The first version of Nescafe wordmark came to surface in 1938 and featured a brown-and-beige color palette. Following are some famous brands, employing logo evolution techniques revamping the wordmark from time to time to survive in the ever-evolving branded world. Whether to use serif, san serif, upper or lower case, color, size, etc… the graphic people at work are responsible for appropriate design decisions know how typography plays with consumers’ moods. Instead of opting for symbolic logos, there are a number of brands sticking to the wordmarks, evolving them from time to time to add a hint of freshness. Prominent brands are in a never-ending race to achieve a unique brand identity. The latest modification in 2011 witnessed the slogan’s removal and a new font ‘Nokia Pure,’ that was created by Dalton Maag.

And in 2006, Nokia’s emblem color and type were modified just a bit. Once the ‘Connecting People’ slogan was introduced in 1992, it used Erik Spiekermann’s ‘Nokia Sans’ type. Upon merging with Finnish Rubber Works and Finnish Cable Works in 1966, Nokie had revealed its ‘Arrows’ logo.

In 1965 a new Nokia symbol was made, in which the company’s name was featured inside the round-shaped black-and-white emblem. The emblem remained in use for over a century. Nokia’s original logo was created in 1866, depicted a fish of Nokianvirta River, where Engineer Fredrik Idestam established a wood pulp mill. In 2008, the company brought back its old identity from ‘Rbk’ to ‘Reebok’ that is comprised of a custom typeface. Seeing an opportunity to connect with the youth market in 2001, the company introduced a new logo ‘Rbk’, designed by New York-based design agency Arnell Group. And two years later it was improved even further. In 2000, Reebok resurrected its old logotype. Reebok logo was given a nameless corporate identity in 1998, featuring only a “cross-check”. The earliest version of the logo that featured Union Jack was unveiled in 1895. Reebok is the best example of design, redesign and design again. Since then it has remained largely unaltered apart from slight modifications in fonts. The current wordmark was introduced in 1968 and features the company’s name in an uppercase sans-serif typeface. The shield emblem and the Philips logotype underwent a major change in 1968. It was registered as a trademark in 1948. The original Philips logo, unveiled in 1938, was comprised of four stars hurling around waves enclosed in a shield. Related: 8 Brand Identity Trends to be Watchful Of The current Subway logo redesign forayed into a facelift with a simplified version and hand-drawn typeface. For most of the company’s history, the letter had somewhat unusual curvy lines. In 2002 the logo was given a symbolic look (above). Since 1965, numerous amendments have been made to the shape and proportions of the letters but it has always retained arrows as its distinctive feature. Subway adopted the arrows on the opening of its third restaurant in 1965 ‘Pete’s Subway.’ Since then it has become its most distinctive element. The current version of the Fujifilm logo uses a custom typeface and was unveiled in November 2006 and carries a wordmark, featuring a sharp design in the center which represents the company’s success and devotion towards advanced technologies. The Fuji logo is often cited as one of the most memorable logos ever created and has undergone numerous modifications throughout the years. Let’s skim through the list of the brands who let go of their symbolic logos for wordmarks for greater brand recognition. These are quirky and memorable and more often than not are an obvious choice for the brands when they opt for re-branding. One of the factors that might influence the companies to opt for wordmark logos is their readability and clarity. By using a powerful mix of colors and fonts, various companies are turning towards wordmark logos because of the image distinction. In order to make a lasting impact on customers’ minds and instant brand recognition, a wordmark logo is often the ultimate choice. Although there has been a drastic change in the graphic design industry, the technology has very less or no effect on the theory and approach to custom logo design.

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