Hanna-Barbera Logo PNG
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was a Los Angeles-based animation studio and production company. During almost half a century of its history, the Hanna-Barbera logo went through around 15 modifications. In many cases, the company just dropped its old logo completely to introduce a totally new one, where nothing brought to mind of its predecessor.
Meaning and history
1957 – 1958
The company was founded in 1957 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera (who created Tom and Jerry) in collaboration with film director George Sidney.
The original emblem sported the letters “H” and “B” inside maroon and light blue boxes respectively. The shape of the boxes was close to the square and the rectangle but, in fact, they were more of irregular quadrilaterals. The glyphs also had a playful irregular shape.
1958 – 1960
The logo grew even more carefree. Both the boxes and the letters became more irregular. The colors, too, were replaced by brighter and more eye-catching ones.
1960 – 1961
This time, the brand owners decided that just the two initials were not enough. The full name of the company was placed over a warm green background. The type was inspired by handwriting.
1961
The type remained “handwritten” but adopted several picturesque curls.
1961 – 1966
The same year, a simple logo was introduced. The lettering still seemed to have been written by hand but looked more minimalist now.
1966 – 1974
The majority of projects released during the following six years featured the huge letters “H” and “B” in a heavy typeface. The designers successfully played with negative space, which created an unusual and stylish result.
1967 – 1973
For less than a year, you could come across a version where the lettering “Hanna-Barbera” was paired with a stylized depiction of a film.
1973 – 1977
Once again, the initials were replaced by the full name. This time, a font with rounded serifs was chosen.
1974 – 1979
Just a year later, the time of a two-letter logo came again. The glyphs looked somewhat similar to the 1967 version but were italicized, which made the design more dynamic.
1977 – 1979
And again, the writing “Hanna-Barbera” appears. This time, the type is drastically different than in any other “full” wordmark used earlier, although the friendly rounded style is preserved.
1979 – 1992
The so-called Swirling Star was created by Art Scott. It appeared in various projects until 2001, along with other emblems.
1988 – 2001
A pretty generic “written by hand” version was unveiled.
2001 – Today
The current Hanna-Barbera logo was also inspired by handwritten words. It has a fun carefree style.