Why Do Logos Evolve? (And What Does That Say About Us?)
Logos. You find them in every place—on the phone, on the clothes, even on the fridge. They are symbols that are drawn up and devised to be the most recognizable. They try to get an emotion across. And mostly, they try to adapt. But why do they change? And what does their evolution across time tell us about our psychology, culture, and perception of reality?
Let’s examine this infographic—an elaborate timeline of some of the globe’s best-known brands and their logo evolutions. From Apple to McDonald’s, Google to Visa, businesses are forever refining, refreshing, and at times even completely overhauling, their logos. But what is the real story behind these visual identity changes?
The Psychology of Simplification
One of the most remarkable trends in logo development is the shift toward simplicity. In the past, logos were complex, with many featuring detailed drawings, serif type, and elaborate images. But over the years, they lost the superfluous detail, morphing into smoother, more streamlined, and seemingly more sophisticated varieties.
Consider Apple, for instance. Its inaugural logo, crafted in 1976, was a detailed illustration of Isaac Newton sitting beneath an apple tree. But nowadays, it’s a pristine, one-color apple with a bite taken out of it. Why the shift? Because our brains handle simple forms better. A minimalist logo is easier to “see” at a glance, and in an age where instantaneous brand impressions are made as we scroll through our feeds, that counts for something.
In reality, this change isn’t merely superficial—it’s neurological. The Gestalt principles of perception state that the human brain likes to recognize simple, unified shapes and forms rather than complex and indistinguishable images. Logos recognize this brain preference and evolve toward being more brain-friendly.
The Death of 3D and the Flat Revolution
You’ll see another major trend is the flattening of logos. No more are the days of rich gradients, shadows, and three-dimensional effects. Instead, companies such as Google, Mastercard, and Pepsi have all moved to a completely flat design with solid colors and very few elements.
Why? Well, it’s mainly because of the digital age. In the early 2000s, 3D-style logos were in vogue because they dazzled on the shiny pages of magazines and in the TV spots. But as the world went digital and screens became the main surface for branding, the demand for logos that looked clean and legible on all scales and types of devices sent us tumbling toward a flatter aesthetic.
In addition, flat logos are more adaptable. They perform better when used in app icons, favicons, and even the small corners of the smartphone screen. That’s why Facebook (now Meta) and Instagram have continuously refined their logos to be as flat and clear as possible—because in the digital realm, clarity reigns.
The Color Theory of Branding
Another vital element of logo evolution is color. Certain companies have embraced a bolder appearance (Google’s colorful set of hues is still part of its identity), while others have turned toward a more muted, sophisticate set of colors (Pepsi’s appearance today has a more balanced array of colors and a more sophisticated palette than it did in 2008).
But here’s the twist: colors aren’t picked haphazardly. Color psychology indicates that various shades elicit different feelings:
- Red (Coca-Cola, YouTube, McDonald’s) → Emotion, stimulation, impulsive decisions
- Blue (Facebook, IBM, Visa) → Calm, trust, thinking decisions
- Yellow (McDonald’s, Snapchat) → Happy, friendly, spontaneous decisions
- Black & White (Nike, Apple, Mercedes-Benz) → Serious, high-stakes decisions
What is even more fascinating is the way companies alter colors for cultural tastes. As culture has swung toward a sustainability and eco-consciousness, companies like BP and Starbucks have, in my opinion, overdone it and labored mightily to be seen as “green” brands—again, even if their actual practices are “green” rated by standards that are sort of a dark forest and that tend to leave observers with an impression that the brands in question aren’t really living up to our ideals.
The Science of Font Evolution
Examine fonts, and you’ll see that they also greatly impact logo evolution. In the early 20th century, logos were filled with serif fonts—those little strokes, or feet, at the end of letters that made them feel traditional and more authoritative.
Yet, when we moved into the era of tech-driven, screen-based communication, serifs seemed to vanish almost completely. Sans-serif types were seen as more modern and certainly more screen-friendly. They became the default choice for the first several decades of the digital age. Even as figures like Steve Jobs reintroduced some elements of 1970s punk typography back into the design vernacular, the idea of using anything but a sans in tech literature was anathema.
Even large, established financial institutions such as Visa and Mastercard have abandoned their rigid, conventional typefaces for more animated, flowing typography—demonstrating that even banks are trying to up their friendliness factor.
Adidas: The Evolution of Three Stripes
At first glance, the changes over time in Adidas’ logo might seem like nothing more than simple branding refinements. But a closer look reveals an evolution driven by function, competition, and a need to adapt to contemporary culture. The earliest logos, tied to its founder Adolf Dassler, were detailed, emphasizing the origin and craftsmanship of the brand. As Adidas grew into a global sportswear leader, the appearance of its identity shifted toward sleek, minimalist designs that almost extolled the virtue of Anglicized German efficiency.
