AT&T, the largest wireless provider in the US with more than150 millions of subscribers, has serious ambitions and considers itself the world leader. Which is, in fact, not that far from the truth.
Meaning and history
The first AT & T logo created in 1889 depicted a bell in a square frame consisting of three squares of different sizes, each slightly smaller than the previous one. The changes that happened to the logo in the 1900s transformed the square frame into a round shape of the emblem (or seal), which is a more familiar form to the modern eye. The logo preserved the original bell in the middle with the name of the company on it (changes in the name entailed a change in the logo). Only in 1969 the AT&T logo became neat and got rid of all the small and unnecessary elements. Its form acquired strong stylization bordering on grotesqueness. However, continuous antimonopoly legal proceedings led to the injunction to use the bell in the logo.
As we all know, the first phone was created in 1873-1875 by Alexander Graham Bell and was patented in 1877. Bell Telephone Company was a monopolist in the production of telephone sets for many years (the first telephones were not even on sale – they could only be rented from the seller).
In 1984, the image of a globe appeared on the logo. The globe was made up of lines of different thickness designed to create a 3D illusion.
Symbol
Modern AT & T symbol representing 3D image of the globe mostly symbolizes the brand’s global ambitions. Indeed, in terms of the number of subscribers, this brand is truly a leader even despite numerous splittings (including forced ones). Besides, AT&T technologies are constantly being improved, which contributes to the company’s expansion on new markets (including those with virtually no competition). AT&T’s decision to go beyond the US borders was a forced measure, but at the same time, it was the beginning of a new path, with a new logo.
Emblem
Modern AT&T logo turned from the monochrome one in 1984 into a formal two-colored one (or three-colored to be correct). Now the voluminous globe consists of blue (light blue) and white stripes, while at the intersections, the blue stripes intensify to blue. This gives the logo volume and depth.
AT&T, which was a subdivision of the company and later became a subsidiary, was established in 1885 with the aim of developing and improving the so-called long-distance communications, but it soon took over Bell Telephone Company. AT & T was the US telephony monopolist until 1974, when state antimonopoly authorities decided to oppose this monopoly. The company was forcibly divided into several parts, and 10 years later it received a ban on the use of its former logo.
Font
The modifications in the logo led to the changes in the AT & T’s corporate font. One of the important changes that happened in 1984 was the change in the location of the signature. If earlier the text was placed under the image, now the image has shifted to the left, and the text is placed on the same level as the logo. The transition from capital letters to lower-case letters was also fundamental. This change was also quite symbolic - the brand has gained so much power in the global scale that it can afford to use small letters in the logo.
Color
If initially AT & T logos were monochrome (black and white), modern emblem uses color. This transition mostly indicates the desire to be more visible and attractive to customers.
