The overly complex original Apple logo illustrated Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree and was inscribed: “Newton… A Mind Forever Voyaging Through Strange Seas of Thought… Alone.” Its creator, Ronald Wayne, one of Apple’s founders, sold his 10% share of the company for a one-time payment of $800 (apparently his business skills matched his design skills).
Steve Jobs, whose mantra was always simplicity, had Rob Janoff of Regis McKenna Agency design the iconic striped apple. The more modern ITC Garamond Condensed typeface appeared in 1984 when Apple introduced the Macintosh. From 1984 to 2002 that typeface branded everything from the company to hardware and software developments such as QuickTime and FireWire. During that period, the rainbow striped apple gave way to several simpler, monochromatic versions.
Since 2002, Apple has consistently used the sans serif font Myriad Bold in all their communications. That font now brands the company, their iPhones, iPods and other hardware and software.
The History of the Bitten Apple//
The “bitten apple” is the logo of the well-known computer manufacturer Apple Inc. It is one of the easily recognizable logos in the whole wide world, a fitting symbol to the name of the company behind the picture. Here is one bite out of the apple’s history, to enlighten readers on how the logo sprang into existence.
Newton: Apple’s First Image //
The “bitten apple” logo has had a complicated yet very fitting history to its current image. The first logo for Apple Inc. during its incorporation in the 1970’s was entirely different, but was still related to the apple. To be specific, the first image to represent the computer company was Isaac Newton, the man who first discovered the company when a fruit fell on his head. What was that fruit? You guessed it: an apple!
Founders Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne had come up with the logo, citing Wordsworth’s quote “Newton… a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought.”
The Apple Gets Its Turn //
The Newton logo was short-lived, as designer Rob Janoff right away changed the logo into the familiar apple shape with a bite off its right side. This version is adorned with multiple colors, the familiar colors in the rainbow.
Janoff’s motivations for the logo revamp have been a subject of several speculations. Some people think that the shift to the apple design was to make it more appropriate for the company name. Others think of it as a more fitting tribute to Newton and his discovery of the colors and gravity. The rainbow colored apple may have been an advertisement for the color capabilities of the second computer produced by the company, Apple II. There are also people who think that the apple symbolizes Alan Turning – the father of modern computing – who took a bite out of an apple poisoned with cyanide that ultimately took his life.
Just lately, the rainbow apple has been phased out and changed. The logo still features the familiar outline of the “bitten apple” but with a different color scheme. There are currently two color schemes for the symbol: white, and raw aluminimum.
The bitten apple logo may have had quite a history, a history whose parts remain unknown to people. However, it has not stopped the logo from being recognized all over the world. In fact, the company does not even have to print its name alongside the logo. The logo itself already tells it all.
It is clear that Apple wanted to pay homage to Isaac Newton with their logo, their progression over the years has been quite extensive. The logo has gone from quite a complex illustration to a simple and monochrome symbol of an Apple. This is partly down to Steve Jobs who recently passed away.
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