Apple Logo History – Timeline & Facts

Apple Inc. is represented by a logo, which depicts an apple with a bite taken out of it. It is one of the logos that are instantly identifiable throughout the world.

Before we get into the history of the logo and how it has changed over time, it is important to look at the history of the brand’s name. This will help us understand how the logo came to be.

Apple Inc. was formed by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Wozniak on April 1, 1976. However, despite the company’s existence for decades, there are still several theories surrounding the origin of its name and the significance of its logo.

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Where Did the Name Apple Come From?

Source: Pixabay

The Relationship with Isaac Newton

It is thought that the folktale “incident” that prompted Isaac Newton to establish the law of global gravitation inspired Apple’s name.

Although there is no evidence to indicate that an apple landed on Isaac Newton’s head, there is still enormous proof to back up the claim that Apple’s first logo was about Isaac Newton’s ties with apples. This theory is supported by the fact that the first Apple logo featured an apple in its design.

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Apple Fruit

Source: Pixabay

At a press presentation in 1982, Steve Jobs admitted he had a soft spot in his heart for apples. This was verified in Walter Isaacson’s biography. Jobs disclosed that while on a fruitarian diet, he went to an apple field, which prompted him to take a “second look at the term “Apple” as a result of this “second look.”

The first thing that came to his mind when he heard the name was that it seemed “fun, energetic, and not scary.”

This may be one of the most significant reasons Apple is called Apple. Steve Jobs expected that Apple’s clients would similarly regard the corporation as a light-hearted establishment that doesn’t scare people but encourages them to think in new ways.

Also, if we could just remark that it is a strange coincidence that Steve Jobs admitted his passion for apples to Walter Isaacson, whose surname is practically the same as Isaac Newton’s first name, that would be great.

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The Beatles

Apple Corps is a multimedia business created by veterans of The Beatles in 1968. It is claimed that Steve Jobs, a huge fan of the band The Beatles, chose this name for the corporation to pay tribute to them.

When phone books were still popular in the 1990s, it was very necessary to have a name that would be listed on the top page or as close to the front page as feasible. Customers would have a simpler time locating them due to this change.

In this manner, any firm whose name begins with the letter A would immediately go to the front of the line, ahead of all the other companies.

Job’s preference for apples was not the only reason they chose this name. A key competitor to Apple at the time was a business named Atari, which was a computer manufacturer and also Jobs’ former place of employment.

In 1980, Steve Jobs acknowledged during a presentation that one of the reasons why they picked this name was to appear before the name Atari in the phone book. Apple was the best brand name that they could come up with.

According to Steve Wozniak’s book, Apple’s creators opted to continue with this name since none of the other proposals were better, despite their best efforts to develop a name that sounded more “techy.”

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History of Apple Logo

Original Apple Logo Design (1976)

Ronald Wayne, who is sometimes considered the third co-founder of Apple, created the first Apple logo in 1976.

Isaac Newton’s image is depicted in the logo. He is seen sitting in the shade of a tree with an apple dangling above his head.

Rainbow Apple Logo (1976-1998)

Sources: Wikipedia

Apple’s first logo was unveiled to the public exactly one year before its second design, which combined its name with its logo to create one entity.

Rob Janoff came up with the idea for the Rainbow Stripe Apple in 1977, which was also the same year that Apple released the Apple II, the company’s very first personal computer.

The introduction of the world’s first computer that could display colors was represented by the introduction of a rainbow spectrum in the newly designed company logo. The logo was a great match, and for 22 years, Apple utilized what is now famously referred to as the “rainbow version.”

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Design Process

Janoff’s redesign of the Apple logo to include multicolored stripes required around two weeks of work on his part to complete. During an interview, Janoff was asked how he went about developing the Apple logo.

Janoff has acknowledged that there was no particular rationale underlying the selection of those colors or the order in which they appeared.

The only hue that appeared at the top was green since it was more closely associated with the leaf, and Jobs wanted to connect those two different aspects of the design.

Apple Bite

There are a lot of different ideas floating around about why they added the bite to the logo. Some people believe that it was included only to have some fun with the words “bite” and “byte.”

