Cisco (more precisely, Cisco Systems, Inc.) is an IT giant that creates, produces, and distributes software and hardware, telecommunications devices, network equipment and also provides high-tech services. He owns several subsidiaries through which he carries out additional activities. The company was founded in late 1984 by computer scientists Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner from Stanford University. It is located in San Jose, California, in the central part of Silicon Valley. In early 2021, the organization was relaunched in Delaware.
Meaning and History
The IT company appeared thanks to the efforts of Sandy Lerner and Leonard Bosack, who were not only scientists but also spouses. Sandy was head of the computer hardware department at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and Leonard was in charge of the computer science department at the same university. They co-developed local area network (LAN) technology, founding Cisco on its basis.
However, in 1986 they were forced to leave the university because the administration decided to file criminal lawsuits against scientists for the appropriation of programs, equipment, and other intellectual property, which did not exist. It’s just that Lerner and Bosack used their facilities to create their IT products. A year after being fired, Stanford University gave them the software of a multi-protocol router and two computer boards. In addition to the two scientists, the early team also included programmer Greg Satz, sales manager Richard Troiano, and CEO Bill Graves.
In the company’s name, its founders reflected their love for San Francisco, using the Golden Gate Bridge tower and a slightly new version of the city name for the logo. This idea was proposed by John Morgridge (second head of the firm). The concept of the logo is to connect distant objects with the help of technological innovations. In total, the corporation has four logos in its arsenal.
1984 – 1990
The debut symbolism accurately conveys the image of the observation towers of the iconic bridge. They are depicted as digital graphs and consist of thin lines of different lengths, united at the top and bottom by solid stripes: on one side, they have a curved shape, on the other – straight. The tops of the red structures are not pointed and look like miniature platforms. There is no text in the emblem – it was used only on nameplates.
1990 – 1996
As a result of the revision of the identity, the emblem received a different color and style. The bridge has acquired abstract features and consists of white stripes of different heights. It has no connecting elements – only a blue background in the form of a rectangle. At the bottom, there is a red-colored cisco systems label—elongated, elegant letters from the Sans Serif category.
1996 – 2006
After the undertaken redesign, the logo looks neater. The regrouping of the elements facilitated this. The vertical stripes have become even, clear, and reduced in number. Due to their increased width, they are now smaller than before, but they take up the same space from edge to edge of the blue rectangle. The designers moved the inscription higher, making the letters large. In the word “Cisco,” they replaced the uppercase “C” with a capital letter since it was previously in lowercase.
2006 – present
To achieve a clear shape of the Internet signal reception bands and at the same time preserve the appearance of the legendary bridge, the developers have lengthened the two highest lines. Moreover, they widely spaced them, so a lot of free space was formed between them. The company name is at the bottom and is in lower case. The designers removed the horizontal rectangle, offering three color options for the logo: black, light blue, and dark blue with red text. The authors of this version are Joe “Phenom” Finocchiaro and Jerry “The King” Kuyper.
Font and Colors of the Emblem
From the very beginning, the founders of the IT company focused on simple and understandable visualization. They chose a California landmark – the Golden Gate Bridge, located in the city of San Francisco. At all times, the authors emphasized the key emphasis on combining the bridge with the signal reception diagram of the Internet connection to demonstrate the utility, usefulness, and practicality of their products.
The modern version of the logo uses a geometric typeface called Futura Bold. It is smooth, grotesque, with even cuts at the ends. It was created by designer Paul Renner and first published by Linotype.
The color scheme of the current emblem echoes all previous modifications because it exists in three versions. One logo is completely black; the second is completely blue; the third consists of blue stripes and red lettering. The background is a neutral white color.