Oxford definition of 'logo':
Noun; a symbol or other small design adopted by an organisation to identify its products, services, uniform, vehicles (assets), etc
Macintosh to iPod to iPhone; the brand that we recognise was set up in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne to sell their hand-built computer 'Apple I' after being previously being declined by HP.
'Apple II' launched in 1977, its main success was asthetically due to its coloured graphics. Minimal design has always been the USP for Apple; their logo being no exception. Designed by Jobs and Wayne, 1976 saw the Apple logo as an intricate image of Issac Newton sitting under a tree with inscription: 'Newton...a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought...alone'. Naturally Apple had slow sales during this period...
In the same year, 1976, Steve Jobs hired Rob Janoff to simplify the logo. Rob fashioned the 'Rainbow Apple' with remained untill 1998. There were numerous rumours as to why Rob had chosen to creat such logo; that the Apple was a tribute to Newton (discovery of gravity from an apple), and since the USP for Apple at that time was coloured graphics, it comprised the rainbow colours. Further ideas state that the bitten apple pays homage to Mathematician Alan Turing, who committed suicide by eating an apple he had laced with cyanide; Turing is regarded as the God of computers, and the rainbow colours potentially refer to the rainbow flag; a symbolism of Turing's homosexuality.
It was later revealed in an interview with Janoff that he was in fact mindful of Apple's 90s slogan: 'Byte into an Apple', utilising a bite to 'prevent the apple from looking like a cherry tomato'.
The launch of the iMac in 1998 saw the Apple logo alter to a monochromatic finish, still almost identicle to the rainbow logo. Today, it is updated with a gradient chrome silver design, with the aid of Mac's sister, Adobe, and its advance manipulative image software capabilities.
The Apple logo is one of the most recognised brand symbols in the world today and it is the shape that identifies the company more than the colour.
