Kodak Logo PNG
The Kodak logo is associated with cameras, lenses, shooting, and film. Its compact size and thoughtful details in a small emblem echo the company’s broad reach in its field.
Eastman Kodak built its business around photo equipment, film, printers, and imaging materials. The story begins in 1880, when George Eastman, a bank clerk in Rochester, started experimenting with dry plates. In 1881, he launched the Eastman Dry Plate Company.
In 1888, Kodak introduced its first camera with roll film for 100 exposures. Users mailed the camera back for processing and reloading. The slogan “You press the button, we do the rest” framed a service model that simplified photography. In 1892, the firm became Eastman Kodak Company, with Eastman choosing a short, distinctive name.
In 1900, the Brownie camera, priced at $1, expanded access to amateur photography. During the 1920s and 1930s, Kodak opened plants in Canada, the UK, and France, and strengthened its position in motion-picture film. In 1935, Kodachrome set a new standard for color reversal film.
Postwar growth continued. In 1963, the Instamatic system with cartridge loading sold over 50 million units in seven years. In the 1970s, competition intensified, including from Fujifilm. In 1975, engineer Steven Sasson built a prototype digital camera, though the company did not prioritize the technology.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Kodak remained profitable but lost film market share. The DCS-100 digital camera arrived in 1991, yet film stayed central. By the early 2000s, a rapid shift to digital imaging drove revenue down. In 2003, Kodak announced a transition, closed plants, and cut staff.
In 2012, the company filed for bankruptcy and exited in 2013 as a smaller business focused on specialty film and printing. By 2023, it operated in packaging, chemicals, and commercial print, with a reduced role in consumer photography.
Meaning and History
The word “Kodak,” which formed the modern logo, was registered as a trademark in 1888. It means nothing: it is a random set of symbols. Eastman wanted the brand name to begin and end with “K” and found the perfect-sounding letter combination. Since the early 1900s, the emblem’s inscription has been played differently, but the general style has not changed.
What is Kodak?
Kodak is an American manufacturer of cameras, camcorders, photographic materials, film, scanners, printers, and related technologies. The company was founded in 1892, but the name “Kodak” was registered in 1888 and was initially used only for the film camera brand. George Eastman and his mother, Maria, invented the word as a random combination of letters. In the 21st century, the company struggled as digital photography rose.
1889 – 1907
The legendary company debuted with an informational and advertising logo that included brief details. This approach suited an unknown, little-known brand, so Kodak chose it. It collected all the important information in one place.
In the center, on a vertical rectangle in black, it says “THE EASTMAN DRY PLATE AND FILM CO” in white letters. On the left side is the phrase “BRANCH OFFICE 155 OXFORD ST. LONDON.” The city and state of Rochester, N.Y., are marked on the right. In addition to the text, the emblem features design elements: decorative leaves, dividing stripes, strokes, and a floral-ornamented frame.
1907 – 1935
George Eastman designed the first Kodak logo, inspired by his mother, who suggested using anagrams. Based on this concept, the company’s owner focused on “E,” “K,” and “C.” The letters are inside a white circle with a black outline.
1935 – 1960
In 1935, two new emblems appeared at once. The first is the red word “Kodak” with large square serifs. The second is the same inscription, centered within a light-orange rectangle with a black border. It was the debut of the corporate palette, which took root in subsequent logos.
1960 – 1971
In the 1960s, the focus shifted to the corner-curl triangle. The geometric shape imitates a folded sheet of photographic paper. The abbreviated brand name is located at the bottom right.
1971 – 1987
Artist-designer C. Peter Oestrich removed the triangle and placed the yellow “Kodak” lettering inside the square. He also added another interesting element, a stylized “K”-shaped graphic sign. The background composition resembles a camera shutter.
1984 – 2006
The 1984 emblem is “Kodak” on a white background. The word is depicted in a simple sans-serif typeface.
1983 – 1987
1987 – 2006
The company returned to the iconic 1971 logo three years after the redesign. Only the lettering style has changed: the letters have no serifs.
2006 – today
The yellow square disappeared again. The font with the rounded “d” and “a” gives the name an unusual look. This version of the logo was designed by the British marketing agency Ogilvy & Mather. The renewal of the graphic sign coincided with rising market competition and pressure from digital camera manufacturers. Kodak thus tried to save itself by attracting attention.
2016 – today
In 2012, the company went bankrupt, but a year later, it resumed operations. After that, it was decided to rebrand. The result was a redesign of the classic 1971 logo. New York-based studio Work-Order retained the original proportions. All she did was write the word “Kodak” in all caps. The symbols are located vertically along the right side of the square. As the designers conceived, they should resemble the holes along the edges of perforated photographic film.
Font and Colors
The modern logo shows that its development history has striven for perfection. Therefore, developers often used a combination method, blending parts from the same year with new ones. This creative pursuit was a simple visual sign, with its foundation laid in 1971. The designers used its shape for the current version, adding the name in a modernized form. The word “Kodak” is no longer horizontal; it is now vertical with a large letter break. The wide frame, sharp pointer, and figured “butterfly wings” element remain the same.
Allen Hori of Identity Design developed the typeface currently featured in the logo. He modernized the previous version by thinning the letters and making them more graceful, adding lightness, and trimming the protruding parts of the “d” and “a” below. Kodak’s signature palette has remained stable, with warm shades of red and yellow, since 1935.