The IBM logo is iconic, memorable and visually simple. It was designed in 1956 by Paul Rand.
It’s a common misconception that the horizontal lines in the logo are supposed to symbolise things like:
- ‘speed’
- ‘dynamism’
- ‘data transfer’
- ‘CRT scanlines’
- ‘computing’
- and other technology related themes
The real answer, according to Paul Rand himself, is that the lines didn’t really mean anything.
The interesting takeaway here is that he could have used triangles, or crosses, or indeed any shape in the makeup of the logo and people would still find a way to tie it’s meaning back to whatever industry the company was operating in (which happens to be technology). Your logo as part of your brand ‘stack’, is just the tip of the iceberg – the icing on the brand cake – it lives or dies, and becomes synonymous with, company performance and the industry it exists within.
So don’t fret too much over it. You can always improve it later.
