Wish has been known as an American shopping app providing users with the chance to create lists of products they like. Products can be gathered from around the web, but you also can upload your own images. The company operating the app is ContextLogic Inc., which is based in San Francisco, US. The platform was launched in 2010 under the name of ContextLogic by Piotr Szulczewski. In 2011, Danny Zhang joined Szulczewski, and they relaunched the platform as Wish.
If you wanted to describe the Wish logo with just one word, this word might be something like “ethereal” or “dreamy.” Why did the designers of the logo need this effect and how did they achieve it?
What is Wish
Wish is an online e-commerce platform, or online marketplace, which aims at facilitating interaction between sellers and buyers. It has been known for its cheap price. Instead of using a search bar format, the platform operates through browsing techniques allowing users to make individual visual setting.
Originally, the logo featured the company name, ContextLogic Inc., instead of the platform name. The two parts of the name were separated by color and font. The first half was done in darker, bolder blue, while the second half was printed in light blue and featured finer strokes. On the left, it had a square text message icon with the upper half having half of the gear and the lower half featuring two gray lines. The logo turned out clean and professional, reflecting the trustworthiness and stability of the company.
The answer starts in the very name of the project. We can assume that the creators wanted to see a wish-list as something of a dream. Imagine the moment you raise your eyes and say: “I wish…” If, at this very moment, you are outside, you will see the sky, possibly with light white clouds floating here and there. Well, maybe the sky will be overcast, but who would want to use a picture of an overcast sky as the logo?
Anyway, the designers behind the Wish brand opted for the sky-cloud theme. The rounded shape of the letter “w” has something of a cloud in it. The seemingly unnecessary stroke on the left conveys the moving and floating impression, as does the italicized typeface (italics are typically associated with implied motion).
The shape of the glyphs is soft and based on the oval, which is the basic shape of a cloud. To support this theme, the designers opted for a dot above the “i” (instead of, for instance, a square, a rectangle, a splash, or even a drop – something you can see in other logotypes). Even the ends of the glyphs are slightly rounded, which supports the impression of softness.
The palette, simple as it is, perfectly fits this story. Although the combination of white and blue can be interpreted in various ways, in this case, it seems to be a transparent indication that we have the sky-cloud allusion here.
The updated logo presented a well-established, trustworthy company. The black color gave the log a serious, timeless look. At the same time, the font choice added a touch of elegance, style, and creativity. It featured straight cuts and although there were no serifs, some of the corners featured barely noticeable spurs. The unique feature of this logo was the replacement of one vertical line of the “W” with a diamond shape.
In addition to the main Wish logo, the company also has a sign and an app icon/favicon. The sign is a truncated version of the full logo, where only the initial “W” can be seen. The letter is blue over the white background.
The app icon/favicon also features the “W,” but here it is white and placed inside a blue square box with rounded corners.
The only color used in the emblem, apart from the white background, is sky blue. To be precise, the index of this shade in the Hex system is #2FB7EC. The full palette introduced in the brand’s logo guidelines also includes a darker tone of blue (Hex: #0098D3), several shades of orange as a contrasting color, and gray, which can be used in print.
However, the logo guidelines emphasize that only the sky blue can be used for the wordmark or the icon.
As mentioned above, the script used in the Wish logo manages to be both meaningful and highly legible, which is something many designers strive to achieve. It is also minimalist and, therefore, in line with current design trends.