Western Digital Logo PNG
Western Digital is an American brand of data storage devices, hard disk drivers and accessories manufacturer, which was founded in 1970 in California. Today the company has $20 billion dollars of annual revenue and over 70,000 employees worldwide.
Meaning and history
The Western Digital visual identity is and has always been, based on the principles of simplicity and stability. Its logotype never switched from the monochrome palette, and its blue emblem, always used one color mix, until its removal in 2017. Nothing ornate, unique or unusual, pure business, professionalism, and expertise.
What is Western Digital?
Western Digital is an American company, which is best known for the production of internal and external hard drives, and network drives.The company, headquartered in California, has its production facilities in Thailand and Malaysia, while all the research and development centers of Western Digitals are located in South and North California.
1970 – 1971
The company, which is today known as Western Digital, was established in 1970 as General Digital Corporation, hence the initial logo was based on that name. It was a two-leveled badge in black and gray on a plain white background. The upper level featured an italicized uppercase “General Digital” inscription in a geometric sans-serif typeface, with the words separated by a lightweight minimalistic emblem, with the contoured circle crossed by a diagonal line with the ends elongated to the sides. The bottom line of the badge comprised an italicized “Corporation” in gray small capitals.
1971 – 1991
The very first logo for Western Digital was introduced in 1979 and boasted a modern wordmark, which was inclined under a pretty big angle, creating a sense of speed, mobility, and progress. It was a bold black capitalized inscription, executed in a geometric sans-serif typeface with strict neat lines.
1991 – 1997
The redesign of 1991 brought a monochrome emblem to the company’s visual identity. It was a square structure, composed of three diagonal lines and eight solid black squares. The lines connected six of the figures, leaving the upper left and the bottom right ones separated. The wordmark was rewritten in a thin sans-serif, where all capital letters looked light and laconic, yet confident.
1997 – 2004
In 1997 the emblem was enlarged and switched its color palette to bright blue on white. As for the wordmark, it was also enlarged and set in two levels now, written in a title case and executed in a bold and traditional sans-serif typeface, evoking a sense of stability and trustworthiness.
2004 – 2017
The redesign of 2004 changed the geometric emblem of the brand to a smoother and bolder one. The solid blue square with rounded angles had two thick white letters “WD” with a thin blue horizontal line, cutting them in the top part. The badge reflected movement and freedom, while the black bold logotype in sans-serif added confidence and reliability to the whole look.
This version of the logo was only used as a corporate icon in the beginning and became an official logo in 2013.
2017 – 2022
Another version of the Western Digital logo we all can see today was introduced in 2017 and featured a simple and strict sans-serif logotype, where the two wordmarks in the title case have their letters bold and neat, perfectly balanced, and professionally executed.
2022 – Today
The redesign of 2022 has kept the custom typeface and style of the Western Digital logotype but added a bright geometric emblem on its right. The emblem of the company features three smooth elements, set diagonally in the top right corner of the banner, with the left one in fuchsia pink, the middle one in bright purple, and the smallest, the right one, in turquoise.
