UN Logo

UN Logo PNG

The UN logo is a sign of victory. The organization’s focus is the oceans and continents; it surrounds the entire globe with care and attention. The emblem conveys the main goal of the association – maintaining peace, health, and prosperity on the planet.

Meaning and History

The United Nations has had 51 members since 2011; another state joined the list – South Sudan. In total, the council consists of 193 people who represent most of the sovereign countries. According to the rules, they are engaged in protecting the rights of people, providing humanitarian assistance, maintaining peace, and monitoring the observance of international rights.

To better manage processes and track what is happening, the organization has created six key bodies, several committees, funds, and programs. The official languages ​​of the UN are Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, French, and Spanish. The emblem of the intergovernmental organization was adopted along with the charter. A team of professionals led by Oliver Lincoln Lundquist, an architect, and industrial designer, tried to reflect the core missions of the global service. There are two United Nations logos in total.

1945 – 1946

The debut version is a flat projection of the globe. The view is directed from above, from the side of the North Pole. Closely located continents radiate from it in all directions. This view of the planet is associated with the desire to show that all countries on the planet are interconnected and close to each other and their interests. In the original version, the map extends to the 40th parallel south.

The outlines of states are schematic, without overlaying a gradient; they are white on the inside with an outer black outline. The background is a ball with three concentric circles inside and eight meridians, which diverge from the center in different directions. The indents between the parallels are wide. Generally speaking, the first logo is very similar to a target for shooting or playing darts – both in structure and colors. The symbolic globe is surrounded by two branches of a laurel tree, collected in a classic wreath. It consists of six paired leaves on each side and one single one at the top.

1946 – today

After only one year, the debut emblem went through some adjustments, as it showed its shortcomings. So, the designers changed the viewing angle, depicting the planet not up to the fortieth but up to the sixtieth parallel. This made it possible to slightly increase the space to see the continents much more clearly. Such a measure led to the appearance of another concentric circle, so now the whole world is visible on a flat map.

According to cartography, the authors made the meridians (there are eight) and parallels (now there are five) wider. They also painted them black, like the rest of the land, leaving only the body of water white. The laurel wreath also turned black. The developers have corrected it, making the edges of the leaves smooth and even. They expanded the center part of the concentric circles to look like a full circle instead of a big dot.

Font and Colors

Elements of the UN logo are used in the identity of all its organizations and committees. This emphasizes their connection and also reflects the main mission – cohesion, cooperation, unity.

The basic emblem has no inscriptions – it has only a graphic part. The text is used to refer to the six governing bodies that make up the United Nations structure. But sometimes, the mark is supplemented by the name made by the typeface Roboto.

In the modern version, in addition to white and black, the blue color of the natural shade of our planet, which is visible from space, also appears. Authors advise choosing blue under the code # 009edb or Pantone 2925.

UN color codes