The Story of and History Behind the Electronic Arts Logo

Electronic Arts Inc, more effectually known as EA Sports is arguably the most recognizable gaming franchise on the planet. Additionally, the logo has played a vital role in the branding of this company, and it is more recognizable than the company itself. Believe it or not, things have not always been that way. The original logo seemed to have confused people who mistook the square-circle-triangle to stand for EOA, which was not a very good look.

The company’s founder, Trip Hawkins, who had been an employee at Apple since 1978, decided to branch out to launch is own digital business. After meeting with Dan Valentine of Sequoia Capital, the decision to leave Apple was finalized and the beginning of the EA dynasty was underway.

According to some reputable sources, Trip put a great deal of energy and effort into creating and refining the business plan for EA, but what does not seem to have gotten a lot of consideration was the initial logo. If you knew Trip and what he was attempting to do, the logo made perfect sense. The square was actually an “E” and the Triangle was an “A.” The circle in the logo represented the globe and the international aspirations of the company. Unfortunately, most of the people who would eventually saw the logo did not know Trip or have knowledge of his vision for the company. To them, the logo appeared to be an EOA, which is not what they were looking for by any means.

According to another version of the story, the original logo was actually a glitch in the computer program that placed the circle in the logo, and even when they would attempt to remove it, the circle would keep popping up. You have to keep in mind that this was during the early days of personal computers and the functionality and ease that we are so used to today did not yet exist. There was a lot more work to be done before we would achieve anywhere close to the functional mobility that we enjoy without ever giving it an ounce of consideration.

What is even funnier is this same digital nerf ball would pop up in the earlier version of the games that were released. If you are older enough to have played the original version of Starflight, you know exactly what I am talking about. You did not have a clue about what was happening then. It was simply a part of the game, but now 36 years later, it makes perfect sense. I think I just aged myself. Oh well.

Over time, it became obvious that a new logo was necessary, but anyone who has ever taken on a rebranding campaign understands that this is easier said than done. Since then, the logo has undergone several significant changes to reach its current state, which looks nothing like the original.

The original design that was designed by Barry Deutsch was very basic and reflected the rudimentary capacity of even an Apple PC. The latest logo is remarkably complex yet eerily simple. The graphics that were used to create the latest logo are state-of-the-art. The new logo is comprised of a circle and it also contains the company’s initials in the abstract. There is no doubt that a lot of thought and creativity went into the design of this latest logo.

What is amazing is the fact that at the time the original logo was created, the people who viewed were just as in awe of it as we are of this latest version. There is no way that they could have possibly envision the capacity to create a logo that looks like the one today. While we do not know what the evolution of the logo will produce in the future, we can, with certainty, anticipate that it will be light years beyond what is sitting before us today. Electronic Arts Studios has taken the gaming and digital entertainment industry by storm, and the logo is simply a representation of the vision and creativity that has made the company a juggernaut in the industry. So, let’s sit back and see what they do next.

One final note, the font used on the latest logo was designed specifically for Electronic Arts Media, which is pretty cool. I wish I had my own personal font.

 

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