While older gamers might think of Nintendo as the go-to name in console gaming, more recent players definitely have a different name in mind – Sony’s Playstation. Now in its fourth iteration, the Playstation is the best selling console of this generation and the line is one of the best selling in the history of gaming. While the logo has rarely been front and center, it’s always been a part of how the console has been marketed. By taking some time to look at the history of the Playstation logo, one can see how Sony slowly began to put more and more emphasis on the brand.
Playstation Logo Design Elements
The current Playstation logo is an interlocking, stylized P and S. The letters clearly represent the brand, of course, but they actually do a bit more. By interlocking in the manner they do, they also give the illusion of being a 3D shape – something that was incredibly important to the Playstation brand at the time. It represents a new type of gaming and a dedication to visuals that was at the time unheard of in the industry.
The curent color scheme for the logo is monochrome. It fits well on all of Sony’s various pieces of Playstation hardware, with little need to be adapted from generation to generation. The colors do vary, though, depending on the specific edition of the individual console. The font is perhaps the most iconic bit of the design, though – it’s the interlocking letters that have given rise to referring to the various generations of consoles as “PS” plus the generation number.
Changes and Evolution
1. Shape
The shape of the Playstation logo has stayed fairly constant throughout the years. What’s surprising, though, is that the ultimate shape of the logo was very far from what was proposed during the concept stages. The initial logo ideas were far closer to the logos of other competing CD-based gaming companies at the time, with a flair that can only be described as being very nineties. By the time the company embraced its current shape, it became clear that pushing the Playstation forward as a technical powerhouse was important – and that meant showing off the console’s commitment to 3D gaming.
2. Color
While the current Playstation logo is monochromatic, it used to be quite a bit more colorful. The initial logo on the first Playstation console featured a red P and a multi-colored S. These colors were great for showing off how different the console was compared to others on the market, and as a quick peek at the console’s ability to process more colors than the competition. The switch over to the current color seems entirely practical, as the console after the first generation were black and didn’t work quite as well with the original color scheme.
3. Font
Font is one thing that has stayed constant with the Playstation. While the edges have been tightened up a bit in recent years, you still get the same vaguely modern-looking sort of letters that were always present on the system. This has helped to keep a certain amount of brand continuity, as well as keeping the systems looking like they are still dedicated to the same technological innovation as the original.
Influences/ Inspiration
If you’re looking for influences in the original Playstation logo design, you can turn towards a number of other parties in the video game industry. It’s definitely remniscent of efforts like the Panasonic 3DO, as well as Atari’s original logo. There’s also a few hints of Sony’s older logo in the design, which seems fairly natural given who makes the console.
For the most part, Sony’s logo here stands alone. Nintendo did make moves to make a similar design during the N64 and Gamecube eras, but even Nintendo has walkd back towards its classic design. The design available today is uniquely Playstation in a way that really doesn’t seem primed for inspiring others.
Trivia
- The Playstation started life as a collaboration between Sony and Nintendo.
- Sony’s controller design came about as a way to match the 3D visuals of the game with a 3D controller.
- The Playstation 1 outsold the Playstation 2 during the 2000 holiday season due to manufacturing shortages.
- The original eight games released for Playstation included mah-jong and a train simulator.
- The US Airforce built a super-computer out of over seventeen hundred Playstation 3 consoles.
Conclusion
Sony’s Playstation brand managed to move from being a new contender to the king of the hill in just a single console generation. The company’s logo has always been one that’s looking forward, though, so it won’t be surprising to see it attached to yet another console in the near future. In terms of tech logo designs, this is simply one of the best.
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