Rob Janoff on Creating the Apple Logo
1:38 am, March 30th, 2009, Nicole Martinelli
In a nice little piece of Internet archeology, an interview with graphic designer Rob Janoff on the creation of the iconic Apple rainbow logo has resurfaced at zlok.net.
In 1976, Janoff worked as an art director for Regis McKenna where he created the logo, it was a pro-bono gig.
“For inspiration, the first thing I did was go to the supermarket, buy a bag of apples and slice them up. I just stared at the wedges for hours,” recalls Janoff. The fruit of his labor: a simple 2-D monochromatic apple, with a healthy bite taken from the right side. Jobs loved the conceit-only he suggested it be more colorful. Janoff’s boss disagreed, insisting the logo be made all black to save on printing costs.
“But Jobs was resolute, arguing that color was the key to humanizing the company,” says Janoff. “So I just put colors where I thought they should be, not even thinking about a prism.” What thanks did Janoff, now the owner of his own Chicago-based graphic design firm, get for all his hard work? “Not even a holiday card.”
Full article here.
Janoff’s site also has a nice radio interview with him talking about his “eureka” moment as he made the logo…
Posted by Nicole Martinelli in Cult of Mac | Comment on this article













And you see STUPID singers/rappers making millions these day!
Deocliciano Okssipin Vieira, on March 30th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Thanks for this! It’s articles like these that keep me coming back to Cult of Mac everyday. I most likely would not have found out about this if it had not been posted here. This is something I have wondered about and now I know the secret of the Apple logo. Thank you! Knowledge is power…
Austin, on March 30th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
[...] [via Cult of Mac] [...]
Apple Bloog » Blog Archive » Rob Janoff and how he made the Apple logo, on March 31st, 2009 at 6:00 am
[...] Apple does take their time recognizing inventors, though — maybe the card’s in the mail.[via Cult of Mac]TUAWRob Janoff and how he made the Apple logo originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog [...]
Apple User’s Blog » Rob Janoff and how he made the Apple logo, on March 31st, 2009 at 6:37 am
[...] Apple does take their time recognizing inventors, though — maybe the card’s in the mail.[via Cult of Mac]Rob Janoff and how he made the Apple logo originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) [...]
Rob Janoff and how he made the Apple logo | Unofficial Apple Blog, on March 31st, 2009 at 6:44 am
[...] Apple does take their time recognizing inventors, though — maybe the card’s in the mail.[via Cult of Mac]TUAWRob Janoff and how he made the Apple logo originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog [...]
AAPL Blog » Blog Archive » Rob Janoff and how he made the Apple logo, on March 31st, 2009 at 6:48 am
[...] [via Cult of Mac] [...]
Rob Janoff and how he made the Apple logo | TechReview-Blog.com, on March 31st, 2009 at 8:09 am
[...] [via Cult of Mac] [...]
Rob Janoff and how he made the Apple logo » Design City, on June 12th, 2009 at 6:58 pm