Audible Logo PNG
Audible is an online platform where users can buy and stream audiobooks and podcasts. It’s the country’s biggest audiobook producer and retailer. The platform belongs to the US-based company of the same name, which, in its turn, belongs to Amazon.com, Inc.
Meaning and History
Interestingly, the first product Audible brought to the market was neither a book nor a podcast but a portable media player. It was introduced in 1997 and had enough storage for about 120 minutes of audio. To start working with the device, users downloaded an audiobook from the company’s website. In 1999, Audible got a $11-million investment from Microsoft, then Amazon acquired a 5% stake in 2000. In 2008, Amazon announced it was going to buy Audible for around $300 million.
What is Audible?
Audible is an all-in-one audio entertainment app offering a variety of audiobooks, podcasts, and other forms of spoken word content. Based in Newark, New Jersey, Audible is a subsidiary of Amazon.com.
1995 – 1998
The earliest logo featured a peculiar swoosh emblem, which can be interpreted as a representation of a human ear or a symbol of a sound wave. In both cases, it created the “sound” meaning.
This meaning was supported by the way the wordmark was drawn. The letters were growing larger in scale, from “A” to “E.” This shape has been a universal symbol of all things acoustic, probably because it echoes the shape of the loudspeaker, horn, and similar objects. While the design conveys the “audible” meaning perfectly, it has a pretty dated style.
1998 – 2002
This version already looks more modern and professional. The “acoustic” meaning is now represented by a jagged, spiked line. It’s also a pretty recognizable and widely used symbol of sound waves. The wordmark features a simple lowercase font. This type works better than the uppercased one used before, since the lettering “.com” was added to show the users where they can get the product.
We can’t but mention the palette including an unusual combination of two unhackneyed green hues. One of them was dark teal, the other was a yellowish green somewhat reminiscent of olive green, lime, avocado, pistachio, and moss.
2002 – 2010
The acoustic wave is gone – probably the designers decided that the company name is already enough to represent “sound” and doesn’t need visual support.
The typeface looks similar, but the color was modified. It’s still green, but the calmer, natural tints were replaced by an eye-catching, loud neon.
2010 – 2015
The rare green tint made a triumphant return. It was now coupled with a combo of three warm colors inspired by the brand colors of Amazon. There was a maroon, red-orange, and yellow-orange.
Another new thing about the logo was the introduction of a new “acoustic wave” icon. It was a tick with three curves above, from small to large. The typeface is still a simple lowercase sans, but this time it is bolder and wider. The rectangle above the “i,” which was characteristic of the previous version, is still there.
2015 – present
While the palette of the previous logo looked charming, it was also a bit too complex and diverse. This made it a difficult choice for an emblem that has to be easily reproduced on a variety of media. So, on the primary version of the logo, there are only two colors left now: black for the wordmark and Amazon-inspired orange for the icon. There is still a version where at least three of the old colors were preserved, but it doesn’t have the status of the primary logo.
The type has grown lighter and lost the recognizable square above the “i” – there’s just a dot now. The lettering “an amazon company” was added below the name of the brand, although a version without the byline is still in use.
In addition to being simpler, the updated design better represents the connection with Amazon.
Font and Color
Simple as it may seem at first glance, this type has a soft artistic touch that somehow alludes to the creative works that you can access through this app. You can notice it in the elegant “tails” of the “a,” “u,” “d,” and “b.” So, although the font might seem similar to the one used in the parent company’s logo, there are tiny, but meaningful differences.
The combination of orange and black is another way to demonstrate the link with Amazon.
