Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, which explains almost every subject. Information is available in a variety of languages.
Meaning and History logo
2001
2001 — 2003
2003
2003 — 2010
The very first Wikipedia logo was introduced in 2003. It was designed by Paul Stansifer and later modified by David Friedland. The logo was an incomplete globe constructed of jigsaw pieces with a few ones missing at the top. Previously, there was some multilingual text inscribed on each piece, which was later replaced with glyphs. That shape was in use until 2010.
2010 — Today
The current Wikipedia logo is the same unfinished jigsaw globe with thinner boundaries between pieces, which give it a sleeker appearance. There were erroneous glyphs in the previous version, and they had to be (and were) replaced with correct ones. A wordmark ‘Wikipedia’ is placed beneath the globe, and ‘The Free Encyclopedia’ slogan underlines the whole emblem.
Symbol
The Wikipedia logo symbol was meant to reflect the company’s never-flagging (and, based on the goal, never-ending) striving to embrace the world and cover all possible subjects. The missing jigsaw pieces stand for the impossibility of this mission of seizing the unseizable. The glyphs symbolize the website’s multilingualism.
Font
The Wikipedia logo uses a stylish serif font.
Color
The color palette used in the Wikipedia logo consists of light shades of gray.