Linkedin Logo PNG
One of the most popular social networking services, LinkedIn was created as a means of professional communication for people all around the globe. One of the main aims of the service is to help the users in finding jobs and employees.
Meaning and history
LinkedIn positions its self as a serious web portal, and the history of its visual identity is one of the proofs to it. The iconic logo was redesigned just twice in almost twenty years of the website’s existence, and the style and composition we all can see today is a modified version of the original emblem, introduced in 2003.
2003 — 2011
The original LinkedIn logo was composed of a black “Linked” lettering with a solid blue square on its right, where the white “in” in the lowercase was placed. The bold and confident sans-serif typeface of the nameplate was very similar to such fonts as Radiate Sans Bold and LCT Picón Bold. The black, blue, and white color palette of the logo represented the professionalism, seriousness, and reliability of the web-portal.
2011 — 2019
The redesign of 2011 only changed the typeface of the logotype, keeping the original composition and concept, along with its color palette. The font of the renewed LinkedIn inscription was Avenir Pro, with a bit thinner lines than on the previous version, and the traditional timeless shapes.
2019 — Today
In 2019 the LinkedIn logo was redesigned for the second time, and now the only change was about the logo’s color palette. The black “Linked” inscription today is colored in the same shade of blue, as the square with the rounded angles, placed on the right from the lettering. In comparison to the previous version, the typeface was slightly refined and the dots above the letters “I” are now placed at a bigger distance from the vertical bars.
Symbol
The LinkedIn symbol looks absolutely up-to-date and leaves a “web 2.0” impression. Such a logo could have hardly been created in the previous century.
The wordmark comprises of the words “Linked” and “in”. There is a barely noticeable spacing in between the two words. The word “in” is placed in a blue square shape with rounded angles. “Linked” is given in black, while “in” is negative (white).
“Short” emblem
In some cases there’s a need to “reduce” the logo. For instance, if there’s not too much space or the space has a square shape, or it is important to make the logo more readable. In such situations, the word “Linked” is omitted, and only “in” stays. For instance, this approach was used for LinkedIn-branded chocolates, which were square in shape.
Font
The type used in the LinkedIn wordmark is called Source Sans. It can be utilized to communicate any message that has to do with the company. Although the Source Sans font exists in a number of weights, the company recommends to opt for “Light” or “Semi-bold” versions. Also, if you need to communicate key brand messages in longer texts, it is acceptable to use the Source Serif or Source Code types.
Color
The corporate palette comprises three colors: blue, black, and white. The shade of blue, which is called LinkedIn Blue, is the core of the brand’s identity. There may be several reasons why the company opted for blue. One of them is definitely that many people unconsciously associate it with networking and communication via Internet (note Facebook’s choice of colors, for instance). Also, there were top managers from PayPal among LinkedIn creators, so it’s only natural that the color close to the PayPal blue was chosen.
In addition to this, psychological symbolism of blue involves such virtues as intellect, authority, power, and success, all of which resonate with the brand’s identity.