Safari is a web-browser, designed by Apple in 2003. The browser is only supported by Apple devices but was also available for Windows for 5 years starting in 2007. Safari is the second most used browser after Google Chrome.
The Safari symbol was chosen at the date of the browser’s creation. The compass has always been on the Safari logo but undergone four redesigns during the browser’s history.
The original Safari logo depicted a very detailed and realistic three-dimensional image of a compass. It was drawn with a thick silver-metal frame and a glossy surface. The compass was placed slightly diagonally. The logo was in use for more than ten years on various models, from Mac OS X Panther to Mavericks.
In 2007 Apple creates square icons for iOS, so the Safari emblem was redesigned in order to fit the new pack. It is still a very detailed three-dimensional compass, but without framing. The square has rounded angles and looks stylish and confident. The logo was used from iPhone OS 1 to iOS 6.
In 2013 the simplified two-dimensional icon was created. It was used from iOS 7 to iOS 10 and depicted a rounded compass with a flat white and red needle and no lettering.
The logo from 2014 features a thin silver frame and a three-dimensional silver and red compass needle. It looks solid and confident. The logo is still in use today on all the MacOS.
With the launch of iOS 11, Apple also refines its icons. The new Safari inborn features thinner lines and looks more elegant in its iconic blue white and red color combinations
It has always been like that: starting in 2003, the only element used for the Safari browser icon was a compass. The color palette has also been left almost unchanged — white and blue, which was accompanied by gray and red on the earliest version. By today the gray has been completely removed from the Safari Icon, and the color palette is simplified to three shades — blue, which is gradient, white and red.
The Safari Icon is intense and bright, and the colorful composition is balanced by the cleanliness and minimalism of its lines — flat circle on a white background, thin white lines on gradient blue, and strict geometric red and white compass arrow, which points North-East. This direction also symbolized movement forward and dynamics.
The Safari visual identity is composed of just a graphical icon, though throughout the software’s history, there were some emblems with a logotype created. The inscription was usually written in a simple sans-serif typeface, with the first letter “S” capitalized. As for the color options for the wordmark, it could be seen in blue or black.
Since the very beginning, the Safari emblem has been based on the blue, white, and red color palette. The shades were elevated and made more intense and solid by today, reflecting the professionalism and reliability of the product and Apple’s passion for innovations and improvements.