Walkman is a brand of legendary portable music players, designed by Sony. Walkman sold over 200 million units since its launch in 1979 and until the its production was discontinued in 2009.
Meaning and history
1979 – 1981
The very first logo for Walkman was very friendly and welcoming. Looking more like a caricature than insignia, it was composed of a hand-written wordmark with both letters “A” stylized as walking legs. The monochrome lettering was executed in a smooth rounded font with the thick lines of the letters and emboldened ends. Near the right white shoes of both “A”s there were thin horizontal lines, symbolizing motion and speed, and this not only represented the “walking” style of the logo, but also a progressive approach of the growing and developing brand.
1981 – 2000
The redesign of 1981 brought a more professional and modern look to the Walkman visual identity. Now the black logotype set on a white background was executed in a stylish custom sans-serif typeface with rounded angles, arched contours of both letters “Al and solid black dots replacing their horizontal bars.
2000 – Today
The brand’s name reflects an opportunity of listening to the favorite music while walking. It was a revolution in the industry.
The Walkman logo is unique and iconic. It is one of the most recognizable brand emblems in the world.
The nameplate in custom typeface is symmetric and futuristic, with straight lines, and is perfectly balanced by a blot-style emblem of the letter “W” with a dot.
Font and Color
The Walkman logo was created by Japanese designer Hiroshige Fukuhara, he also drawn the famous logotype, and Mouhammad Alnajjar created a typeface called “Walkman”, which perfectly replicated the original drawings.