap the Apple apple.
Why did Apple have a rainbow logo? ›The reason of the rainbow is that the Apple II was the FIRST personal computer able to display COLORS on a TV set. That thanks to the genius of Steve Wozniak. The rainbow represents the colors you can display on the display.
Why is Apple brand famous? ›The reason behind that—and behind Apple's success—is that its devices are beautiful to look at and a pleasure to use. That's why the company has such a powerful brand and lofty stock valuation. The marketing helps, and the media and fan frenzy never hurt.