As much as we have Apple associated with the bitten Apple, it has not always been that way. In its origins, when the company was nothing more than a cluster of ambitions, the logo that represented was very different from the current one. Neither was simple, nor was it modern, nor did it convey what the company is. In fact, the only thing he had in common with the current one was an apple. Ron Wayne, co-founder of Apple with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, has given more details about that first logo, which was created by himself.
Mr Wayne is 84 years old right now, when he was with Apple he had 10% of the Apple company. At that time that 10% represented around 800 dollars, but Ron decided to sell his share to the other two founders. The question that everyone asks, how much would he have now if he had not sold that 10%? Approximately 67,000 million dollars. But currently, the only thing that remains of Apple is that first company logo.
I knew that at that time I was not making a logo for the 20th century, it was a 19th century logo, but it was fun. Everything we did at the beginning was for fun.
I knew I was in the shadow of giants with these children. I was 20 years older than them. So I made this sketch with pen and ink. I was trying to capture Newton with the apple, that moment when suddenly a great idea was born. Woz and Jobs were part of that group of fans who were taking business computers to personal computers. Woz focused on an ultra-simple circuit design, Jobs insisted on the word Apple, I made the connection with Newton's apple.
I was supposedly the adult in a room watching these children play. I thought it was totally appropriate, it was not a modern logo. A modern logo is for example that of GM (General Motors), it hits you directly, it's simple. I have mail from fans from all over the world. They send me copies of the logo to sign them and I do it.
A logo that lasted little, but it was essential
The logo created by Ron Wayne was used for only one year. It was not serious, because it focused more on Newton than on the company itself. In addition to the image of the scientist and the tree with the apple, we can see the name of the company and a small phrase in the frame: "Newton ... a mind always travelling through the strange seas of thought ... only" Too much complicated to be a logo, right?
A year later, Steve Jobs asked designer Rob Janoff to redesign that logo to something more modern. Rob Janoff designed the mythical bitten apple of the six colours. Neither he nor anyone knew it at that time, but he had just created one of the most symbolic and recognizable images in the world. Even so, knowing the history behind the first logo, we will remember it with more affection than any other.
No comments