Does your logo need help? Have you considered logo repair? Logo repair involves correcting and improving upon your current logo. It is easier than creating an entirely new logo and may be a good option if you already have some assets you like about your business logo.
If you are researching logos while trying to decide how you want your logo to look, it’s a good idea to focus on the big brands. By looking at logos from the big brands and how they have created their logo and the success it has brought them, you may learn some important things about how to do your own.
History of Microsoft and their Logo Success
One big company that has made great use of their logo is Microsoft. They started in 1975 when young William B. Gates (Bill) and Paul Allen decided to start a computer software company while still attending Harvard University. They, like many entrepreneurs, did not see the value of completing a four-year degree so Gates dropped out after only one year of Harvard. In a commencement address that Gates gave at Harvard three decades later, he said the following: “I don’t know what you all want to hear from a Harvard dropout.” He further joked that if he had spoken at the beginning of the year rather than the end many of the graduates would not be there.
These statements emphasized Gates practical view on making money and how you can take some basic knowledge and build on that by practical applications and real-world experience rather than academic learning and create something great.
Gates was smart and had a good grasp of technology and computers, but he was not a programmer. So he hired a man to create a simple operating system (DOS) to put on IBM computers to package and sell. Gates was a smooth negotiator, and he had convinced IBM’s president and board that he could license an operating system that would help them sell their new business computers at astounding speed.
The Making of a Dream
As they were closing the deal, Gates added one caveat: “We want full rights on the operating system.” IBM agreed to the terms stating, “The future of computers are in hardware; not software.” This statement lacked vision, to say the least, and is another example of how many companies missed the boat on being on the cutting edge of technology due to decisions they made three decades ago when the technology was still new.
Gates paid a programmer $54,000 for the full licensing rights on the DOS system and successfully sold it to IBM to put on their computers. Microsoft saw its first boost in sales when this happened and it helped to get their business off the ground in a big way.
The Gates and Jobs Connection
Gates had heard about another young man who was making an even bigger impact on the new technology of computers than he was. Steve Jobs had just released his Apple 2 computer at a computer symposium, so Gates decided to follow Jobs and see what he was up to. He then asked him to work for him where he learned that software was at the heart of UX when it came to computers for the common person and that’s where he got the idea for his Windows operating system.
Many say that Gates stole the idea from Jobs, but it’s important to remember that in those days many people “stole” ideas because the technology world was so new that people were trying things and throwing them away faster than you can say, “hard drive.”
Regardless, Gates’s operating system took off and helped the Microsoft company reach financial heights more than they ever dreamed possible. In fact, their Windows operating system is still the mainstream type of computer operating system for users across the country and much of the world.
The Logo: From Bland to Colorful
When Gates and Allen started searching for a logo, they started out with a 70s looking design of the “Microsoft” name in black. But this did not encapsulate the brand of the Windows OS very well. They went through a series of changes, but they all focused on the name itself. No special image or graphic captured the brand.
While the company still did well, it lacked pizzaz. They needed something different.
It wasn’t until 2012 that Gates and Allen decided to make a more drastic change and decided just to do the obvious and they sketched out a logo that symbolized the Windows system. It featured a “window” of four different colors known as the “flying windows” logo.
An Inside Job
This logo was created by some of the inside staff of Microsoft for no charge. They did not hire it out but just brainstormed among themselves to come up with the window image idea. The flying window also evolved into the static window tiles that they use today, pictured below.
How the Microsoft logo has worked for the company
There’s no doubt that Microsoft is a successful company. Though they have seen some weak points, Their net worth is still $69.3 billion, and it helped Bill Gates win the honor of being the richest man in the world at one point. He has given some of his money to charities and philanthropic organizations, but at last check, his net worth is still around $85 billion.
The Microsoft logo stands for innovation in technology that brought the computer to the everyday person by way of his Windows operating system. Many versions of Windows have been released since the inception of the idea, but they continue to add things that customers want in their operating system as the technology changes and grows. Their logo stands as a perpetual symbol of quality in an operating system that allows people access to the world of technology through something called “Windows.”
How can you find a logo like this?
So how can you find a logo for your company that has the kind of branding that symbolizes your company the way the Microsoft logo does? No one knows your brand better than you so you should be the one to start sketching out ideas like the partners and employees of Microsoft did. Think about what you want to communicate about your company and consider what type of graphic or font would accentuate this the best.
Let Us Create an Amazing Logo for Your Brand
Once you get an idea, call us at logodesignteam.com. We can help you capture the most important aspects of your brand and create a professional business logo that speaks volumes about your business. Tell us what you envision for your brand, and we can help you bring it together in your professional logo design.
Check out our portfolio online and take a look at our industry-specific logos. Then contact us for a free quote. We’ll get to work right way on a logo that will do what all of your ads and email campaigns cannot do.
When you want new leads and customers, and you are working on branding your company, you need a custom-designed professional logo that speaks to your target audience. That’s where we can help.
