The Paramount logo immediately identifies the film studio as the top. Only real stars are filmed in the studio’s pictures, which makes the films worthy of an Oscar. The emblem also indicates the company’s impressive age.
Paramount: Brand overview
Founded: | May 8, 1912 |
Founder: | William Wadsworth Hodkinson, Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky |
Headquarters: | Hollywood, California, United States |
Website: | paramountpictures.com |
Meaning and History
Paramount Pictures is as old as the movie theater. She has come a long way from making films for immigrant workers to a film industry giant who bought DreamWorks and became the owner of luxury hotels with private cinemas. Hollywood has introduced new film production technologies for a hundred years, and modern styles have become fashionable. But one thing hasn’t changed—the Paramount logo has retained its classic structure.
The image of a pyramidal mountain in a ring of stars is as familiar to moviegoers as Universal Pictures’ planet, MGM’s lion, Disney’s magic castle, and Warner Brothers’ blue-and-gold shield. The snow-covered mountain peak has opened films since the days of silent cinema when the technology of synchronous filming did not exist.
Paramount’s iconic symbol is one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic. Few know where it came from and what it means. The majestic view of the mountain was designed by William Wadsworth Hodkinson, who funded the films and received exclusive distribution rights. Hodkinson initiated the merger of the companies that formed the modern film studio and insisted that it be called Paramount, not Famous Players. He sketched the logo on blotting paper while sitting in the boardroom with producer Adolph Zukor. The businessman depicted the mountain in a star halo, and modern cinema fans began looking for hidden meaning.
Fans were most concerned about where this mountain peak might be. The most common version was that Hodkinson drew Ben Lomond Peak from Utah from memory. He had been there as a child when he camped nearby. But there were other assumptions as well. Some believed that the peaks of Monte Viso (in the Alps) or Mount Artesonraju (in the Peruvian Andes) were immortalized on the emblem.
The Paramount Pictures logo has been subtly changing. The fog dissipated around the mountain, and clouds thickened, then disappeared. The background was changed several times until it became one color. The number of stars in the halo gradually decreased from 29 to 22. As a result of this evolution, the symbol has an animated version with a 3D design.
1914 – 1918
Paramount-Artcraft Motion Pictures’s logo was oval with a double black outline. It was decorated with a figure frame, which looked like carved patterns above and below. Inside was the company name, divided in half into two lines. The designers used a handwritten font. The first letters in words looked like calligraphy: they had elegant curls at the ends of the strokes. The style as a whole corresponded to the general concept of the emblems of that time.
1914
In 1914, the Lasky Feature Play Company and the Famous Players Film Company partnered with distributor Paramount Pictures. His trademark was a crown with ten prongs on the hoop and a small cross on top. The word “Paramount” was written across the headgear. For this, a thin font was used, imitating calligraphic handwriting.
The second part of her name, “PICTURES,” was on the lower rim. A bold typeface with serifs was chosen for her. Under the crown, the artists depicted a scroll with the Latin saying “IN EXCELSIS.”
1914 – 1917
The original Paramount Film Studio logo debuted in silent films. According to the archives, William Hodkinson created it in 1916 when discussing business issues with the former owner of the Famous Players company. He drew the first thing that came to mind on blotting paper: a mountain peak surrounded by stars. Childhood memories of Ben Lomond Peak may have inspired him.
Twenty-nine black five-pointed stars formed a halo around the circle’s edge with the words “Paramount.” The font has changed slightly: the capital “P” has spiral curls, while the other letters have become thinner and more elegant. The upper half of the circle was painted black. The lower part contained an image of a mountain against a white spotted horizon. Across the snowy peak was the black word “Pictures,” written in the same style as “Paramount.” The bottom of the letter “P” was lost in the fog that spread around the mountain.
1917 – 1967
After a little refinement, the logo acquired clear contours. Five stars were removed, so the unbreakable chain broke up. Probably so wanted William Hodkinson, who considered the new design more successful. The font of the inscriptions has become neat and not sweeping. The shadows on the right side of the mountain disappeared, and the spots on the horizon turned into smooth horizontal lines. Swirling clouds replaced the mist.
1967 – today
The Paramount Pictures brand name did not change until the late 1960s. Then, the film company decided to adapt it to fashionable minimalism and simplify the image. Two more stars disappeared from the halo, so only 22 exist. The mountain, which previously seemed voluminous due to uneven shadows, became two-dimensional. The round base is now black, so the white silhouette of the snowy peak is created using negative space. The same effect was used for the “Paramount” inscription, which received a new font. And the word “Pictures” disappeared altogether along with the clouds.
Paramount: Interesting Facts
Paramount Pictures Corporation is a key figure in the movie world. With a history stretching over 100 years, it’s one of the oldest film studios in the U.S. and has significantly shaped the industry.
- Founding: Adolph Zukor founded Paramount on May 8, 1912, as the Famous Players Film Company. This makes it the second-oldest film studio in America, right after Universal Pictures.
- Move to Hollywood: Paramount was Hollywood, California’s first major film studio. This move helped make Hollywood the heart of the movie industry.
- Blockbusters: Paramount introduced the blockbuster film concept with “The Ten Commandments” in 1923, directed by Cecil B. DeMille. This movie set new benchmarks for film production and marketing.
- Paramount Decree: The 1948 antitrust case against Paramount led to the “Paramount Decree,” which ended block booking and separated film production from exhibition, reshaping the film industry.
- Iconic Logo: Paramount’s logo, a mountain with stars around it, is widely recognized. Inspired by Utah’s Ben Lomond Mountain, the design has evolved while keeping the mountain and stars.
- Successful Franchises: Paramount has created and distributed major film series like “Star Trek,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Mission: Impossible.”
- TV Production: Early on, Paramount entered TV production, making shows like “The Brady Bunch” and “Star Trek,” which have deeply influenced American culture.
- Ownership Changes: Paramount has changed owners multiple times. Gulf + Western Industries acquired it in 1966, which became Paramount Communications in 1989. Viacom bought it in 1994. In 2019, Viacom merged with CBS Corporation, forming ViacomCBS, now known as Paramount Global.
- Studio Tour: Paramount offers tours that let people see how movies are made. Visitors see sound stages, the backlot, and movie props and costumes.
- Digital and Streaming: Adapting to new media trends, Paramount has launched Paramount+, which offers digital and streaming films, original series, and live TV from Paramount and other networks.
Paramount Pictures has continuously adapted and innovated, significantly influencing the entertainment industry while honoring its rich heritage.
Font and Colors
It is still unknown why the number of stars was originally 29 and then reduced to 22. Rumor has it that the semicircular constellation around the mountain used to denote actors who signed a contract with a film studio. However, this assumption is not confirmed by anything because at the dawn of cinema, William Hodkinson did not sign agreements with anyone, and Paramount was engaged in distributing other people’s films.
In any case, the mountain peak with a halo of stars is one of the most famous symbols of Hollywood. It predates MGM’s Roaring Lion by nearly a decade and retains the basic design concept. The mountain personifies solidity, steadfastness, and durability. The stars, in turn, are an integral part of Hollywood and perform a decorative function in the emblem.
The first lettering on the Paramount Pictures logo was in the same style as the Paramount-Artcraft Motion Pictures wordmark. The cursive type was considered very fashionable in that era. But time passed, and he gradually evolved until he acquired recognizable features.
The logo is made using the filming technique. Its frame seems like one from a 1930s movie, and the color scheme is reminiscent of classic black-and-white cinematography.