One of the largest telecommunications companies in the US, Sprint Corporation has a bright and dynamic logo.
The origins of the brand can be traced back to two corporate entities, the Brown Telephone Company and Southern Pacific Railroad.
We can start the history of the Sprint logo from the logo of its predecessor United Telephone System. From 1972 to 1987, its emblem sported a large black square made up of nine small squares. To the left, the lettering “United Telephone System” in a simple sans serif type could be seen.
The square was redrawn but didn’t change its overall style. The wordmark now read “Spring.” It was larger and darker, which also made it better legible.
For almost two decades since 1987, the company was known as the Sprint Corporation. The logo used in 1987-2005 consisted of two parts: a red emblem and the name of the brand, which was placed to the right. The emblem was based on a square shape standing on one of its points. The square was broken into two halves with the help of three horizontal lines. The lines, which were uneven in their width, were separated from each other with white gaps.
In the older of the two logos (1986 — 1991), the emblem was paired with the wordmark “US Sprint” in light gray.
In 2005, the Sprint Corporation merged with Nextel Communications. The brand was renamed Sprint Nextel Corporation and borrowed the black-and-yellow palette from its parent company. The structure and shape of the logo were absolutely different, though.
According to Will England, Sr. Business Analyst at Spring, the emblem represented the pindrop. It was supposed to remind that the company was the first all-fiber long-distance network in the US, which promised the calls so clear that a person could even hear a pin drop. Also, there was a wing on the logo.
The word “Sprint” featured an elegant italicized typeface. The glyphs, which were rather bold, had delicate serifs.
The Sprint logo which has been in use for fifteen years has undergone a minor modification. The inscription was made larger in comparison to the yellow symbol on the right. The latter now featured a darker shade. In 2020, the brand became part of T-Mobile, which is specified right underneath the familiar logo. The “T-Mobile” portion features the logo of the company, while the rest of the inscription is done using a smaller, basic, sans-serif font of black color. This update was a mere way to show that it has joined forces with another well-established communications company.
In comparison with the old logo, the current font looks lighter and more modern. With its soft and elegant curves, lack of serifs, moderate proportions, it looks perfectly legible. We wouldn’t say it’s very unique and recognizable, yet the glyphs fit each other very well. For instance, the curves on the upper parts of the “p,” “r,” and “n” look very similar. You can also see that the tops of all the letters, except the “S,” are perfectly aligned (in case of the “t,” it’s the horizontal bar that’s aligned with the other glyphs).
On the whole, the logo leaves an impression of something very light, moving or flying, without actually depicting something specific, like a bird or an arrow. The dynamic feel seems to fit the field where the company works – telecommunications – perfectly.
The vivid, sunny yellow emphasizes the dynamism of the logo. Having opted for black as the second color, the authors of the Spring logo created a bright contrast and also provided excellent legibility for the text.