Intel is an international American company specializing in producing semiconductor chips, motherboards, graphics chips, flash drives, and microprocessors for various electronic systems. It is the world’s largest enterprise and ranked 45th in the Fortune 500 among the most profitable corporations in the United States (as of 2020). Its founders are Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce, the inventors of semiconductors. In 1968, they opened their facility in Mountain View, California, later relocated to Santa Clara, Silicon Valley.
Meaning and History
Intel was founded by Gordon E. Moore (a chemist, a scientist known for the law of the same name that he discovered) and Robert Noyce (a physicist who co-developed an integrated circuit). They left Fairchild Semiconductor to start their firm. Arthur Rock, who later became an investor and chairman of the board of directors, helped them find the money for start-up capital. From the very beginning, another specialist has been cooperating with them – Andy Grove, a chemical engineer who occupied the chair of the head of the corporation in 1980-1990.
Until 1981, the overwhelming share of the business was the production of SRAM and DRAM of its design. Then, after the appearance of the first personal computers, entrepreneurs changed the basic assortment, focusing on microprocessor chips for PCs. This became Intel’s main occupation.
Initially, the new organization was called NM Electronics – after the first letters of the names of its founders (Noyce, Moore), indicating the basic field of activity they represented. Later, the owners decided to clarify the specialization of their brainchild and renamed it Intel. The key to this name is the phrase INTegrated ELectronics. The first syllables were taken from the words, resulting in a sonorous, simple, and accurate name.
However, it turned out that such a trademark already exists and belongs to the Intelco hotel chain, so they had to acquire the rights to the brand. Subsequently, this form became the basis for the personal logo of the enterprise. She went through several transformations to meet the requirements of the time. There are three variants of the logo in total.
1968 – 2006
The debut emblem bore a stylized company name in lowercase characters. The font was clear, strict, even sans serif. Its key highlight is the drop-e. The letter fell out – it went beyond the lower border of the word “intel” and was located below “t” and “l.” The sign had a common line with them as if being their continuation. This emphasis was intentional to draw attention to the word “electronics,” which is meant by “e.” Another feature of the logo is a large square instead of a dot above the “i.” The emblem was made in blue.
2006 – 2020
At the end of 2005, the company decided to change its corporate symbols, presenting an updated version on January 3, 2006. Its author is FutureBrand studio. The old logo inspired it with minor adjustments. First of all, the developers replaced the font with Neo Sans Intel from the Neo Sans category by Monotype. Then the typeface received some additional fixes (in 2014): as a result, the Intel Clear version appeared, created by Red Peak Branding and Dalton Maag.
In addition, a graphic element was introduced – the so-called vortex. It surrounded the inscription “Intel” and consisted of two stripes of uneven thickness: on one side; they were wider than on the other. Outwardly, the lines looked like sideways arches. The lowercase “e” has been raised to the level of the rest of the letters and separated from them. For “t,” the developers removed the left half of the crossbar, and for “i” and “l,” they cut and rounded the lower part of the legs.
2020 – today
The current logo debuted with the release of Tiger Lake. It is a stylization of two early emblems and combines their elements. Designers brought back the 1968 Intel One design and font but kept the “e” and the rest of the characters. They also repainted the name black, keeping the blue only on the square next to the “i.”
Font and Colors of the Emblem
The evolution of Intel’s identity is associated with its modernization, where the basic emphasis is on a clear inscription, even on miniature products. The design style is moving from the old options, which are the inspiration for the new ones.
At various times, the text in the logos was made with the Intel One, Neo Sans Intel, Intel Clear fonts. This is a sleek tailor-made typeface with wide sans serif letters. The corporate color of the emblems is blue. Recently, black has been added to it.