One of the world’s largest communications and information technology companies, Nokia was established in 1865 in Tampere (Finland) as a wood pulp mill.
Meaning and history
The original Nokia logo appeared in 1866. It depicted a fish supposed to be the salmon fish of Nokianvirta River. The emblem was in use for around a century without any notable alterations. It was only in 1965 that Nokia Osakeyhtiö’s logo was given a facelift. Due to it, the picture became more transparent and minimalistic.
However, as soon as a year later a new Nokia symbol was introduced. The black-and-white emblem featured the name of the company inside a round shape.
Having merged with Finnish Cable Works and Finnish Rubber Works in 1966, Nokia unveiled its ‘Arrows’ logo. It looked very similar to the current one, except for the typeface, the lighter shade of blue, and the image of an arrow.
Once the “Connecting People” slogan was introduced in 1992, the emblem was slightly altered. The slogan used the ‘Nokia Sans’ type, created by Erik Spiekermann. In 2006 the Nokia emblem’s type and color were slightly modified, while the latest modification, which took place in 2011, included the removal of the slogan.
What is the worst emblem?
In comparison with the sleek, minimalistic, yet recognizable logo the company uses today, its first two emblems (designed in 1865 and 1898 respectively) may seem absolutely awkward. Yet, if you put them side-to-side to logotypes of other well-known companies working at the same historical period, you may notice that they are not that bad at all. However, the roundel emblem adopted in 1965 could not hold a candle to its “contemporaries”.
“Arrows” symbol
The Nokia logo that was adopted in 1966, following the merger with Finnish Cable Works and Finnish Rubber Works, bore a striking resemblance with the one we see on its products today. The only notable difference, apart from the subtle shift in the shade of blue, was the stylized depiction of three arrows in flight in the top right corner. The arrows were used as the symbol of the company’s progress and advancement in telecommunication industry.
Font
In 2011 the wordmark was given a facelift, which included a slight alteration of the font. The new type called ‘Nokia Pure’ was created by Dalton Maag.
Color
Nokia has been playing with different shades of blue since 1967. The current shade is darker than all the previous ones.
