YouTube Logo

YouTube LogoYouTube Logo PNG

The video play button graphic is a symbolic representation of the essence of the largest American video hosting service. With such graphics, the YouTube logo reflects the brand’s primary mission, specialization, and direction.

YouTube: Brand overview

YouTube is a multilingual video hosting from the USA. It appeared in 2005, initiated by former employees of the PayPal payment system Jawed Karim, Steve Shih Chen, and Chad Meredith Hurley. Since November 2006, it has been owned by internet giant Google.

Meaning and History

YouTube Logo History

The name and logo of YouTube were invented by Hurley, a well-known entrepreneur from Silicon Valley, the creator of the original PayPal icon, and a graphic designer with a degree in fine arts. He was the CEO of YouTube, but he took on all the responsibility for the brand’s image. At some point, he presented his friends with the fact that this emblem would become the emblem of the new web service. The decision was made unanimously and was not discussed.

The artist who drew the famous icon admitted that his main inspiration is Walt Disney. Perhaps this is why Hurley managed to convey the meaning of the YouTube badge interestingly. After all, “Tube” is the slang name for CRT TVs with vacuum tubes. The large red rectangle on which this word is written represents the screen of such a device with an electron-beam backlight.

However, the design of the brightest element often changed. In 2005, the emphasis was on a volumetric gradient. In 2011, the rounded rectangle became burgundy and simple, although the three-dimensional effect remained. In 2013, the color changed to red. There were no other updates in the brand’s visual style: YouTube retained the classic style as part of its marketing strategy.

What is YouTube?

YouTube is one of the most popular platforms on the internet for uploading and playing video content. The site is visited by over a million unique users every month. Since 2006, the YouTube brand and everything associated with it belongs to Google.

2005 – 2011

YouTube Logo 2005

The debut logo consists of two parts: graphic and textual. It consists of the name of the internet service, which is divided into two fragments. The first is the black “You” inscription executed in elongated grotesque letters. The second is the inscription “Tube,” written in white and placed in a large red rectangle with a gradient transition to a dark palette.

2011 – 2013

YouTube Logo 2011

The original design was preserved, but changes were made to the color scheme. For example, the rectangle became burgundy, and a gray haze appeared at the bottom of the word “Tube,” reaching the middle of the letters.

2013 – 2015

YouTube Logo 2013

In 2013, the emblem’s design was changed: the rectangular icon on the right became crimson with a slight gradient at the bottom. The inscription “You” on the left became black.

2015 – 2017

YouTube Logo 2015

After another revision of the logo, the palette was changed again. In this version, the shading at the bottom of the rectangle was removed, and it acquired a pure red color without tonal transitions.

2017 – today

YouTube Logo

In 2017, the company’s management conducted a redesign of the logo, radically changing its image. The phrase “YouTube” is written together in the current version, highlighting the capital letters. Before, it was a red rectangular button with a white triangle in the center – this was the designation for launching a video for viewing. The style of the inscription remained the same: the only change was the deepening of the letter “Y,” which became more elongated.

YouTube Emblem

In 2012, entrepreneurs decided that the CRT on the logo does not convey the essence of the world’s largest video hosting service. Moreover, they wanted to introduce new features and applications into their web service that would not be associated with the last century’s technologies. It was an evolution that affected all areas of YouTube’s activity.

Christopher Bettig, the art director, speculated that people might not even realize the meaning of the word “Tube” and do not understand why it is in a rectangle. Therefore, it was decided to remove the red TV screen and shift the focus from “Tube” to the video playback icon. Thus, the most significant redesign in the company’s history took place.

However, the changes were only “cosmetic.” The owners did not dare to make transformations so that YouTube would not lose its recognizability completely. They focused on a smooth transition from the site to a family of multi-platform applications: YouTube Kids, Music, TV, Red, and Gaming. Thanks to the universal design, the new logo unites all these services.

Initially, Bettig and his team experimented with a single Y icon. But then they realized that it was a losing proposition and decided to go an even simpler way: to keep the old inscription, adding a red play button in the center of each video, closely associated with YouTube.

YouTube: Interesting Facts

YouTube started in February 2005, created by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, and quickly grew from a small site where people shared videos to a huge place that changed how we watch, make, and share all kinds of videos. Here’s what’s cool about YouTube:

  1. The First Video: The first video on YouTube, “Me at the Zoo,” was about one of the founders, Jawed Karim, hanging out at the San Diego Zoo. It’s just 18 seconds long and started everything.
  2. Growing Fast: YouTube became big quickly. People posted 65,000 new videos daily and watched over 100 million in a year. Google noticed and bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006.
  3. Big Impact: YouTube has changed pop culture a lot. It’s where many singers, like Justin Bieber, got discovered. It’s also used for big social movements, fun, and learning.
  4. Making Money: In 2007, YouTube started letting video makers earn money from ads on their videos. Over the years, YouTube has paid billions to these creators.
  5. All Kinds of Videos: You can find almost anything on YouTube – music, how-tos, blogs, comedy, and lots more. Whatever you’re into, there’s probably a channel for it.
  6. Finding What You Like: YouTube’s special program suggests videos based on your previous watch. This helps viewers find new content, and creators get their videos seen by more people.
  7. Worldwide: YouTube works in over 100 countries and 80 languages, and it’s set up in 91 countries, so it feels right for people worldwide.
  8. Live Stuff, Too: YouTube isn’t just for recorded videos. You can watch live broadcasts or sign up for YouTube TV to watch live shows from over 85 channels.
  9. Changing the World: YouTube is also big in politics and activism. Leaders, groups, and activists use it to talk to people and spread their messages.
  10. Learning Anything: It’s also a great place to learn, with tons of educational videos on almost any topic.

YouTube has changed from a simple place to share videos to a huge platform that touches almost every part of our lives, from entertainment to learning to making a difference in the world.

Font and Colors

YouTube Symbol

The developers changed the font and color scheme. The font design was based on the stylistics of classic television and the VHS era. They managed to preserve the history of the original typography and give it a more modern look.

The designers wanted to connect the logo with the video, so they settled on the shade of red, # FF0000, presented in RGB. The inverted triangle inside the button is white. As for the color of the inscription, there are two options: white (#FFFFFFFF) or black (# 28282828). The first is used on a dark background, and the second is on a light one.

YouTube color codes

RedHex color:#ff0000
RGB:255 0 0
CMYK:0 100 100 0
Pantone:PMS 1655 C
BlackHex color:#000000
RGB:0 0 0
CMYK:0 0 0 100
Pantone:PMS Process Black C

FAQ

What does the YouTube logo symbolize?

The red rectangle with a white triangle in the center represents the video play button. This element symbolizes the main task that YouTube copes with well – providing users with the ability to upload, search, and view video content.

What was the original YouTube logo?

The original logo contained the two-tone word “YouTube.” The first half of the name was black with a white background, and the second half was white and written inside a red rectangle with rounded corners and a gradient.

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