Since the DC Comics logo (the DC stands for Detective Comics) first appeared in April 1940, it has gone through more quick changes than Superman — four logo revisions in the 1970s alone. Now DC Comics has unveiled yet another logo update. This time designed by Landor Associates.
The new logo, which launches in March, shows the “D” peeling back to reveal the hidden “C,” suggesting the dual identity of the DC Entertainment superheroes. Designed to look three-dimensional and be adaptable to different media, the new logo allows for color changes and texture and image changes within the “C.” It is easily animated and quickly customizable too.
What’s interesting about the DC logo is that unlike, say, the Starbucks logo that has gone through several iterations over the years but remains instantly recognizable as Starbucks, the DC logo seems unrelated from one version to the next. The most memorable of the lot is the “DC Bullet,” designed by Milton Glaser, which served as the mark from 1976 to 2005. The redesign in 2005 kept the circle and star, but altered the look so dramatically that brand recognition was lost. That seems to be the case with the new logo as well. Maybe over time people will begin to associate it with DC Comics.