Some people believe that Adam and Eve biting into “the forbidden fruit” served as the inspiration for this idea.

Apple has stated that the company added a bite to the design of the logo to make it abundantly obvious to viewers that the fruit depicted in the logo was an apple and not a cherry or a cherry tomato.

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Alan Turing

One of the most famous links is the apple bite with Alan Turing, a computer scientist, and mathematician who passed away in 1954 after biting into an apple poisoned with cyanide. This event is considered to be the cause of his death.

Since Turing ate an apple that contained cyanide, his story reads nearly exactly like a real-life adaptation of the fairy tale Snow White.

On the other hand, this association is incorrect, and Janoff, in 2009, acknowledged that it was only an urban legend.

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Colors of the Rainbow

There is no doubt that Apple was much ahead of its time when it came to rainbow colors. Today, many firms use rainbow colors to differentiate themselves from the competition and demonstrate their support for LGBTQ rights.

Even though the modern logo does not feature any colors from the rainbow, its fundamental design and images have been preserved.

Apple’s most recent applications employ the same color display that they first used on the company’s ‘rainbow colors’ logo. Therefore, we can conclude that this is one way the colorful version of the logo is still present on Apple devices.

Even in 2021, Apple experimented with various approaches to maintain the “Rainbow Colors” notion.

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Translucent Apple (1998)

Since Apple only utilized it for a short period, its version of the Apple logo is likely the least popular. The conception of this logo took place in 1998, which was also the year when Steve Jobs came back to work for Apple after an absence of twelve years.

The firm’s rebranding took place concurrently with his return, as anticipated. It started with a redesign of Apple’s logo, followed by a redesign of the company’s packaging. These two alterations fundamentally altered Apple’s character at the time.

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the company abandoned its rainbow color scheme in favor of a transparent blue logo. As was said previously, this new Apple logo did not last nearly as long as the company’s first logo did.

The same year, the business decided to go with a solid color rather than a metallic case since they felt it would look better.

Monochrome Logo (1998- 2000)

Source: DESIGNRUSH

Apple replaced its previous logo, which was transparent, with a new one entirely black. Until 2000, Apple utilized a black-and-white version of its logo for all its products.

The apple’s traditional form was preserved, as was the logo’s semi-transparent appearance.

Aqua Apple Logo (2001-2007)

Source: FreePortPress

Up to the year 2000, the corporation utilized a monochromatic black and white logo. After the firm redesigned itself with a new logo with a more glassy look, the product was discontinued.

The price of Apple goods continued to rise in tandem with the company’s meteoric rise to prominence, which began in the early 2000s.

Apple needed a new logo to depict this transition properly. The redesign of Apple’s logo was intended to convey a feeling of creativity, sophistication, and solemnity in addition to the company’s distinctive mission and aims.

The new glass logo worked wonderfully to give the brand a more refined appearance. The use of the shade gradient resulted in the logo acquiring an air of refined elegance. From 2001 to 2007, Apple had this particular logo.

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Metallic Chrome Apple (2007-2015)

Source: DEVIANT ART

In 2007, Apple thought that it was high time for the company to provide its brand with a fresh design that would reflect Apple’s branding advancement towards renewability.

The logo appears to have a more “premium” aspect, even though the metallic chrome is not a big change from its predecessor, considering that they both have a glassy appearance.

We should also consider the historical period in which they modified the logo. This occurred around the same time that Apple moved its attention toward constructing energy-efficient and renewable buildings.

In 2007, Apple unveiled its new logo, which reflected the company’s evolution in terms of its philosophy and guiding principles.

Chrome was the version that the firm utilized until 2015. This is because Apple used it not too long ago. This Apple logo is still imprinted in people’s memories, making it one of the most sophisticated-looking Apple logos.

Flat Design Apple Logo (2015 – Present)

Source: Pexels

It should come as no surprise that Apple has transitioned away from its glossy, shiny chrome style and toward a more simple design and uses a flat aesthetic.

Apple applies various hues to its devices, including the Apple Watch, Apple TV, and many iPhones, including the iPhone 7 and iPhone SE.

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What Led to the Success of the Apple Logo?

