Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple, Apple History, Graphic Design
Rob Janoff and how he made the Apple logo
ZLOK has re-posted an article (originally meant for the defunct Sync Magazine) about Rob Janoff, a designer who's credited with coming up with the iconic-as-they-come Apple logo. It's actually a really short piece, but he does talk pretty candidly about where he got the idea: by buying a bag of apples and slicing them up in different ways.And the original design was just a single color Apple (which, of course, Apple has used versions of since), but Jobs thought the design should be more colorful, so the logo got its familiar colored bands. Janoff says he just threw the colors in where he thought they might fit, which makes sense -- they don't match up with the physical spectrum at all, they're just sort of in there.
Cool to see that something now so well known started off so simply. Janoff did the work for a design firm, and says that nowadays, he gets "not even a holiday card" for his invention. Apple does take their time recognizing inventors, though -- maybe the card's in the mail.
[via Cult of Mac]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
conigs said 9:14AM on 3-31-2009
Interesting piece. Though the colors do almost match up with the spectrum, just shifted by two. (ROYGBV->BVROYG)
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johnmc said 12:51PM on 3-31-2009
You forgot the I.
conigs said 1:00PM on 3-31-2009
There is no "i" in rainbow.... oh, crap.
I know we learn about indigo in grade school, but it was mainly placed there to make the spectrum contain a divine number of colors.
9600baud said 9:19AM on 3-31-2009
forget the article, where do i buy that apple neon sign?
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Dan said 10:47AM on 3-31-2009
In response to a comment on ZLOK
jerry wrote:
Nice to read this - since I got it tattooed on my left upper arm…
The Rainbow colors even once made a guy try to hit on me in a bar - he thought I was gay since I had a Pride Rainbow tattoo… :)
Had to make him a bit disappointed. But I got a beer and a laugh!
In the late 70's and early to mid 80's the rainbow and rainbow like patterns were very popular. It appeared in many logos and clothing items.
It is unfortunate for the world as a whole that homosexuals have taken this as their symbol as it has made use of it taboo for the rest of the world.
Just like once common words like "gay" (happy) and "queer" (strange) which are no longer used. You will find these words used in holiday songs, many old movies, and classic books as late as the 1960's.
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-TD- said 10:55AM on 3-31-2009
Languages evolve. Get over it.
Kyle Derouen said 10:56AM on 3-31-2009
Sorry to have offended you; I guess gay people cannot find ways to differentiate themselves from everyone else? Or should we check with you first to make sure it's ok?
Dan said 11:37AM on 3-31-2009
In what way did my post suggest I was offended. I was only commenting on the stigma associated with using a rainbow or words that are currently identified with a certain group.
Example 1: Heterosexuals can not use items with a rainbow on it, or with a rainbow pattern. If they do they are immediately classified as homosexual.
Example 2: People in general cannot use the words "gay" or "queer" without the possibility of an equal opportunity violation. Depending on who may take offense.
Example 3:(Not suggesting that they are the same thing) Many religions used the swastika as part of their religion. The Nazi party adopted that symbol and now it is taboo. There are still churches erected before WWII that have this symbol in their architecture. (Again, I am not equating homosexuals with the Nazi party)
And to the gentleman/lady that posted "Languages evolve. Get over it." I was only stating fact.
Another Example would be Negro:
Negro
noun dated often offensive
a member of a dark-skinned group of peoples originally native to Africa south of the Sahara.
adjective dated often offensive of or relating to such people.
ORIGIN via Spanish and Portuguese from Latin niger, nigr- ‘black.’
USAGE The word Negro was adopted from Spanish and Portuguese and first recorded from the mid 16th century. It remained the standard term throughout the 17th–19th centuries and was used by such prominent black American campaigners as W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington in the early 20th century. Since the Black Power movement of the 1960s, however, when the term black was favored as the term to express racial pride, Negro has dropped out of favor and now seems out of date or even offensive in both U.S. and British English.
I would end this post with the statement: "I these comments offend you. I apologize as that is not the intent. However, it may be an indication that you have an extremely "thin skin" and should reevaluate what offends you."
DBill said 1:01PM on 3-31-2009
The corruption of man is followed by the corruption of language. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Alex S. said 6:01PM on 3-31-2009
So what is your point, really?
House of Mirth said 2:11AM on 4-01-2009
My goodness do you ever sound confused.
Yousef Raffah said 11:24AM on 3-31-2009
Here is a translation of the post and article in Arabic
http://yousef.raffah.com/node/545
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dzhiurgis said 11:53AM on 3-31-2009
Well the homocolors were pure marketing since at the time being-gay was trend.
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Kevlar said 3:14PM on 3-31-2009
So does Microsoft's continued use of an almost-rainbow flag as their logo make everyone who uses Windows gay?
As a side note, I have a couple of friends who are gay, and they hate Apple computers. They both often come to LANs that I hold, and bring huge custom-built desktops, and are actually pretty good at Left4Dead.
puhsitch said 6:48PM on 3-31-2009
May have been the other way around, since it looks like the Apple logo was designed first.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag
dallasward007 said 2:17PM on 3-31-2009
The corruption of the words "gay" and "queer" came from staight people using them as derogatory terms for homosexuals. Later on, those words were taken as self labels to take the negative connotations away.
It's a pretty similar story to the n-word. It was created by the group in power, and later semi-adopted by the group who were once called that.
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mark said 1:14AM on 4-01-2009
Regarding the colors, you wrote:
"they don't match up with the physical spectrum at all, they're just sort of in there."
With all due respect, you're mistaken. While Janus may not have consciously considered the spectrum, the colors are, in fact, in the correct order. He just started with green at the top (logical, for the stem) and ended with blue -- but the order is still correct.
Think in terms of a color *wheel*. No matter where you begin, you eventually end up back where you started. The colors in the logo are absolutely in the correct order.
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