Webtoon Logo PNG
The term “Webtoon” itself, at first little known to many, became widely used after Naver launched Naver Webtoon in 2004. Today, however, tens of millions of people around the world know that Webtoon is both a comic book that can be read directly from a smartphone and an online platform for reading it.
Meaning and history
So, in the context of our article, Webtoon is a South Korean mobile app created in 2004 for reading digital comics. The word webtoon (웹툰) was derived from the English words web and cartoon. The phenomenon originated in South Korea.
Initially, everything was super simple — scanned paper comics were converted into electronic format. Later, the content was created specifically for convenient online reading. Modern webtoons have gained popularity not only because of their convenient format, and color pictures, but also more interactive tools: animation and musical accompaniment. Popular Key Pop artists record soundtracks for them, and themed exhibitions are organized all over the world.
It all started with the Internet portal Chollian, which launched a Webtoon section in August 2000. In 2004, Naver’s webtoon platform was launched, which is still the leader among webtoon sites. It remains the leader among webtoon sites to this day.
There is now a real expansion of Korean publishers in the global market. There are doramas, animated series, and movies based on webtunes. Koreans are broadcasting their stories to Japan, China, Taiwan, and Thailand, but also France, Canada, and the United States.
By 2008, Naver’s webtoon audience had reached 10 million people, and 3 million Koreans were paying money to access it. In May 2022, Naver Webtoon boasted that 180 million people read the publisher’s digital comics each month. Experts predict that the global Webtoon market will grow at an average of 30% per year to reach approximately $26.2 billion by 2028.
Webtoon platform allows everyone to start drawing comics and pour them into the sections and boxes. If a comic gains a certain number of readers/views/subscriptions, the author can connect an affiliate program and receive income from advertising embedded in the comic.
What is Webtoon?
Webtoons are comic books that are read from your phone. They were invented in South Korea in the early 2000s. The name came from a shortened version of the English web cartoon. It is also the name of the largest online platform for publishing and reading webtoons, created by Naver in 2004.
In terms of visual identity, Webtoon is a super bright platform. The simplicity of shapes here is fully compensated by the eye-catching color palette and distinction of the lines of all elements.
2014 – 2017
The older version of the Webtoon logo had a hand-drawn effect, with the smooth white lettering set in two levels against a messy bright-green spot with uneven contours. It looked very creative and fun, and perfectly suited the essence of the application.
2017 – Today
After the redesign of the Webtoon visual identity in 2017, the main concept was kept, but all elements apart from the color palette were refined and strengthened. The shape of the main badge got angular, with clean straight lines and sharpened contours. The lettering was also redrawn, in a bold geometric sans-serif typeface, with the characters featuring different sizes, which creates an interesting visual effect.
Font and color
The bold uppercase lettering from the primary version of the Webtoon logo is set in a modern geometric sans-serif typeface with clean contours of the full-shaped characters and straight cuts of the bars. The closest fonts to the one, used in this insignia, are, probably, Conneqt, Canaro, or Rustica.
As for the color palette of the Webtoon’s visual identity, it is based on the combination of bright acid shades of green and white. It looks super friendly and full of positive energy.
