Marvel is an American brand that embraces the whole universe of superheroes and hot adventures. The film company he represents is called the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), which belongs to the Walt Disney Company.
Meaning and History
The magical world’s primary foundation was the comic book of the same name, created in 1939. He designed the images of superheroes and presented them in the pages of his print edition – Marvel Comics. And in the 2000s, a film company appeared under the same name – Marvel Studios. Now comics and their characters have come to life in films. Moreover, there was a parallel transformation of the logos of the studio and the merged company.
Movie logos
Marvel Studios’ movie comics branding has gone through a few minor changes. She mainly appeared in the credits of films.
2000 – 2012
After the studio’s launch, it did not have its logo, so the developers chose the existing version of the comics, which debuted in the last parts of the X-Men.
2012 – 2014
This version of the logo first appeared in the 2012 film The Avengers. It was then used in Sony’s Superman films and the MCU television series. It is an inscription with elongated white letters on a dark red background.
2018 – today
This logo is now featured in Columbia Pictures films. It was first introduced to Venom in 2018. The existing logo just added the top inscription “In association with.”
Film studio logos
Simultaneously, the emblem of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a company that united all directions, was changing.
1993 – 1996
The Marvel Film Corporation began with a monumental logo. Moreover, “monumental” can be interpreted in the literal sense of the word because the sign of visual identity contained a wide, massive, very large “M.” It was declared as the basis of the foundations, which was emphasized by the emblem.
The letter was formed by a standard film with perforations on the sides. The central part at the bottom was formed by a narrow and sharp element that replaced a fragment of the printed symbol. Above, the first word from the name – “Marvel” seemed to “grow” out of it. It matched the color of the film and had the same steel sheen. The signs were straight, smooth, with a faceted edge. In the foreground (actually on top of everything), there were a red cursive “Films.” It was handwritten in fluent handwriting.
1996 – 2002
After the rebranding, the film company changed the sign of visual identity, using the previous version as a basis. She received a new name, which she wanted to reflect in the same logo as before. But certain changes have taken place. For example, the developers have improved the large “M” color and the words “Marvel.” This added lightness and visual appeal because of the shade from black and steel to olive-gray with a gradient transition. “Films” was replaced by “Studios.” It had the same style as the first text – handwritten, cursive, red, with thin yellow lettering.
2002 – 2008
2002 was a turning point in the history of Marvel identity because the film concern completely switched to a red rectangle with a white inscription inside. To do this, the designers removed the massive “M” made of film, lightened the letters, and increased them in size. Thus, the emblem gained incredible catchiness and wide recognition. The upwardly elongated signs touched, except the “L,” which was set apart from the rest. It was separated from the first fragment of the title by a narrow space.
2008 – 2011
This period is associated with the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe project. Then the word “Studios” appeared in the logo. This variant was featured in the first film of the newly formed Iron Man studio and was last used in the fifth Captain America film. The inscription is made in white and outlined with two thin parallel lines.
2013 – 2016
In 2013, the designers took Studios outside of the main logo and placed it at the bottom.
2016 – today
In the current version, the phrase “Marvel Studios” is arranged sequentially, in one line. Words are separated by color and type of background. This version made its debut in the film Doctor Strange.
Font and Color of the Emblem
As a personal mark, the MCU uses the same logo that the magazine had from the very beginning. The modifications concern only small specifying details. The base mark contains the original “Marvel” lettering on a red rectangle.
The typeface is close to Benton Sans Extra Comp Black. Its authors are Cyrus Highsmith and Tobias Frere-Jones. The Marvel logo has always featured red, which serves as a beneficial backdrop for the white lettering.