Xerox Logo PNG
The Xerox logo is the word “Xerox” in red, set in a simple, concise font. The logo reflects the company’s innovative, technological approach, always striving to stay ahead of competitors in the industry. Although the Xerox emblem has undergone significant changes over the years, it remains a strong brand symbol and reflects its values and quality.
Xerox began in 1906 in Rochester, New York, when Joseph Wilson Sr. founded Haloid, a small photographic paper company. For decades, it worked in the shadow of Eastman Kodak. The turning point came under Joseph Wilson Jr., after physicist and patent lawyer Chester Carlson created the first xerographic image in 1938 using electrostatics and dry toner.
Carlson’s idea was rejected by IBM, RCA, General Electric, and more than 20 other companies. In 1944, Battelle Memorial Institute agreed to develop the technology, and in 1947, Haloid obtained commercial rights. In 1949, the company released the Xerox Model A, its first commercial copier. It was difficult to use, but it proved the method worked. In 1956, Haloid formed Rank Xerox with Britain’s Rank Organization, and in 1958 became Haloid Xerox.
On September 16, 1959, the Xerox 914 was presented in New York as the first fully automatic plain-paper copier. The machine weighed almost 300 kilograms and made seven copies per minute. Revenue rose to nearly $60 million by 1961 and passed $500 million by 1966. In 1961, the company became Xerox Corporation and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. By the early 1970s, it held 93-95% of the U.S. copier market.
In 1970, Xerox created PARC in Palo Alto, where researchers developed the graphical interface, the Alto computer, Ethernet, and laser printing. The 9700 laser printer followed in 1977. Antitrust pressure in 1975 forced Xerox to license more than 1,700 patents, helping Canon and Ricoh enter the market. By 1983, debt reached $2 billion. Later, Xerox rebuilt around quality control and digital document systems, bought Affiliated Computer Services in 2009, and split in 2017 into Xerox Holdings and Conduent.
Meaning and History
At the beginning of the last century, the American corporation Xerox was known as Haloid and produced paper for professional photographers. It launched its first photocopier in 1949, a development that would later shape its identity. The technology used was called Xerography, and the product was called Haloid Xerox 14. The resounding success of the invention led to “xerox” becoming a household name. The company was renamed after the new popular device and received corresponding visual symbols. In the early 1960s, the word “Haloid” on the brand logo was finally replaced by “Xerox.” The “X” trademark appeared a little later, splitting into pixel dots. It symbolizes the thin line between digital and paper documents.
As the company evolved and expanded its range, it needed a new logo that wasn’t just associated with copiers. To avoid the stereotype, the office equipment and paper maker converted the lettering to lowercase. They added a sphere of lines forming the stylized letter “X.” This logo embodied the American corporation’s connection to its customers and to progressive technology.
What is Xerox?
A world-famous American corporation in office equipment owns 8.5 thousand patents in this area. It makes printers, copiers, fax machines, computers, and military equipment.
1906 – 1938
The first logo was a torch with an oval plaque bearing the company’s name.
The burning torch is a symbol of superiority. The founder prophesied that the company would be a leader. This was very cocky, considering that before the end of World War II, 90% of the city’s business was Kodak-owned.
The fire on top was also the embodiment of light, which is important for the light-sensitive paper to work.
The word “Haloid,” placed in the oval, translates as “haloid” or “halogen”. The photographic paper of the time was halogen-silver. Its main layer, with photo emulsion, was based on silver halides (chloride, bromide, iodide).
1938 – 1948
The logo changed its shape. It now resembled a sheet of paper with rounded corners. The black background and white lettering associated the logo with the black-and-white photo the firm produced. In the center was the word Haloid with a torch. The image of fire showed the light transforming ordinary paper into a photograph.
The logo’s outline features clarifying inscriptions of the company name, its location, and its product names.
