Microsoft has had five versions of its logo so far. The first one was introduced in 1975, while the current emblem was created in 2012.
Until 1987 the Microsoft logotype has had three major redesigns, which started with the logo for Traf-O-Data (the original name of the company), introduced in 1972, and was filled by three monochrome logotypes. The version, created for the brand in 1987 was the most recognizable and popular one, and stayed with Microsoft for decades, undergoing some small modifications.
What is Microsoft?
Microsoft is a global leader in information technology, supplying a wide range of devices and services, software, and IT services. It is one of the world’s largest corporations operating in more than 190 countries. The company was founded in 1975.
The initial logo for Traf-O-Data was created in 1972 and featured a unique and memorable emblem, composed of three black figures, forming a stylized monogram. The big black letter “D” was composed of two parts and a black circle in the middle. The circle was standing for “O” and the left bar of the “D” looked like “T”, so the whole image could be read as “TOD”, an abbreviation of the company’s name, which was specialized in traffic light computer technologies in the very beginning of its history.
The bold black logotype was placed on the right from the emblem and featured a smooth and rounded serif typeface, which looked very stylish and friendly.
The company was renamed Microsoft in 1975 and the first official logo for the new brand was designed n the same year by Simon Daniels. It was a monochrome logotype where all capital letters featured extra-bold lines, formed by numerous thin lines in black and white. The typeface of that logo was very similar to Aki Lines font and looked fresh, stylish, and progressive.
Simon Daniels redesigns the Microsoft logo again in 1980, keeping monochrome as the main theme, the designer changes the typeface of the inscription into a sharper and more modern one. This time the black capitalized lettering was executed in New Zelek font. The logo only stayed with the company for two years.
The redesign of 1982 bright another version of the Microsoft visual identity, writing the name of the company in a straight and simple sans-serif typeface and accenting on the letter “O”, which gains striped patterns and visually splits the word into two parts.
The iconic logo for Microsoft was designed by Scott Baker in 1987 and stayed almost unchanged until 2012. The wordmark, written in an italicized Helvetica Black font had one unique element, a triangular white cut in the letter “O”, which aimed to separate “Micro” from “Soft” and make people look at the company’s name under the new angle.
The logo was slightly modified in 2011, though the changes were almost invisible — the size of the lettering got a bit smaller and the contour of the “M” gained more air between its vertical bars.
In 2012 Microsoft starts a major rebranding of its corporate visual identity: the new emblem was designed by Jason Wells and features a geometric icon, where four small colorful square makes up a bigger one, and a light gray logotype, written in a modest and neat Segoe Semibold sans-serif typeface.
In 1987 Scott Baker designed a new logo. The wordmark used Helvetica italic typeface with a distinctive slash between the “o” and “s” characters. According to the company, this feature was supposed to put an emphasis on the word “soft” and also to create the impression of motion and speed. This version of the emblem was nicknamed the “Pac-Man” logo, as the slash bore resemblance to Pac-Man.
The first Microsoft Office logo was introduced in 1995. In addition to the wordmark, it featured a square shape with assembled puzzle pieces inside (four colors: yellow, red, green, and blue). It did not change much for the 1997 and 2000 Office versions.
In 2001, when the XP version was introduced, a gradient tool was applied to the logo. The four color puzzle was moved to the left, so that it appeared in front of the wordmark.
In 2003, instead of the puzzle pieces logo a new one appeared. It featured four interconnected squares of different colors and sizes. The 2007 and 2010 Office versions used variations of this symbol, while the 2012 emblem was completely different. It sported an abstract orange shape, which was supposed to reflect the company’s new design language.
The original Microsoft Word logo, which was introduced in 1983, was just a wordmark with a recognizable “O” character. Four years later, a new emblem was adopted. This was the first time when the “W” character became the central part of the logo. It was placed over the background depicting a sheet of paper. The logos that appeared over the following 13 years were variations of the same idea.
In 2000, a completely new emblem was introduced, depicting the “W” character inside a square shape. It was then that the iconic white-and-blue color scheme was adopted. The logo was modified several times, until in 2013 the company developed an emblem resembling an opened book with the letter “W” on its cover.
When in 2010 Microsoft introduced its Azure cloud computing service, it appeared with the company’s iconic four-part “flag” logo. The choice of color reflected the name of the platform. In two years a new emblem was developed, consisting of four trapezoids. Two more years later, the company removed the symbol, leaving just a wordmark logo.
In 2015, the Microsoft logo was refreshed, using the Segoe font instead of Helvetica Bold Italic. According to design experts, this choice reflects the company’s visual identity as well as the style of typography that is used in their operating systems.
There are six colors in the logo. In addition to the wordmark itself, which is grey, there is the emblem consisting of blue, yellow, green, and red. All these are given on the white background.