Evolution of Logos from Popular Websites
A company brand is always evolving and sometimes the logo tags along too. I’ve roped together a collection of some logos that have undergone rather neat tweaks and adjustments over the years.
Given that the internet world is still relatively new in that grand scheme of things, internet companies don’t quite have the number of revisions as more established industries (automotive, manufacturing, etc.) might have.
I’ve tried to be as thorough as possible, feel free to voice your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, for those of you craving more logo related goodness, feel free to check out our Fonts Used in Popular Websites article.
Bebo
Hotmail
AIM
Alexa
IGN
Ask
AOL
Sparknotes
Yahoo
Quicktime
Discussion
August 14th, 2009 at 7:53 PM
I can’t look at Quicktimes new logo without thinking; what were they doing? Why didn’t anyone – someone, stop them during the process?
.-= Stefan´s last blog ..Book Review: The Art of Persuasion =-.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:10 PM
I agree with you Stefan, it´s horrible.
I personaly like the redesign of yahoo. And the new designs of sparknotes, aol and aim are good too.
Not very keen on Ask.com, i think the second choice is better.
.-= 2tone´s last blog ..swedish-organic-water =-.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:37 PM
I like logo evolution posts almost as much as I like IPhone app posts. Really! Also, crazy that I can actually remember the early Google logo. Finally, I agree completely about the quicktime logo.
Thanks
.-= Michael Krapf´s last blog ..It’s All About the Apps! =-.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:49 PM
This is one of my favorite posts! i think it’s so funny how hotmail changed so much. You never notice these things until they’re showcased like this.
August 15th, 2009 at 3:06 AM
Nice, original and entertaining post.
.-= Christopher Hennis´s last blog ..38 Really Quality Websites to Find Free Photoshop Brushes =-.
August 15th, 2009 at 4:25 AM
Someone at SparkNotes finally saw they were heading in the wrong direction. The are are back on track now, but it lost its personality.
On Quicktime: It will take some time to get used to and I guess it was made this way to flow in with the other elements in Snow Leopard. Like the iTunes logo turning blue instead of green.
.-= Joël Cox´s last blog ..Review: De wet op internet =-.
August 15th, 2009 at 4:39 AM
I think all the logos on the left side other than the quicktime logo were terrible!
.-= Callum Chapman´s last blog ..How to Design an Abstract Business Card in Photoshop =-.
August 15th, 2009 at 5:28 AM
Interesting to see these evolutions side by side, SparkNotes is the most obvious improvement but judging by the first few designs it wasn’t hard!
.-= Gareth Coxon – Dot Design´s last blog ..Client Focus 1: Symmetry Business Marketing =-.
August 15th, 2009 at 11:36 AM
I like the yahoo! improvement but like some of you I don’t like quicktime’s logo either.
.-= Nicholas Z. Cardot´s last blog ..21 Mind-Buzzing Photo Manipulations =-.
August 15th, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Interesting post, always like to see the before/after effects. Some are needed and others are just a lift. For Sparknotes, since first time hearing about it, I went to their website and notice it says beta. I hope they keep changing the logo. I love the Mickey Mouse transition in bebo’s logo, and Quicktime, the best one so far in this post.
.-= Milko Melian´s last blog ..Catalyst Direct Mailers – 2 =-.
August 15th, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Great post – really liked it! About QuickTime: I can’t find the new design on Apples website, are you sure it’s the correct one? I really liked the previous ones.
Anyway, stumbled and keep up the great work!
.-= Marco´s last blog ..The Polaroid Photo Viewer – Non-Full Screen =-.
August 16th, 2009 at 12:19 AM
Great post..its fun to look at these things. I guess Hotmail couldn’t make up their minds there for awhile
.-= Kayla´s last blog ..The Art of User-Centric Web Design =-.
August 16th, 2009 at 12:31 AM
Wow I never knew that there were so many logo variations from these websites, thanks for putting it together Sam.
.-= Jacob Cass´s last blog ..The “Pros” and Cons of Spec Work =-.
August 16th, 2009 at 6:57 AM
I agree, Stefan, and would say the same about IGN. Granted, the original wasn’t any better.
Cheers, Sam.
.-= David Airey´s last blog ..AIGA President Debbie Millman on spec work =-.
August 16th, 2009 at 7:38 AM
Totally agree with Joel Cox about the Sparknotes. They are turning from red and yellow and end up with blue, definitely losing their personality.
August 16th, 2009 at 4:47 PM
Great comments so far everyone. For those of you wondering about the Quicktime logo redesign, it’s the one expected with the launch of Snow Leopard.
I think one of the most fascinating trends in these logos is the change in depth between revisions.
Most of the older logos started as a two dimensional “flat” look, and then started adding lighting effects.
Even more interesting is how sites like AIM went back to a flat look and removed any dimension after a while. Product of the Web 2.0 gloss fads wearing out?
August 16th, 2009 at 7:05 PM
Love the evolution of logo idea, I saw this post a while back highlighting the changes between Coca-Cola and Pepsi (http://www.248am.com/mark/design/pepsi-vs-coca-cola-logo-evolution-chart/)
.-= Brendan O’Neil´s last blog ..Red Door Interactive: Denver =-.
August 16th, 2009 at 9:47 PM
I liked more: Yahoo!
I didn´t like: Quicktime
.-= Marco Moreira´s last blog ..No Anima Mundi todo mundo vira criança =-.
August 16th, 2009 at 10:24 PM
Wow! great post. Love the Spark Notes logo, what a change… If you ask me, I think Quicktime went extreme: might be a bit slick and all but I miss the blue. What do you reckon?
August 17th, 2009 at 10:53 PM
Great post.And I totally agree with @stefan, what is that new quicktime logo?I really liked Bebo’s new logo.
.-= Lucas Tadeu´s last blog ..lucast182: Tips for creating a brand style guide http://bit.ly/jUmNl /great =-.
August 19th, 2009 at 11:41 PM
Great amount of research involved in this. Makes this post very valuable and useful. Love to see more logos from more companies.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Cool article.. some of them I didn’t even realize that they had a new logo.. and some just suuuuck!
.-= ilz´s last blog ..How to make a Dotted Line in Photoshop =-.
August 23rd, 2009 at 10:25 PM
Firstly, Quicktime new logo sucks.
@Zach Dunn
Actually, logos are going back to 2D. Take a look at cocacola or pepsi new logo, they are flat. Flat logos are more usable compared to 3D logo. Maybe what you showing us here are those were ‘glossed’ for certain purpose (exp: for poster, 3d video, web).
August 25th, 2009 at 8:31 AM
interresting to see how logo change as well with branding.
when people start to know your brand you don’t need to write is’s name: red background with a huge curvy yellow M arches ? dont need company name does it. Instant recognition.
First AOL => full name
First AIM => full name
First QT => full name
Now that thos brands (or products) are well known, they hardly need any text content. Hence a better graphical logo.
As for MSN hotmail, every almost evey logo change holds a “brand/product” change as well.
August 26th, 2009 at 12:50 PM
somebody tell apple to go back with that quicktime logo
Join the Conversation!
Remember: Life's not all doom and gloom, so please keep it constructive. If we've made an error or missed something big, please let us know! Learning is revisions, after all.