Motorola is a Chicago-based company that is known for its innovations in the electronics and telecommunications sectors. Founded in 1928, the company has many firsts to its credit, including the car radio, walkie-talkie, cell phone, colour television tube, and the 32-bit microprocessor. The iconic visual identity of the company, in the form of its logo, has undergone a few transformations to keep up with the trends and demands of the market. In fact, the logo had four variations, wherein the first three were text-based, while the fourth and latest one featured a stylized form of the first letter “M.” The article traces the evolution of the Motorola logo over the years.
The Genesis of the Motorola Logo (1930–1955)
The history of the Motorola logo begins with the company’s founding in 1928 as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. In the early years, the company used a simple wordmark logo featuring the Motorola name in a basic cursive-style sans-serif font. Interestingly, the horizontal bar on the letter “T” was depicted as a lightning bolt to represent the speed of electrical signal transmission. This straightforward design, with connected glyphs and soft contours of letters, reflected the company’s focus on practicality and functionality in its early radio products.
(1946-1950)
In the logo redesign of 1946, the vertically aligned letters had their glyphs connected horizontally. This looked different and unusual for a calligraphic font. Besides, the first and last letters had their tails stretched along the top left and bottom right, respectively.
(1950-1965)
In the logo iteration of 1950, the typeface used for the bold wordmark resembled Dharma Type’s Rama Slab E Bold. It was a bold serif typeface consisting of short, rectangular serifs. The text looked compact, with a truncated “r” and “t.” Overall, the wordmark appeared strong and evoked a sense of confidence.
(1955-Present)
The iconic Motorola logo that everyone recognises today is all due to the efforts of Thomas Miller. Unfortunately, due to his African American lineage, he was not recognised for his efforts initially. However, his name came to light when Morton Goldsboro Associates, a design firm, decided to hire him. The redesigned logo featured a solid black roundel with the stylized letter “M” in white placed at the centre. Interestingly, the letter “M” was formed out of two symmetrical triangular segments and oval-shaped recesses below them.
Resembling fountain pen nibs, batwings, mountain peaks, or simply tents, the combination of the geometric shapes looked like an abstract “M” symbol. Also, given that the logo resembles the wings of a bat, it is unofficially termed a batwing logo as well. The logo design demonstrated Motorola’s pioneering role as an equipment manufacturer and its desire to scale new heights.
The Elements of the Motorola Logo
Font
In June 1955, Motorola introduced its iconic “batwing” logo alongside a new corporate typeface, Univers Com 93 Extended Extra Black Oblique. This bold, oblique font was used for the company name but not for the logo itself. The batwing emblem was purely geometric, formed by combining simple shapes to create the abstract “M” symbol.
Prior to this, Motorola had experimented with various wordmarks, including two that mimicked handwriting and another featuring bold letters with short rectangular serifs. However, the new batwing logo without any text proved to be the most enduring and recognisable.
Colour
Motorola maintained a consistent colour scheme of black and white. This simplicity in colour choice emphasised the strong and distinctive shape of the logo. It reinforced Motorola’s image as a modern, forward-thinking company in the rapidly evolving electronics and telecommunications sectors.
Finally
The evolution of the Motorola logo over the years signifies the journey of the company as an equipment manufacturer as well. The latest and exquisite batwing logo highlights the design quality and style. The logo evokes a sense of professionalism and progressiveness. With the Motorola brand aiming for sustenance and growth in the competitive industry landscape, its logo will symbolise the company’s desire for progress and success in the future.