For enthusiastic readers, the first thing on their minds is the book they’re currently devouring.
Following quickly behind on that list is what they’ll read next. That’s one of the reasons why the book-rating social platform, Goodreads, has been so popular for so long.
Goodreads is a popular website and app that helps readers connect with each other and recommend their favorite books.
It’s been described as the ideal social media site for voracious readers. In this post, we will learn more about Goodreads’ history and subtle logo.
More About Goodreads
Established in 2007 by husband-and-wife team Otis Chandler and Elizabeth Khuri Chandler, Goodreads stemmed from their desire to create a platform for readers to mingle, recommend their favorite books to each other, and build a virtual bookshelf representing what they have read throughout their lives.
Both of the founders had a deep love of books, which drove their creation of the website. As a child and teen, Elizabeth traveled a lot in her pursuit of learning ballet and soothed her loneliness by escaping into other worlds, especially Jane Austen’s novels. Otis was a social media platform developer who decided while dating Elizabeth to create a platform about something they both loved.
As the site’s user base grew, the developers added requested features, including groups, book discussions, and the ability to connect with famous authors.
In just three years, Goodreads’ user base grew to over 3 million, and the site became an attractive tool for authors and publishing houses alike. Another popular feature added in 2011 was the Goodreads Choice Awards, a user-led vote for the most beloved books in every genre.
In 2013, Amazon acquired the site, combining the eCommerce giant’s resources with Goodreads’ passionate user base. A popular feature allows Goodreads users to purchase Amazon Kindle eBooks directly from their Goodreads page.
According to a 2018 LitHub article, journalist Khuri Chandler kicked off the official Goodreads podcast, “Books of Your Life.” This further diversified the site’s offerings, taking the first steps into the audio sphere.
The Goodreads Logo
Goodreads’ logo is unassuming but elegant. It features two different fonts in a classic chocolate brown that perhaps evokes a beloved bookshelf or the cup of coffee you enjoy while reading.
The first half of the name is in a thin, sans-serif font, while the latter portion follows in a bold version of the font. The entire Goodreads logo is lowercase, which gives it a casual sophistication.
Goodreads’ blog revealed its custom typeface was created especially for the logo.
A Polish designer, Łukasz Dziedzic, designed the sans-serif font named Lato, according to a 2015 blog post on the site.
The website also has a custom serif font for body copy: Merriweather, designed by Eben Sorkin.
In 2011, Goodreads debuted an app-friendly version of its logo, with just the lower-case g on a cream background.
The logo has a gentle sheen, like the wood of a Scrabble tile or the gloss on a teacup. The Lato typeface is bold in this simple and compact logo variation.
Comparison With Other Book Sites
One fascinating thing about the Goodreads logo is the design rules it breaks. The logo’s round font is primarily in the “x-height” section of the layout, with only the descending stroke of the G and the ascender of the two ‘Ds’ escaping.
The logo is closely cropped around the word, with the ascenders and descenders and the edges of the first and last letters actually touching the edges of the image.
This violates a common design rule, which states that a logo should always have some room around it. The result is that the Goodreads logo stands out compared to its book website brethren. Don’t believe us? Let’s take a closer look.
Bookbub
Bookbub, founded by Harvard grads Josh Schanker and Nicholas Ciarelli in 2012, is another popular website for finding new authors (and often great deals on eBooks).
Unlike Goodreads, the Bookbub website doesn’t sell books directly but makes money from fees charged to authors and publishers.
It has a comparatively cheerful logo. Its bright red background and bold font feel friendly, not unlike a sign you might see alongside the highway, geared to grab your attention.
On its website, the colors are inverted, so the perky red font stands out but is a little more subtle. The Bookbub media page shows they also have a black-and-white logo variation.
Lithub
Since 2015, LitHub has posted daily articles on all things literary, from book reviews to musings on life. The site offers some fifteen podcasts under its LitHub Radio section in addition to literary criticism and pieces of writing on everything from aliens to brain tumors.
LitHub’s logo differs from the Bookbub and Goodreads logos in one glaring way: it uses an all-caps serif font. This is a departure from conventional wisdom in that headings (and logotype) generally rely on sans-serif fonts. However, it’s an
understandable departure, considering that it powerfully evokes the strike of typewriter keys on a creamy page, a nod to the literary history that bolsters the site.
While BookBub’s logo has generous space between the wording and the edge of the image, LitHub has almost an ostentatious amount of white space. It evokes a sense of luxury, which is mirrored by the rich colors of the rest of its website.
Five Books
Five Books is another popular book recommendation website that opted for a serif font for its logo.
This website has a unique premise: it asks a subject matter expert to recommend the five best books in that area. Each expert gets their own interview on the site.
This logo differs from the previous sites’ logos in several crucial ways. It’s the only one to use imagery in addition to type and the only one to dip a toe into multiple colors.
The colors of each book in the logo are reflected in the website’s text and design. The logo’s font is justified, with ample space between each letter. It’s an interesting departure from the other websites’ logos, generally centered within the image.
Lessons Learned From The Goodreads Logo
Goodreads’ founders aimed to build a website for enthusiastic readers to share their favorite books and their honest opinions about what they’ve read.
The logo uses color, font, and white space choices to evoke a feeling of coziness, comfort, and enthusiasm.
The brand isn’t afraid to break some design rules to stand out from the crowd.
The history of Goodreads and its logo showcases the platform’s inspiring evolution from a simple book recommendation website to a sprawling, thriving community.
As Goodreads continues to grow and be embraced by readers and the publishing industry alike, its logo serves as a symbol of its commitment to serving as a virtual social hub for book lovers.
Check out these awesome Logo Contests run on Hatchwise:
