There’s no denying that The New York Times has one of the most unique and recognizable logos of all time, appearing almost exactly the same as it did 150 years ago when it was first created. Although the logo has been tweaked in the century and a half that it’s been around, it’s never been completely changed. It was originally shown when the newspaper was first introduced, and since then, the famous newspaper has seen no need to make drastic changes to it.
The wordmark hasn’t even come close to a full redesign, and the logo is just one element that has made it a timeless newspaper. The logo isn’t only an inspiration to those who are searching for wordmarks that have made an impression, but it’s also regarded as one of the most powerful logos of all time and one that has changed how wordmarks are seen.
The logo signifies a strong newspaper that, despite the odds and the ever-changing environment around it, has grown to be a newspaper that has continued to exist for over a century. The symbol is more than merely a wordmark; it’s what symbolizes the long history of the newspaper and how far it’s come.
When you’re reading the morning paper, as many do, make sure that you take a moment to not only appreciate what you’re reading in front of you, but also the iconic logo that helps you to recognize The Times. After all, this legendary logo has made an amazing and truly jaw-dropping journey throughout time to make it to the 20th century and earn the title as one of the most incredible logos of all time.
1851 – 1857: The First Logo Was Introduced
The first logo made its appearance in 1851 when the first issue of the newspaper was published. At the time, the newspaper was called the New York Daily Times. The first logo used a unique font, bold letters, and even spacing for the words.
1857 – 1890: The First Change Was Made
Although to some the logo may seem as if it stayed the same throughout its lifespan, loyal fans can tell the differences that have occurred. This was one of the most obvious changes since in the six years the paper changed its name. They dropped “Daily” from the name and updated the logo accordingly. Other than removing the word that all elements stayed the same.
1890 – Present: The Logo Today
When you look at this updated logo, it may not seem as if anything changed, but if you compare the two, you’ll see the difference. The paper opted to drop the hyphen that was previously included in the word “New-York”. At the time, since this was seen as a violation of grammatical rules, this was greatly criticized.
The newspaper lost about 1,000 subscribers when the current version was released in 1967 and the period was dropped from the title. This caused quite a stir with loyal readers of the paper, and they demanded the return of the punctuation mark that was suddenly missing from the logo. Although this caused an outburst from readers, the owners didn’t see a need to return the punctuation mark to the symbol.
They calculated that by removing the period from the iconic logo, they would save a little more than $41 a year since they didn’t have to use ink every day.
Although this may have saved them money when it came to budgeting, it left them with an angry crowd of readers who felt dismissed. The Times lost 1,000 subscribers, giving a loud and clear message that the classics were not to be messed with.
We can say it’s a safe assumption that this has something to do with the logo not being touched or changed since then.
The Symbol
Early 1967, Edward Benguiat, a typographer, was given the task of redesigning the legendary logotype. Although he was given the chance, he decided against making any drastic changes to the logo or changing the original style in any way. He wanted to make sure that the symbol would still be recognizable and that readers would always be able to identify what newspaper it belonged to by keeping the signature look and style.
He opted to tweak the shape of the letters slightly and to remove the arrow that was seen inside the T, and instead included a diamond. Although the logo was redesigned by a variety of other designers who took a shot at redesigning the classic symbol, the front page continued to display the font was had been created by the famous typographer.
Without the iconic font, it’s easy to assume that the logo wouldn’t be nearly as recognizable as it is today and that it has played a key part in creating a classic symbol.
The History Of The New York Times
There’s no denying that any newspaper that has managed to make it as long in the industry as The Times and become as successful is truly remarkable. Like any business, the paper has gone through hardships in its time, but it hasn’t let that drag it down. The New York Times is published in New York and distributed internationally. The company owns not only the newspaper but also fifteen other newspapers that include The Boston Globe. Let’s take a look at where this newspaper started and how far it’s come in the better part of two centuries.
The Times was first established and founded by Henry Jarvis Raymond on the 18th of September in 1851 as a penny paper that would report all news in an objective fashion. The editors started strong by appealing to an intellectual and cultured readership instead of attempting to appeal to a wider audience. They told stories that weren’t being reported by others from around the globe and uniquely told them.
Although they had been off to a strong start, they couldn’t compete with the mass of other papers that had taken over New York and had already established a firm foundation.
The paper was bought in 1896 by Adolph Simon Ochs, and at the time, the newspaper was losing $1,000 a week. Ochs was on a mission to make The Times an international daily and wanted to put emphasis on good coverage of international events and eliminate fiction from the newspaper. He was responsible for adding a Sunday magazine section to the paper and reducing the price back down to the original price of a penny.
Over the next few years, The Times became more popular with readers, building a solid reputation in New York by covering news such as the sinking of the Titanic and two world wars. They were becoming known for their world news and becoming a reliable source of information for readers.
As the years went on, The Times covered a variety of topics, a few being the center of controversy and causing a stir with readers.
They utilized technology as it advanced in the world, launching an online edition in 1995. They were quick to stay caught up on the latest technology, even employing color photography in 1997 in their print edition. In 2005, The Times even went as far as to launch a subscription service where they charged readers to gain access to online editions. This was called TimeSelect and unfortunately only lasted two years before being discontinued.
Much of the content that was previously charged for was now open to the public. However, later in 2006, the Times Reader was launched. This was an electronic version of The Times and a platform where readers could download the current print edition and read it online. In 2007, they moved to the New York Times Building, located in Manhattan, and newly built. Nearly four years later, they launched a subscription plan for the digital edition, which limited free access to content.
Since then, they’ve continued to make strides with their online platform. Although it was a difficult shift to going digital as the technology changed, The New York Times now makes almost its entire website free to readers. Now, The Times archives are available in different formats, reaching a wide audience both online and in print.
What Makes The New York Times Logo Different
Legendary logos don’t make themselves, and they certainly don’t become famous without reason. Famous logos, those that you can recognize at a glance and which clearly belong to a specific company, are far from easy to make. They include elements that make it strong and ensure that it’ll stand out. The New York Times has a logo that stands out from the millions of other logos around the world and is truly different. What are the elements that have made it different? What makes it stand out and makes it inspirational for logos that have come after?
The Font
The current font used for The New York Times logo was designed by Edward Benguiat, a typographer known for authoring several amazing fonts. He’s also worked to design some great logos in his time as a typographer that include logos for magazines, including Esquire and Reader’s Digest. Since the logo is a wordmark, it was critical that it had a font that stood out and played a key part in giving the logo character. The font used is what makes the logo timeless and what has made it so popular. The font represents the paper, its personality, and its character.
The Colors
The color palette for the newspaper is simple, only using black and white. This has been consistent since the first logo, the newspaper not daring or seeing a need to branch out from the two simple colors that have been consistent with The New York Times for the better part of two centuries. The color choice is classic and it’s the color scheme that the paper uses for its headlines. The bold color palette makes the letter in the wordmark stand out and look strong. The color choices have played a key role in creating a logo that boldly expresses itself and stands out amongst other logos.
Wrapping Up The History Of The New York Times
The New York Times is one of the most famous and legendary newspapers of all time, headquartered in New York, and has a loyal readership internationally. It’s a U.S daily newspaper founded in 1851 and with a strong history that has led to it existing for almost two centuries. It’s ranked as the third-largest newspaper in America and has made an impression not only on one country but on readers around the globe.
The Times has managed to grow massively since 1851 and develop into one of the most iconic and strongest newspapers of all time. They’ve adapted to a wider audience, the advancements in technology and the internet, and learned how to grow and adapt to an ever-changing world.
Although there are many attributes that we can devote towards The Times’s success, one that we know for certain is the visual identity that readers around the world associate with the paper. Although there are other elements, we know that without the strong logo that’s marked on all areas of The New York Times, it wouldn’t have made it this far.
When you look at the history of the logo, you can see that the company hasn’t felt the need to change the logo for over 150 years. Although there have been minor tweaks made to the logo to get it to where it is today, there’s never been a full redesign. The logo has stayed consistent with the first concept and has made a logo that is easily recognizable and clear to distinguish.
Next time you go to read your article and see the legendary symbol that belongs to it, don’t forget to remember the long journey that it’s come through to get this far and to stay consistent throughout time.