By: Ronald Almendran
It was Steve Jobs who had thought of naming their young I.T. company “Apple.” Back then, Jobs was spending some of his leisure time on a friend’s farm picking apples. Wozniak liked the idea and the name stuck. But then, something was missing: a logo.
First Apple Logo
Initially, the Apple’s logo was far different from the design that we currently see on our electronic devices. Created by Ronald Wayne, sometimes referred to as the third co-founder of Apple, the first logo design was more intricate and detailed in form. It depicted Sir Isaac Newton sitting under a tree while reading a book. Above him was a dangling apple. The image contained a boarder with a message saying “Newton… A Mind Forever Voyaging through Strange Seas of Thoughts… Alone.” Wrapped around the design was the company’s name: Apple Computer Co.
This logo only lasted about a year and was only used on the Apple I. One of the reasons was that the design was too intricate and the little details on the logo were hard to distinguish. Further, the logo also appeared too intellectual. With that, the group had to get a new company logo.
Circa 1976-1998
After the intricacies of the first Apple logo design, Jobs hired graphic designer Rob Janoff for their second attempt at the Apple logo. In 1977, the design made by Janoff was introduced to the market. It was a simple apple design with a bite taken out of it. According to the creator himself, the “bite” on the Apple logo was included so that people would know that the icon was an “apple” and not a tomato. Further, the play on words, bite and “byte” made the logo more ideal for a computer company.
Explanations regarding the apple “bite” also went as far as connecting it to “knowledge,” symbolizing the knowledge gained by Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden when they took a bite on an apple.
The new Apple logo also took a very bold step by containing all the colors of the rainbow. The use of these colors suggested vibrancy and energy. However, the wrong arrangement of these colors depicted a break from the usual forms of establishment, a suitable character for a revolutionary company. There were also rumors regarding the color of the logo design. Speculations said that the reason why Apple used a multi-colored logo was to “humanize” the company.
Monochromatic Logo Design
The multi-colored Apple logo design remained unchanged for 22 years before it was changed in 1997. Steve Jobs decided to replace the colored logo to a solid colored monochromatic logo design.
Since the company was bleeding money when Jobs came back; he, together with other individuals, tried on experimenting on the logo itself. They had decided to make the logo more prominent by placing it where people can easily see it.
However, the current logo would look totally misplaced and childish on top of a Bondi Blue iMac. As such, instead of placing small colored Apple logo design on their electronic products, the company decided to consider monochromatically-styled logos on them. This trend that began in 1998 continues to this day.
With this transformation on the company’s logo design, Apple has once again begun to get its footing, increasing its popularity as a revolutionized company capable of producing cutting-edge technology. The company has likewise gained its prominent spot in the world of computers, which made Steve Jobs a bit happy. All that Apple Inc. has to worry is their legal scuffles with Apple Records, but then, that’s another story.
Ronald Almendran is a seasoned writer specializing in different art media. He believes that the natural gift for design should be continuously nurtured through constant and active participation in several trainings and events.