The 1970s saw the introduction of the Trefoil logo, which signified the company’s expansion into streetwear and casual apparel. The 1991 redesign introduced the now-iconic “mountain” three-stripe design that signifies a much clearer message. The three-stripe represents something a little more than what performance was in the 1970s and ’80s. This image shows a sense of challenge and progression, which is a much-needed image in modern schools and images of athletes on TV. Athletes are modern-day mountain climbers and the three-stripe represents the performance image Adidas has since 1991.
Google: From BackRub to Minimalist Icon
A textbook case of branding in the digital age, Google’s logo transformations are, at their core, optimized for instant recognition and adaptability across an ever-growing number of digital interfaces. The appearance of the first Google logo, when the company was still called BackRub, had an almost amateurish look to it; even the name BackRub lacked any kind of pizazz that would suggest a company that was on the track toward become a next-generation major player in the tech world. However, by 1998, the now famous multicolored Google logo had taken shape.
For many years, Google honed its typography, creating from it a semblance of 3D that, in 2015, enjoined a flat design, one aesthetically improved over all appearance across various digital platforms. This update, however, was not purely about making something pretty; it was also about following a branding trend in which clarity, conciseness, and, dare we say, even some elements of beauty render paths through digital spaces more usable. One could say this trend moves toward a Googley sense of elegance. The really usable brand.
Firefox: From Mythological Phoenix to Abstract Simplicity
The evolution of the Firefox logo is among the most dramatic, from a literal representation to one that is more abstract. Originally branded as “Phoenix,” the first logo depicted a mythical bird—an appropriate symbol for Mozilla’s rebirth after legal disputes forced it to rebrand. By 2004, the fiery fox circling a globe had emerged—not a bad metaphor for a web browser that connects users to speed and global content.
What’s happening with Firefox’s more recent changes is pulling away from a detailed, realistic fox and moving toward a more abstract and minimalist design. This is something we associate modern UI principles with: the need for a logo to be identifiable even at small sizes, like on an app icon or browser tab. The 2019 update not only embraces, but loud and proud flexes, a move toward more vibrant gradients and a simpler silhouette—less detail, more ‘essence’ and ‘presence.’
Pepsi: A Century of Change in Brand Identity
The evolution of the Pepsi logo reflects not just branding trends but also cultural and market shifts. Beginning as “Brad’s Drink” in the 1890s, the drink adopted ornate typography that was reminiscent of Coca-Cola’s famous style. The Pepsi brand’s 1890s/1900s ambition was to directly compete with its famous predecessor. However, by the time we reached the 1950s, Pepsi was attempting to carve out a visual identity and platform of its own.
Starting with red, white, and blue colors in a circular design, Pepsi was beginning to position itself as an American brand for a much broader audience. Throughout visual identity updates during the following decades, Pepsi has leaned into not just a more modern visual design but also pushed for much broader brand appeal. Nostalgia may be a driving force in the most recent visual redesign, but Pepsi’s use of the good old days is much less direct and much more universal in its audience appeal.
Mastercard: The Power of Simplicity
The logo evolution of Mastercard is a brilliant visual lesson in brands achieving maximum efficiency with their identity systems. The first incarnations of the logo were very wordy and cluttered with detail. But by the 1970s, the brand had moved toward a much-reduced identity that consisted of two circles, which basically serve as the Metaphor Picture for the whole idea of financial transactions and global interconnectivity.
By 2016, the brand dropped the name from the logo entirely, leaving only the two interlocked red and yellow circles. This is one of the boldest moves you can make in branding psychology: to leave behind anything that might help with picture formation in the mind of the consumer, and to rely purely on the colors and shapes to carry the brand identity.
Logos Reflect Society
This infographic isn’t just about the history of logos; it’s about the history of us. When we look at the evolution of branding, we see not only our changing, but also our enduring tastes and cultural priorities. And increasingly, we see the technological capabilities that allow us to make logos and, by certain estimations, allow us to even elevate logos to a cult-like status.
The current era demands that branding be immediate, obvious, and flexible. Businesses require their symbols to function not just in the real world but also in an app, on a watch, in a VR setup, or even as a voice assistant icon generated by AI.
It’s not that logos are just changing for no reason. They’re changing because brands are adapting to our psychology, to our expectations, and to the way we engage with them in an ever-more digital world.
Next time you observe a corporation altering its emblem, don’t merely consider, “Oh, they’ve altered it yet again.” Ponder instead:
What does this indicate about our evolution, as a species, in ways of seeing, in ways of being?
