Microsoft Excel Logo PNG
Pressing computer keys allows you to perform calculations, and all data is stored in cells and added to virtual books. The Excel logo conveys the program’s principle. Using the system, as the logo shows, is a step towards developing accounting methods.
Microsoft Excel grew from the spreadsheet revolution that began before Microsoft entered the market. In 1978, Harvard Business School student Daniel Bricklin saw a professor recalculate a classroom table by hand after one number changed. Bob Frankston created VisiCalc, which was released in 1979 for the Apple II. It sold more than 700,000 copies and turned Apple II into a serious business computer.
Competitors followed quickly. SuperCalc appeared in 1980, and Microsoft released Multiplan in 1982 for several platforms, including Apple II, MS-DOS, CP/M, and Commodore 64. But Lotus 1-2-3, launched by Mitch Kapor in 1983, became the real market leader by combining spreadsheets, charts, database features, A1 cell references, and macros.
Microsoft answered with a secret project called Odyssey. After considering names such as Master Plan and Mr. Spreadsheet, the company chose Excel. Excel 1.0 launched for Macintosh on September 30, 1985, with a full graphical interface, mouse support, menus, and buttons. Lotus still relied on a text-based command system, giving Excel a technical and visual edge.
Excel 2.0 reached Windows in November 1987, and by 1988, its sales had passed those of Lotus 1-2-3. Later versions added toolbars, autofill, multiple sheets in a single workbook, and Visual Basic for Applications in Excel 5.0, released in 1993. Excel became part of Microsoft Office for Windows 95 and secured its lead. Excel 2007 introduced the ribbon interface and expanded the worksheet limit to 1 million rows. Office 365 brought Excel to the browser, and in 2023, Python support added advanced analysis inside spreadsheets. Google Sheets remains its main cloud rival.
Meaning and History
The distant predecessor of Excel is Microsoft Multiplan, released in 1982. The developers hoped it would compete with Lotus 1-2-3 and Visicalc, which were popular at the time, but users were less enthusiastic about Multiplan. So, three years later, Microsoft had to introduce another program with a similar purpose: Excel. It was given a name that made its superiority over Lotus 1-2-3 obvious because the word “Excel” reads “XL,” an abbreviation for Extra Large. This little pun appears in numerous application logos. There were at least 10 of them because an icon redesign accompanied the release of new software versions.
1985 – 1990
The very first program was designed for the Macintosh. It had a multi-component symbol containing the inscription “MICROSOFT EXCEL,” underlined by two horizontal lines, one wide and one narrow. Bold italics without serifs were chosen for the text.
In the lower half was a set of geometric shapes that folded into the letters “X” and “L,” with the “L” resembling the structural parts of the “X.” The designers combined the three pairs of symbols, placing them one on top of the other. The background image consisted of widely spaced dots. The picture in the middle was clearer, as the indentation between the dots was reduced. The top element was painted completely black.
The same logo was used for the next version of Excel, released in 1987 for Windows.
1990 – 1994
In 1990, Microsoft Excel 3.0 was released. The splash screen displayed a new visual sign: the inscription “XL,” consisting of two three-dimensional blocks. The gray corner represented both the letter “L” and half of the “X.” It was crossed by a second diagonal “X”, a blue parallelepiped. All visible edges were black. The base was crisscrossed with gray horizontal lines. At the top was the word “Microsoft,” written in a sans-serif pixel font.
1994 – 1995
The Excel 5.0 logo had no lettering because it was used as an icon on the Windows desktop. The designers kept the “XL” pattern but presented it as a simplified pixel graphic. The edges of the blocks darkened. In the background, a schematic table represented the program’s interface. It was a white sheet with a black frame and a dark gray shadow. Inside it was a grid of cells in rows and columns. In the upper corners were purple bars, which replaced the headings.
1995 – 1999
With the release of Excel 95, the icon was redesigned. Artists made the “XL” symbol two-dimensional and repainted it blue, keeping the black outline. The letter element was reduced and moved to the upper left corner. A diamond-shaped schematic table took up most of the space. It was crossed out into lines and contained an image of a three-column, three-color graph: dark pink, blue, and red. The same icon was used for Excel 97.
1999 – 2003
Excel 2000 set new design standards. Its interface received a modern design, and the logo was redesigned in a fashionable minimalist style. The corporate symbol contained the already familiar “XL” monogram, but it became completely green. The individual outlines of the blocks disappeared. The two parts of the design could be distinguished only by a white diagonal line and the projecting lower edge of the corner. A white square in a bold, dark green frame served as the base.
2003 – 2007
In 2003, a version of the application featuring a 3D logo was released. The designers added many new contours and combined different shades of green to give the image a three-dimensional appearance. The shape of the monogram has changed slightly. The white base became light gray, and small triangles appeared in the corners of the outer frame. The gradient enhanced the emblem’s three-dimensionality.
2007 – 2010
The Excel 2007 icon differed from previous versions in its more complex structure. In the foreground, a white sheet was raised above the surface, casting a gray shadow. It showed the monogram “XL” with a dark green diagonal and a light green corner. The rest of the space (the bottom and right side) was occupied by five rectangles. They, too, were green, with a clear gradient.
Behind the leaf was some geometric figure, probably a square with one rounded corner. Most of it was hidden, but you could see the double white-green frame and gray top.
2010 – 2013
After the revision, the diagonal elements of the monogram became narrower and more elongated. The lower stripe, by contrast, was shortened. A radial gradient was used for both elements, with each element having its own gradient. The white sheet was placed inside an asymmetrical square, which had previously been in the background. The background was divided into two color blocks with different shades of light green.
2013 – 2019
A common logo was introduced for subsequent versions of Excel (starting in 2013). It featured a two-dimensional design achieved by the absence of a gradient. It looked like an open book with a dark green cover and a sheet divided into cells. The monogram was replaced by a single white “X.” It was on a makeshift “cover” shaped like a trapeze.
2019 – today
As part of the global rebranding of Office 365, Excel now has a new icon that aligns with common design standards. Its main elements are two quadrangles with rounded edges. In the background is a large vertical rectangle. It is divided into six color blocks, each representing a different shade of green. It partially overlaps a second geometric figure, a square with a white letter “X” in the middle.
Font and Colors
Previously, Excel’s main symbol was a monogram of the combined letters “X” and “L.” This abbreviation referred to Microsoft’s spreadsheets, which were superior to competitors’. The hint of the “L” disappeared as the application became popular enough that it no longer needed visual branding to prove its superiority. The table image was also removed and replaced by an abstract combination of quadrilaterals. It is assumed that users are already familiar with Excel and know what it is for, so there is no need to place traditional columns with cells on the emblem.
The letter “X” is written in bold, sans-serif font. It is most likely Segoe, which Microsoft has been using since 2012. The primary color chosen was green in various shades. The latest Excel logo is closer to the turquoise color scheme.