Xbox Logo PNG
While the Xbox logo has gone through as much as ten alterations throughout its 20-year history, in fact, it has always been comparatively consistent in its core.
Meaning and history
The logo of the popular console brand hasn’t changed much since the introduction of its first version in 1999. The light green logotype only got refined throughout the years and the graphical part, which appeared in 2001, kept its style and concept until now.
1999 — 2001
The original Xbox logo was used by the brand for only two years, during the development of the product. It was a custom geometric logotype in lime-green, executed in angular shapes and medium/weight lines. The lettering was slightly italicized, was airy, and pretty welcoming.
2001 — 2005
The redesign of 2001 introduced a new Xbox emblem, which was composed of a bold green wordmark placed on the left from the three-dimensional “X” sight, which looked like it was cut out of the white background. The gradient green and white color palette looked creative, playful, and dynamic.
2005 — 2010
The logo was changed in 2005, rewriting the inscription in a cleaner and simpler sans-serif typeface, and placing the light green “X” on a gray metallic sphere, located on the left from the logotype. The unique detail in the nameplate was an elongated tail of the “B”, which was diagonally cut.
2010 — 2013
The color palette of the Xbox visual identity was elevated in 2010. The green of the lettering became a bit darker and more intense, while the gray of the sphere, on the contrary, — lighter. The renewed color palette stood for the success and movement of the brand, as well as their ability and willingness to provide their users with better technologies and games.
2012 — Today
The three-dimensional emblem was replaced by its flat version in 2012. The new logo features the same elements as the previous version, but now they all are executed in forest green, with white accents and background. This version of the logo is still used by the brand today.
2013 — 2019
In 2013 another version of the Xbox visual identity was created. The composition remained the same, but the gray color was removed from the brand’s palette, being replaced by a gradient white for the sphere. As for the main color, green, it was slightly modernized and started looking brighter and more delightful.
2019 — Today
The Xbox logo was refreshed in 2019. Two main changes were about the brand’s color palette and the disposition of the elements on the badge. The flat circle with the “X” is now placed above the “Xbox” logotype. The contours of the symbols were not changed, but due to the use of the new monochrome scheme, all elements started looking bolder and more powerful.
Alternative emblem
In 2012, a new emblem was introduced. For one, it was flat. Now, the only color used, in addition to the white background, was a dark shade of green, which replaced the original light green and grey. The introduction of the new logo was connected with specific requirements of the Metro design language. The flat version has been seen on Xbox Live on Windows Phone and Xbox Games on Windows 8. If you take a look at some other products, like Xbox 360 and Xbox One, you’ll see a different emblem, though.
Why is the symbol green?
The reason is pretty simple – it was the only color the co-author of the logo, Horace Luke, had at his disposal when he was asked to make the design. At least, that’s the version that the brand co-creator Seamus Blackley told during an interview.
According to Blackley, initially, Horace Luke had a set of markers, and there were a lot of colors. The markers looked so cool that Luke’s co-workers actually stole almost all of them, except for “the green nobody wanted.” At that moment, the group had a task to design a logo, and there wasn’t much time left before the meeting where they were to introduce it. So, the only choice was the neon green. “Can you imagine? – says Blackley – Now, the green is on buses in foreign countries.”
Font
The name of the type used for the “Xbox” wordmark is X360. Some of the characteristic features of the font are the sharp angles on the ends of the glyphs and elongated middle bars on some of the letters (“A,” “B,” “E,” for instance).
Colors
Although there’ve been some playing around with the shades, the Xbox logo has almost always been dominated by green. While there’s also a black-and-white version, it’s just an alternative used in situations when the main color scheme is unavailable.