Universal, pleasant, positive – all this exactly characterizes the media player from Apple. It works great on Windows and macOS devices and is directly connected to the store for added convenience, which is a great marketing move. To some extent, its identity reflects this: the iTunes logo is businesslike and practical, as a multifunctional site should be.
iTunes: Brand overview
Founded: | January 9, 2001 |
Founder: | Apple Inc. |
Website: | apple.com/itunes |
Meaning and History
The iTunes logo has always been associated with music, although the service has become more than just a player. Despite the rapid evolution, two main elements remained on the pictogram: the circle representing the compact disc and the musical notation. The main graphic technique did not change either – the gradient transition of shades preserved even after 20 years.
What is iTunes?
iTunes is a media player, media library, client application, and internet radio all rolled into one. The service was developed by Apple Inc. for purchasing, listening, downloading, and organizing digital media on devices running Windows and macOS. The service was started in 2001.
2001
The debut emblem was immediately multi-speaking: a CD and a few notes. This turned out to be enough to indicate the specialization of the service and do without textual information. The graphics spoke about everything. The logo depicted three eighth notes – not only with a head and a calm but also with a flag. They were located separately from each other and were painted in different colors with gradient transitions: pink, purple, blue. The background was a sparkling CD with a light rainbow spectrum above and reflections of notes below. He was slightly raised, almost standing on the edge. The wide lower shadow created this impression.
2001 – 2002
The application was originally designed as a player for Macintosh computers. Back then, he had a simple emblem with a CD and three eighth notes, colored blue, purple, and pink. This choice was because CDs were intended to store digital audio recordings, and iTunes had to replace them.
The second logo appeared a few months later. This happened after Apple adopted the media player for the iPod. The designers changed the angle of the CD and left one big double note in dark blue.
2002 – 2003
A year later, a version of iTunes with smart playlists came out. The note on the icon turns purple.
2003 – 2006
In 2003, the player became a full-fledged online service with its store and podcasts. But this did not affect the logo: the developers changed only the color scheme, making the noted green and removing some shadows.
2006 – 2010
Over the next three years, the iTunes interface was constantly updated. The emblem remained the same: a blue note on a shiny CD.
2010 – 2012
In September 2010, the 10th version of the media service with Ping’s integrated social network was released. This was the reason for a global redesign. The logo CD was removed as it was no longer relevant. In its place, a blue circle with a white outline was depicted. The double note was repainted black and moved closer to the center.
2012 – 2014
The developers started experimenting with note color again. It is now as white as the outer ring.
2014 – 2015
In 2014, iTunes 12 launched. The palette of the logo changed dramatically: the circle turned red, the dark shadows disappeared.
2015 – today
In July 2015, the Apple Music service appeared, and with it a new logo. It consists of a white-gray circle with a bright outline and a double note. The range includes shades of red, blue, violet, and blue.
The next emblem was introduced in the same year. After the redesign, the music sign and the outer border are light, and the background is colored. Rumor has it that this iTunes label was “copied” from an old Apple logo. The designers took the bottom three colors from the rainbow apple, made them paler, and randomly mixed them inside the circle.
Font and Colors
Each redesign introduced only color changes to the logo – the shape, appearance, and several elements always remained the same. As a result, the visual evolution process led to the emergence of a simple emblem, which represents a double note in a white circle with a multicolored border. Musical signs are depicted classically: two heads with calms connected at the top by a common crossbar and painted in several colors with gradient transitions. They are surrounded by a solid line of the same palette.
Neither the current nor the previous versions of the iTunes logo have text – there are only graphic elements. If the name is used separately and is not complemented by an emblem, it is written in the font Myriad Bold. Its authors are designers Robert Slimbach and Carol Twombly.
Colorism is very important for the service; therefore, it has a big role in the identity because the musical overflows subtly echo the color transitions. The logo palette emphasizes this: it contains shades from blue to red in the pastel spectrum. The signature range includes pink colors: Medium Orchid (# CC45F2), Steel Pink (# D948DD), and Light Deep Pink (# EA4CC0).
iTunes color codes
Cinnabar | Hex color: | #de473c |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 222 71 60 | |
CMYK: | 0 68 73 13 | |
Pantone: | PMS Warm Red C |
Medium Orchid | Hex color: | #cc45f2 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 204 69 242 | |
CMYK: | 16 71 0 5 | |
Pantone: | PMS Purple C |
Vivid Sky Blue | Hex color: | #1ac4fe |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 26 196 254 | |
CMYK: | 90 23 0 0 | |
Pantone: | PMS 312 C |
What does the iTunes logo mean?
The iTunes media player logo denotes a musical note that directly indicates the subject of the content and the focus of the service. The ring used to be a CD, but with the evolution of audio attributes for playing music and the expansion of the range of media, management changed the logo, turning the disc into an impromptu circle of musical interests.
When did the iTunes logo change?
The iTunes logo has a few major changes. The first took place right at the start of the service (at the end of 2001): only one pair remained of the three separate notes. The second adjustment has to do with changing the CD to the background circle format. This happened in 2010. The third change is dated 2015 when the designers removed the general color and made the note rainbow with a gradient.