1948 – 1949
Beginning in 1947, the company entered electrography because its major photographic paper customers were interested in this new method. Haloid bought the patent for the machine, a move that was decisive for its fate.
Promoting the new direction led to an updated logo. The ’48 visual sign was the first to emphasize the copying method, pushing the company name aside.
On a black square background with rounded corners was a large letter X, above which was written the word Xerox.
The word Xerox is the name of the copying technology. Originally, the method of transferring the lettering to another sheet of paper was called electrography. However, it seemed too “abstruse” to Haloid’s owner. The name was changed to a more resounding Greek combination of xerography (xeros, dry, and grapho, to write). And later, it was shortened to Xerox.
The black color alludes to the black paint used to transfer the image. And the white lettering indicated white paper. Using a capital X at the beginning and end of the word indicated that the image was being transferred from one sheet of paper to another, creating two identical copies.
The decision to change the logo in this way was risky. No Haloid installation had yet seen the light of day, and the method was little known or in demand. However, Wilsony had nothing to lose; the firm was on the verge of bankruptcy.
1949 – 1957
The company returned to the 1938 logo image, except that the word Xerox was centered in the background. This was necessary because customers did not understand the new name, and to link Xerox and Haloid, the logo returned the clarifying lettering on the image’s outline.
1957 – 1960
A clearer, more legible logo and a new name, Haloid Xerox, were proposed to strengthen the connection between Haloid and its products.
The logo’s background was changed to red, representing innovation, invention, and a good deal.
In the center, the two names were placed in large letters: Haloid and Xerox. Along the border, they said that the company offered products for photocopying and photography.
1960 – 1968
The method of xerography became widely known. So in 1959, the company changed its name to Xerox Corporation. The progressive New York consulting company Lippincott & Margulies created a new logo on this occasion.
It proposed a fully graphic sign with large Xerox lettering and a small “Corporation”. All left-slanting elements (the X halves and the R foot) were elongated while retaining their original serifs. They showed the paper’s path through the machine.
1968 – 2008
The company was on its feet, making huge profits ($500 million). The big wins were celebrated with a new visual sign designed by the famous specialist of the time, Tom Geismar, founder of Brownjohn, Chermayeff & Geismar.
The designer did not propose any global changes. The former inscription changed to a more stable font and was given a red color, a symbol of achievements, profits, leadership, and victories.
1994 – 2008
Alongside the current logo, an additional mark was used: a large letter X representing the company’s name, with the upper part of one of its legs in red mosaic. It looked as if it had turned into many sprawling copies.
2008 – 2019
The 2008 rebranding was entrusted to the renowned company Interbrand. It proposed a visual sign consisting of an image and an inscription.
The Xerox name was written in lowercase with softly rounded letters and smoothed corners. The smooth curves of the X elements mirror each other. They hint at the copying process.
The image is a ball wrapped around two printers’ ink stubs. They form the letter X on the front side. The ball represents the Earth. The plumes’ channels carry different inks for printing. The image shows that the company’s technology and machines are distributed worldwide. The company is well-known. Everyone uses printouts and photocopies.
The connecting lines on the balloon, as conceived by Interbrand, also showed the connections among the company, its customers, employees, and partners, who are scattered around the globe.
2019 – today
In 2019, Xerox was reorganized into a holding company, and the company became a subsidiary of that holding company. As a result, the visual sign was simplified. The globe was removed, leaving only the Xerox inscription. The company no longer associates itself only with copying equipment. Among its products are computers, scanners, and paper.
Font and Colors
In creating the Xerox logo, the designers reflected the company’s modern way of thinking and its constant desire for development and innovation. The resulting sign symbolizes the technological approach to manufacturing copiers and other office equipment. It embodies the energy and strength that the manufacturer puts into developing new products.
The main color of the logo is red. It shows a leader, a winner, and an innovator. The company is actively developing, reaching new heights, and serving as the “engine” of its industry, continually developing new solutions.
The logo’s font is Xerox Sans, created by the company.