IMAX Logo PNG
The IMAX logo embodies a giant in every aspect. The emblem conveys the system’s main distinctive feature: size. The symbol seems to transport the viewer to the widescreen, displaying large, impressive shots.
IMAX grew out of the film experiments shown at Expo 67 in Montreal. Graham Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr, and engineer William Shaw founded Multiscreen Corporation Limited in 1967 to solve the problems of multi-projector cinema. Instead of several synchronized projectors, they developed a system built around a single powerful camera and a single projector.
The technical base was a horizontal 70 mm film frame with 15 perforations, three times the size of a standard 70 mm film frame. A rolling loop mechanism moved the film smoothly at high speed. By 1970, the company had taken the name IMAX, short for “Image Maximum.” That year, the system premiered at Expo in Osaka with the film “Tiger Child.”
In 1971, the first permanent IMAX theater opened at Ontario Place in Toronto under the name Cinesphere. In 1973, the first permanent IMAX Dome theater opened at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Centre in San Diego. Through the 1970s and 1980s, IMAX mainly served museums, science centers, and planetariums, with films about nature, space, and the ocean, including “The Dream Is Alive,” “Titanica,” “At the Max,” and “Everest.”
In 1994, WGIM Acquisition Corp., led by Richard Gelfond and Bradley Wechsler, acquired IMAX, and the company went public on NASDAQ. In 2002, DMR technology allowed 35 mm Hollywood films to be converted for IMAX, starting with “Apollo 13.” In 2008, “The Dark Knight” used 28 minutes of IMAX 15/70 footage, while new digital systems installed with AMC Entertainment helped IMAX move from rare specialty venues into major multiplexes.
Meaning and History
The logo’s consistency reflects the system’s stability and leadership. After development, IMAX became so popular that it no longer needed updates to its visual symbol. Its name alone is enough to associate it with cutting-edge technology. The symbol conveys the system’s main characteristics. However, the use of technology in cinema has enabled the creation of special animated logos over time, which are often shown before a movie screening.
What is IMAX?
Technology and a company that produces cameras and equipment for working with this format. The system was first introduced in 1970, but due to its high cost, large volumes of film, and camera sizes, IMAX screenings became popular after the development of digital technologies, which simplified the process.
1968 – today
The company’s logo is straightforward, strong, and confident. It consists of four capital letters in bold. The inscription reads “Image Maximum,” using the letter “M” for both the first and second words.
The name embodies the system’s main principle: the highest-quality image. Thanks to the format, the viewer experiences full immersion.
The solid and wide letters demonstrate:
- Durability. Introduced in the 1970s, IMAX has been used in theaters for over 50 years.
- The widescreen format of the system, in which the width of the perforated film is 70mm, compared to the earlier and standard 35mm format.
- Longitudinal frame arrangement. This technique increases the image width by a factor of 3 compared to the vertical scrolling of 70mm film.
- The impressive size of the screens onto which the frame is projected. Due to the image’s width, which exceeds the length of the hall, the viewer cannot capture the entire scene from any point, creating an illusion of being inside the scene. An IMAX screen’s width is equivalent to the height of a seven-story building.
- The weight of the cameras. A total of 26 cameras were created for shooting in this format. The lightest of them weighs 20 kg (44 lbs).
Just as the two parts of the name intersect, the IMAX technology uses two separate camera lenses, representing the right and left eye. Image streams from the lenses are combined on the screen.
In recent years, the company has used animated logos that combine image and sound. As of 2023, there are seven known versions, the latest of which was introduced in 2015.
Font and Colors
The logo is used in two variations: black characters on a white background and, more often, white characters on a black background. In the latter interpretation, the emblem resembles a cinema screen with credits or a film frame.
- Black symbolizes the gigantic size of everything related to technology.
- White indicates the best offer, an innovative approach, a new format, and the level of movie screenings.
The logo’s font is Helvetica Neue Black, characterized by straight, wide, and massive letters.