Source: Pexels

When looking at the chronology of Apple’s history, it is essential to consider the factors that contributed to its success.

There is probably no way to determine with absolute certainty which aspect of the firm contributed the most to its achievement of success.

On the other hand, there are a few consistent aspects of the company’s logo that we may investigate.

Consistency

When designing a timeless logo, consistency is the most important factor. This is an aspect of a firm’s branding, and it is critical that the corporate logo eventually become an indispensable component of the brand as a whole.

Steve Jobs managed to do this by prominently displaying the company logo in all of the rollouts of items he marketed and creating a significant amount of “buzz” about each product before it was made available.

Who can forget when Steve Jobs first showed off the iPod in 2003? He did not simply walk up onto that platform in Silicon Valley and announce to his colleagues that they would introduce a music player.

He referred to it as an “instrument for the heart” in his speech. In addition to this, he suggested that individuals picture themselves carrying “a thousand tunes in your pocket.”

When a new product is introduced, Apple’s stores are crowded, with customers waiting in lines that stretch to the highway.

Additionally, every single one of these items has the ubiquitous Apple logo printed on it. Jobs was able to garner such confidence and faith in the items he made by using such graphic images, and as a result, many concluded that they “had to have one.”

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Uniqueness

One may say that originality is the defining characteristic of the Apple Inc. logo. Who else outside Apple has a logo that depicts one of the whole fruits, a worldwide symbol of goodwill, and an object of desire in the form of a crisp apple?

The fact that someone has already taken a bite out of the apple is also significant since it conveys the message that individuals cannot resist doing so.

Although the apple itself may be nothing special, the method Apple has chosen to incorporate it into its logo has made them very successful. The history of the Apple logo is fascinating and has been analyzed by many people, regardless of whether their explanations are correct.

Intrigue

Source: Pixabay

There is a certain amount of enigma and suspense around the apple. When someone sees it for the first time, their attention is instantly attracted to the piece that has been bitten out.

They may be curious about who bit into the apple, why they felt prompted to do so, and how the apple’s bite relates to the brand emblem represented by the bite. The attempt to understand the significance of the Apple logo has led to its current state of bewilderment.

When someone starts using Apple goods, they immediately form an association. They begin to comprehend the reasons behind the usefulness of the brand logo that they are looking at.

The apple itself is meant to represent something that one wants to take a bite out of, and the act of taking a bite represents indulging in the awesomeness that one receives as a result of consuming the brand.

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Ties with the Founder

As was previously explained, Wozniak was responsible for the design of the Apple logo. The design of the logo has several significant ties to the company’s creator, Steve Jobs.

Jobs and Wozniak, his business partner, designed the Apple logo based on a story Jobs referred to as “his childhood story,” which was about someone who came up from nothing and created an empire and the idea of the “forbidden fruit.”

Since Jobs had a personal link to his firm’s identity and its logo, he worked to strengthen both aspects of the connection.

When a firm is developing its brand, it should make sure that its corporate logo prominently features the face of its founder and leader as much as is practically possible.

Even after Jobs passed away in 2011, customers continue to instinctively perceive the face of Steve Jobs in every product that Apple sells. This is because Jobs performed an excellent job immersing himself in his brand.

Status

Apple is a status symbol. If you get into Facebook on any day, you’ll inevitably come across someone bragging about having Apple’s newest and greatest product.

They queue up for miles both online and in-person at the Apple Store in California to be the first to get the latest and greatest Apple product.

Branding

Source: Pexels

The success of a logo is directly proportional to its branding. Branding is the most important item to keep in mind when starting and running a business.

When it comes to your company logo, you should focus on using it for everything you do, whether offline or online, and incorporate it into everything you do.

You should also make an effort to keep some degree of continuity with your logo’s appearance, even if you do decide to make some alterations every so often to its color, texture, or other characteristics.

Along with the company’s development, there has been an evolution in the ideas and hypotheses around the history of the Apple logo.

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Final Word

While many profound mysteries surround the genesis of Apple Inc.’s name and logo, one thing is certain.

Apple is now a success story, from its logo design, which has maintained its original form from the company’s inception to its inspirational journey of remaining present and relevant for so many years.