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- The first Warner Bros. logo hails all the way back to the 1920s. As seen in films such as 1927’s The Jazz Singer, it establishes the basic motif of the Warner Bros. logo for the next 90 years: a shield with the initials “W.B.” stamped on it.
www.fastcompany.com/3027046/the-surprising-design-history-of-the-warner-bros-logoThe Surprising History Of The Warner Bros. Logo - Fast Company
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The original Warner Bros. logo, introduced in 1923, featured the company's name, "Warner Bros. Classics of the Screen," in an elegant serif font. This logo marked the studio's formal entry into the burgeoning film industry.
- Overview
- Warner Brothers Classics of the Screen
- Warner Brothers Productions
- Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.
- Warner Bros. Pictures (first era)
- Warner Bros.-Seven Arts
- Warner Bros.
- Warner Bros. Pictures (second era)
- Note
This page only shows primary logo variants.
For other related logos and images, see:
1923–1925
The first logo of Warner Bros. Pictures was introduced on April 4, 1923. Before the 1925 update, this logo was used as a primary logo until the same year.
1925–1929
This is the very first Warner Bros. shield logo, nicknamed the "Brain Shield". The top half of the shield included a photo of the exterior of the their original studio building, with the "WB" initials occupying the bottom half, separated by a small dash. The title card with this version of the logo originally included the text "A Warner Brothers Classic of the Screen", which was later replaced with "A Warner Brothers Production" in 1926.
1929–1937
This was the first logo design in which the "WB" letters filled the whole shield. There are two different types of the lettering "WARNER BROS. PICTURES, Inc.". This logo was also used on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.
1934–1937
In 1937, this variant was used as the "Zooming W-B Shield". This logo was used on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons until that same year.
1937–1953
In 1937, a banner was added onto the shield reading the company's full name ("WARNER BROS. PICTURES INC.") for the first time, a design that would resonate within many of its subsequent logo designs.
1940–1967
By 1940, this design started appearing on pressbooks. However, this logo wouldn't become the primary logo until 1948, when it started appearing on posters and letters.
1953–1967, 1970–1973, 1985–2019
Typography: Goudy (1985) Launched: November 27, 1953 After its introduction at the end of the 1953 film Hondo, this logo was slightly modified to be used as a print logo for film trailers and other stationary media for 14 years until the merger with Seven Arts in 1967. It was reintroduced in 1970 as the primary logo for Warner Bros. Records. This logo returned to use for other Warner Bros. divisions in 1985. Until its retirement in 2019, with a total run of 51 years, this is the longest lasting logo used by the company, as well as the most memorable.
1967–1970
Typography: Unknown Launched: August 20, 1967 In 1967, for the first time in WB history, the text "WB" was nowhere to be found on the logo; instead, the symbol "W7", symbolizing its merger with Seven Arts, appeared in its place.
1970–1972
Typography: Eurostile Launched: May 13, 1970 This logo was once superimposed over one of the backgrounds used for the 1948 logo that would later be used for the 1984 logo. This was used during the period Warner Bros. when was owned by Kinney National Company; that firm's name would sometimes appear inside the rectangular block in place of "Warner Bros." in this logo.
1972–1990
Typography: Watford Handel Gothic Launched: February 10, 1972 Famed logo designer Saul Bass, also responsible for the Geffen "G" and the United Airlines logos of the 1970s, created this logo. In the commentary on the DVD of the movie Gremlins, which brought back the shield logo, director Joe Dante notes that this logo was designed to be more artsy. When the movie was made, Dante knew that it was going to have the classical feel of the classic Warner Bros. movies because they shot on the Warner lot and Jerry Goldsmith was doing the music. So, they decided to bring back the shield logo and the studio loved it and they brought it back for their future movies (though the shield logo was also used on earlier films such as Blazing Saddles (1974) and Time After Time (1979)). However, this is still used as a logo today for other Warner properties (mainly by the now-unrelated Warner Music Group), and the stylized typeface was used for WB's home video division from 1978 to 1996; it has also appeared on a few movies made by the studio in the 2010s and the early 2020s such as Magic Mike, Joker (albeit modified) and A Christmas Story Christmas.
1993–2022, 2023
Typography: Goudy Old Style Bold Launched: September 1993 In September 1993, the banner with the "Warner Bros. Pictures" text was re-added to the shield, resembling the 1948 and 1984 onscreen logos. It was used as the corporate logo of the studio for 26 years until the rebrand in 2019, although the company's on-screen variants were still used until March 18, 2022. This logo made a surprise reappearance on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as a variant in 2023.
2019–2023
Typography: Warner Bros. Sans (custom-designed) Launched: November 13, 2019 After Warner Bros. Entertainment revealed a new logo on November 13, 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures also refreshed its image to match with the modern look of the new shield and dropped the banner and "Warner Bros. Pictures" is below the shield. It debuted on the final trailer of Tenet (2020) and was given a proper animation to accompany it in 2021, which first appeared on the HBO Max original movie, Locked Down. Despite being phased out in favor of the next logo, it is still used on Warner Bros.' official website as of 2024.
Despite the name change on its logo to Warner Bros. Pictures in 1984, the company was still referred to as Warner Bros. until 2000, when its legal name in advertising materials was changed back to Warner Bros. Pictures; it is still officially referred to as Warner Bros. outside of this.
Feb 28, 2014 · The first Warner Bros. logo hails all the way back to the 1920s. As seen in films such as 1927’s The Jazz Singer, it establishes the basic motif of the Warner Bros. logo for the next 90 years:...
Sep 15, 2023 · In the early days of Warner Bros., the company’s logo was more of an expression of text rather than a visual icon. Launched in the year of its registration, the original Warner Brothers logo design was simple yet impactful.
Feb 23, 2024 · Warner Bros. Pictures' origins trace back to 1918, when brothers Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner established a studio on Sunset Boulevard.
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- CP1973 Productions
The Warner Bros. logo is the production logo appearing at the beginning and end of films released by Warner Bros. and their various production divisions. The logo contains a gold-outlined blue shield with the letters "WB" inside, surrounded by a gold banner reading "Warner Bros. Pictures", and...
The earliest Warner Bros logo is a simple yet classic design. It features the words ‘Warner Bros’ in a distinctive, bold serif font that curves slightly upwards, giving a sense of grandeur. This title is underscored by the phrase ‘Classics of the Screen’ in a smaller, less prominent font.
