Microsoft logo and symbol, meaning, history, PNG
- The first one was introduced in 1975, while the current emblem was created in 2012.
- Meaning and history Until 1987 the Microsoft logotype has had three major redesigns, which started with the logo for Traf-O-Data (the original name of the company), introduced in 1972, and was filled by three monochrome logotypes.
- The big black letter “D” was composed of two parts and a black circle in the middle.
- 1975 — 1980 The company was renamed Microsoft in 1975 and the first official logo for the new brand was designed n the same year by Simon Daniels.
- It was a monochrome logotype where all capital letters featured extra-bold lines, formed by numerous thin lines in black and white.
- 1987 — 2011 The iconic logo for Microsoft was designed by Scott Baker in 1987 and stayed almost unchanged until 2012.
- 2012 — Today In 2012 Microsoft starts a major rebranding of its corporate visual identity: the new emblem was designed by Jason Wells and features a geometric icon, where four small colorful square makes up a bigger one, and a light gray logotype, written in a modest and neat Segoe Semibold sans-serif typeface.
- The wordmark used Helvetica italic typeface with a distinctive slash between the “o” and “s” characters.
- Office logo The first Microsoft Office logo was introduced in 1995.
- In addition to the wordmark, it featured a square shape with assembled puzzle pieces inside (four colors: yellow, red, green, and blue).
- It featured four interconnected squares of different colors and sizes.
- The 2007 and 2010 Office versions used variations of this symbol, while the 2012 emblem was completely different.
- It features the dark shade of blue for the emblem and a white background.
- Word logo The original Microsoft Word logo, which was introduced in 1983, was just a wordmark with a recognizable “O” character.
- The logos that appeared over the following 13 years were variations of the same idea.
- In 2000, a completely new emblem was introduced, depicting the “W” character inside a square shape.
- The logo was modified several times, until in 2013 the company developed an emblem resembling an opened book with the letter “W” on its cover.
- Two more years later, the company removed the symbol, leaving just a wordmark logo.
- According to design experts, this choice reflects the company’s visual identity as well as the style of typography that is used in their operating systems.
- Color There are six colors in the logo.