Amazon is an American company, one of the Technology Big Four, which was organized by Jeff Bezos in 1994 as Cadabra. The business specializes mainly in e-commerce and artificial intelligence, along with online cloud services and various new-generation computer technologies. Apart from an absolutely endless assortment of goods, available for sale on the platform (which, by the way, started from selling only books), Amazon is internationally recognized for its legendary logo — a simple wordmark with a bold arrow under it. The first version of the badge was introduced already in the end of the 1990s and was only slightly refined by today.
Established under the name “Cadabra”, the company was renamed to “Amazon” in the same year, and the initial logo for the world’s most famous e-commerce platform was designed in 1995. During the company’s history, there were not so many redesigns and the color palette was set already in 1998, though the first two versions were made in black and white.
The Amazon logo has always been minimalist, as Jeff Bezos didn’t want the branding design budget to be high, but this didn’t affect the recognizability and modernity of the emblem, which is known in every corner of the Earth.
What is Amazon?
Amazon.com is the most popular online marketplace, with elements of an online store, where you can buy both products of Amazon’s brand, as well as products of large and small retailers in all kinds of categories. Amazon is primarily known for its rich assortment and impeccable service.
The original logo for the online platform was developed by Turner Duckworth in 1995 and was stylish and symbolic. The stylized black bold letter “A” was the main element of the logo, with a smooth vertical white line, repeating the contours of the Amazon river.
The “amazon.com” wordmark in the lowercase was placed under the emblem and executed in a clean and simple sans-serif typeface, in black.
In 1997 the image was redesigned, gaining white horizontal lines coming out of the Amazon river. Due to these lines, the logo started resembling not only the river shape, but also a tree, plus it had something in common with zebra pattern, which made it truly remarkable.
The color palette of this logo was still monochrome. As for the wordmark, the style was slightly changed and the lettering became bolder, while the emblem was redrawn and made smaller and more elegant.
1998 was a very interesting year for the company’s visual identity. Three different logos were created in that year. The first one was a simple wordmark “amazon.com” in an elegant serif typeface, with “Earth’s Biggest Bookstore” tagline, written in all capitals in a simple and strict sans-serif. It was a black and white logo, which was very soon replaced by one of a completely new concept.
The next version was designed using the new color palette – black and intense yellow. The letters of the logotype were now capitalized and the letter “O” in yellow was enlarged. The tagline was removed from this version.
This emblem only remained with the company for several months and at the end of the year was replaced by a new one, which became the basis for the emblem we all know today.
At the end of 1998, the famous “Swish” logo was designed. It was as simple as all the previous versions, but with a young and fresh mood and spirit.
The lowercase of the wordmark in black was complemented by a bright yellow line under it. The line was slightly arched to the top, creating an association with the bridge, connecting past and future.
The wordmark was executed in Officina Sans typeface, with the “Amazon” part in bolder lines, than the “.com” one.
This logo was designed in 2000 and became a symbol of the new generation and technological progress. The biggest e-commerce platform chose the design, which reflects its positive and progressive approach.
The Amazon logo is composed of a wordmark “Amazon” in the lowercase letters. Under the lettering there is a smooth and bold yellow arrow, coming from the letter “A” to “Z”, forming a smile.
The first versions of this emblem contained the “.com” part, but it was removed after the branded started expanding its activity offline.
The iconic smile-arrow symbol, created by Turner Duckworth, is playful and friendly, evoking a sense of reliability and happiness. The black and orange color palette only adds to these feelings, making the visual identity bright and perfectly balanced.
The Amazon logo is an example of contemporary simplicity and style, its minimalistic composition shows the very best of the company: its professionalism, loyalty, and value of high quality in everything they do.
The Amazon logo redesign, held in 2024, is all about intensity. The shade of the orange arrow, placed under the black lowercase wordmark, starting at the “A” and stopping at the “Z”, got brighter and deeper, creating a stronger mood and even a friendlier look of the iconic badge. As for all other elements, they kept their shapes and shades.
Definitely, one of the most recognizable graphical icons in the world, the Amazon icon, is built around two simple symbols — a lowercase letter “A” in bold black lines and an arched arrow, resembling a smile under it.
The curved orange line reminds us of a friendly smile, and the company managed to use this symbol to the maximum, making a legend out of simple lines. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos did not want to spend money on additional branding elements, such as package design. Then designer Turner Duckworth suggested using only a smile in the design, turning ordinary boxes into smiley ones.
This decision turned the packages into a marketing tool and allowed the company to claim it was delivering smiles to the door. The impression is enhanced by the color orange, which is associated with friendliness, warmth, and joy. Amazon also has a charitable affiliate, Smile, which donates money to those in need.
On the full logo version, the arrow part of the icon is stretched under the letters A and Z, symbolizing that customers can find any product in the online store. The arrow also signifies moving forward and achieving goals, which is in line with Amazon’s history.
The Amazon logo just speaks for itself, as it is extremely recognizable and conspicuous. The company’s web address directly appeals to potential buyers to visit the website and choose products right now.
And the main symbol of the company is a friendly bold smile, which brilliantly depicts the mood of the marketplace and its main target: making the customers happy, offering them the widest choice of goods in different categories, available online. The color constraint between the orange smiley arrow symbol and the black logotype is also a part of the concept — like dividing the professional side of the business from its entertaining and consuming one.
The orange graphical element is not just a smile, but also an arrow, which has several meanings here: it is a depiction of the delivery of the goods to the clients, and also a graphical representation of the company’s progressive approach to business and their intentions to never stop and to always find innovative solutions for making shopping with Amazon even more comfortable and pleasant.
The current Amazon logo borrows a large part from the previous one, as it features the web address and the yellow arrow. It points from A to Z – the first and the last letters of the alphabet to symbolize its intention to sell all sorts of products on Earth. The words “and you are done” demonstrate the company’s readiness to help a customer solve all sorts of problems. The arrow denotes customer satisfaction, and the black font expresses excellence and elegance.
What font is used on the Amazon logo?
The lowercase Amazon logotype is executed in a bold and traditional Sans-serif typeface with smooth thick lines, slightly curved tails of both “A”s, and straight cuts. The font, used for the logo is Officina Sans Bold, which is pretty close to such fonts as Dynamic Grotesk Bold and Capital Gothic Bold.
The bold yet very elegant typeface of the new Amazon logo was designed specifically for the company but is based on a classy font, which looks very similar to, for example, PF Das Grotesk Pro Bold or Grotesco Bold. Its main features a smooth arched lines, slightly curved playful tails of the lines, and a very accurate and neat look. The most memorable part of the typeface is the letter “Z”, which has its bottom horizontal bar arched to the center, like “hugging” the arrowhead, coming from the orange Amazon emblem. It also created a very balanced look between the inscription and the graphical part, making it look harmonious with two arched elements.
What is the hidden image in the Amazon logo?
In its iconic logo,Amazon has hidden two interesting signs. The first one is a friendly smile, which is made up of a bright arrow, drawn under the wordmark. The second sign is also connected to the arrow, as it links two letters in the name of the brand, “A” and “Z”, which represents that the store has everything, “From A to Z”.
Is the Amazon logo trademarked?
Yes, the Amazon logo, and all the icons and marks, used by the company on its official platforms, are Amazon trademarks. So to use the logo of the company for your purpose you need to get permission from the Amazon Group.
What kind of logo is Amazon?
The Amazon babe belongs to the category of combination marks, which means it is composed of a wordmark and a graphical element. Most experts think, that the combination type of logo works more effectively than any other, and the Amazon logo confirms this opinion.