Barbie Logo PNG
Among all known fashion dolls, Barbie is, definitely, the best-selling and most notable one. Inspired by a German doll, Ruth Handler, a businesswoman from the USA, designed Barbie.
Meaning and history
The Barbie visual identity is one of the not many examples when the brand comes back to its original logo version after numerous redesigns. There were five major redesigns of the Barbie emblem, but in 2009 the company decided to return to its roots, adopting the very first version of the fancy girly logotype as its official logo again.
What is Barbie?
Barbie is the world’s most famous brand of dolls, which was established in the United States in 1959 and owned by the international Mattel Company. The brand, which started its path with the production of just one doll, called Barbie, has expanded into a global franchise, which today has all the possible types of products, including magazines, fashion items, and toys.
1959 — 1975
The original Barbie logo, introduced in 1959, was composed of a bright pink inscription in custom cursive with letters slightly numbing above the line. The first letter was capitalized and a bit enlarged, having its left part straight, with no curves. It was a simple yet very stylish and memorable logotype, which stayed with the brand for more than 15 years.
1975 — 1991
The redesign of 1975 brought another long-lasting version of the emblem for Barbie, it was a diagonally locates inscription in white bold sans-serif, outlined in bright pink with the pink wide shadow. The letters of the wordmark had their ends thickened and rounded, and the capital “B” boasted curved elongated tails.
1991 — 1999
The diagonal orientation of the logo remained untouched, though the pink color got lighter and calmer and the typeface was changed to a more modern and strict one in 1991. The tender pink inscription was executed in a narrowed sans-serif with smooth sleek lines, with no outlines or shadows.
1999 — 2004
The redesign of 1999 brought back the bright and intense shade of pink, making the logotype in smooth cursive again, confident and trendy. The logotype was still located slightly diagonally, but the angle became smaller.
2004 — 2005
The new inscription in fuchsia was brought to the Barbie visual identity in 2004. That was the only logo with a small graphical element in it — the dot above the “I” was replaced by a stylized hand-drawn flower in the same color.
2005 — 2009
In 2005 the flower was removed from the emblem, and the solid pink dot returned. The inscription, which featured a handwritten typeface with fancy letters, looked playful and friendly, staying girly.
2009 — Today
The brand came back to its original logo version in 1959, keeping all the details of it unchanged, as it is a perfect representation of the Barbie character, mood, and style.
Symbol
The current Barbie logo is just another version of the very first one. It is just the name written in a hand-drawn typeface.
Emblem evolution
What can we say about the original Barbie logo? The handwritten font has a spontaneous and cute style. From all the emblems Barbie has had so far, this one has the most uneven line. The first “B” is the lowest letter, the “a” and “r” go much higher on the line, while the second “b” goes almost as low as the first one.
If the “i” and “e” were lower than the second “b,” there would have been an arch. Instead, the last two letters “jump” almost as high as the “ar.” As a result, the emblem has an absolutely laid-back and effortless mood. It looks pretty without trying too hard, and you can imagine the girl it represents – somewhat naughty, yet absolutely adorable.
A decade later, the brand adopted a 3D version of this logo, which was replaced by a completely different style in 1975. This time, the insignia wasn’t effortless at all. All the letters, except the initial uppercase “B,” had the same height and followed a single line. However, the line itself wasn’t strictly horizontal but went up, which created a happy and optimistic feel.
Probably the most unusual letter of the 1975 logo was the initial “B,” which had two curves. While the one on the top was somewhat smaller, the lower curve was almost impossible to overlook. All the other letters had slightly thicker ends, which resulted in a barely perceptible “handwritten” effect adding some spontaneity.
How can we translate these modifications into the style of the girl the logo represents? Perhaps, we can say that this girl is by far better-behaved and obedient than her predecessor. Also, her beauty is more deliberate – she spends much time refining her look.
During the following fifteen years, the company also used a version where the name of the doll was rotated to the left so that the letters formed a horizontal line. In this variation, the 3D effect was less noticeable than in the main one.
In 1990, a new era started for the Barbie logo. While there was a perceptible similarity in the overall style, both the shape of the letters and the color were modified. The initial “B” was now less elaborate. It dropped the lower curve leaving only the one on the top.
All the other letters looked pretty much the same, although if you compare them side-by-side with the glyphs of the previous version, you will notice the difference. The letters became slightly sharper because the thicker ends were replaced by sharp angles. On the whole, if we try to imagine the doll (or the girl) this logo may represent, we may think of a slightly more “girl-next-door” style, although she is still well-behaved and obedient.
The shape of the letters of the 1999 logo grew closer to the original logo with its effortless elegance. This was even reinforced in the 2004 and 2005 emblems. The current one is almost the same as the earliest logo.
Colors
Candy pink has been one of the most important parts of the Barbie brand. The 1975 version featured a slightly cooler shade of pink than its predecessor. As for the color of the 1990 logo, it looked closer to the original logo than to the 1975 version, although it was somewhat lighter. The following logos grew more saturated.
Font
What is Barbie’s signature color?
The signature color of the most famous toy franchise for girls is, of course, pink. The most feminine and tender color represents style, elegance, and playfulness. Pink is the first color associated with girls of all ages, and Barbie is also a girl, a lady, who loves pink more than any other color, and uses its various shades for her wardrobe.
Why is the Barbie logo pink?
The logo of Barbie is executed in a deep shade of pink, which is closer to fuchsia. This is the signature color of the franchise and the most associated with the soul and the core of the brand. Pink is the color of style and elegance, the girly and tender shade, which evokes a sense of sophistication and style, and looks very playful and feminine.
What is the logo of Barbie?
The Barbie logo is a custom cursive wordmark, written in the title case of a designer typeface, which was created exclusively for the brand. The lettering is set in dark and bright shades of pink, and has the contours of the characters softened and sleek, perfectly representing the essence of the brand.
