From A to Z: The History of the Amazon Logo

From its humble origins in Jeff Bezos’ garage to its place as the 2nd largest company in the world, Amazon’s rise to prominence is one of the most iconic stories of the Information Age. Equally iconic is the Amazon logo.

As the company has evolved, the Amazon logo has given us a unique visual record of its journey. Culminating in the design we all know and love today: the legendary Amazon Smile.

As far as famous brands go, Amazon is up there with the best of them. Let’s plunge into the Amazon logo story to uncover its history, symbolism, and meaning. We’ve included tips for your own iconic logo design along the way!

Amazon’s early beginnings

Long before Jeff Bezos shot himself into space wearing a cowboy hat and proclaimed it the ‘Best Day Ever,’ he was just a guy with a dream in a garage in Seattle (you can find the actual house Amazon was started in here).

In 1994, sensing the disruptive opportunities the internet would bring to retail, Bezos quit his New York hedge fund job and moved to Emerald City. There, he started an online bookstore. As one of the first sites of its kind, the company swiftly began outpacing its brick-and-mortar competitors. 

Ultimately, the ‘Amazon’ name became central to the visual and conceptual power behind the company’s logo. Today, the iconic ‘Smile’ logo features an arrow starting at the letter A and ending at Z (from ‘A to Z’). It’s a motif that cleverly reflects Amazon’s endless range of products and end-to-end delivery.

The evolution of the Amazon logo

Amazon’s logo has undergone several redesigns throughout its history. These logo redesigns reflect the company’s evolution.  

Here’s a quick overview of the major logo redesigns in Amazon’s history. We’ll also review how other branding elements evolved as the company has changed.

Amazon’s original logo (1995-1997)

The original Amazon logo was designed by the agency Turner Duckworth, in 1995. (The same agency would go on to design today’s logo, too.)

Looking back at the original logo, it’s a deceptively simple design. Sure, it’s a little dated in terms of its execution. But Amazon’s original logo does adhere to some important concepts of effective logo design. As a testament to this, many of the original design elements of the Amazon brand have persisted today.

First, the original Amazon logo featured a straightforward font with the full website name ‘amazon.com.’ This was a savvy move for an early internet company looking to familiarize people with its URL.

More importantly, it’s also easy to see how Amazon’s modern, lowercase wordmark can be traced back to the first logo, which stylistically resembles the 2023 version.

Finally, the A in the original logo features an image of the Amazon River as the logo’s negative space. A hint at the play with shapes and letters persisting in Amazon’s current logo.

So while the first design was a little clunky by today’s standards, it still stands as an effective, recognizable logo (and were miles better than Apple’s first logo!)

Zebra print logo (1997-1998)

It’s no coincidence that the first Amazon logo redesign came out roughly the same time as A Night at the Roxbury (1998). The first logo redesign features the same garish late 90s stylings and ridiculousness. Out of nowhere, we get a zebra print effect that seems so unnecessary, it’s almost brilliant. 

Ultimately, the zebra print distracts the eye, doesn’t add anything meaningful for the customer, and totally negates the visual impact of the river shape in the original monogram logo. 

Luckily, the ‘97 logo was only in use for a year.

Amazon’s 1998 logos

Three more logos were created in 1998, a time in which the company evolved significantly and it was challenged with developing its core brand identity. 

Although each of the ‘98 logos was, in isolation, a failure, each one contained elements that informed the logo’s later development as a whole.

• The first of the ‘98 logos eliminated the monolithic A letter, opting for a serif typeface and the logo tagline ‘Earth’s Biggest Bookstore’. And yeah, it kind of sucked.
• The second ‘98 logo ditched the tagline and introduced the classic Amazon yellowy-orange color. But still, it kind of sucked.
• The final ‘98 logo, which lasted until 2000 and sucked slightly less, was the first to tie these developing elements into something resembling today’s Amazon logo. In it, we see the bold, sort-of sans serif font, and the orange line beneath the wordmark. 

The Smile logo (2000 – present)

Amazon’s breakthrough logo was developed in 2000 by the design agency Turner Duckworth (check out the famous case study for Amazon’s logo).

In it, we see all the elements of the previous logos coming together. The curvy orange line remains a core part of the Amazon emblem, now stylized to resemble the famous smile.

The typography remains consistent with the previous iteration. Here, we get a streamlined, modern font (Officina sans bold) and the removal of the full website name. The smile has become a core part of Amazon’s marketing vehicle and is even recognizable in isolation on the company’s shipping boxes.

Amazon logo’s symbolism and meaning

As far as logo designers are concerned, the current Amazon logo is one of the best logo designs ever. It’s simple, clever, widely recognizable, and conceptually brilliant. 

Under the hood of the 2023 logo, all the elements brewing in Amazon logos past came to fruition: the play with shape, conceptual themes, color, and font. The arrow shape in the logo extends from the letter “A” to the letter “Z” while curving to form a smile, representing customer satisfaction, endless product selection, and end-to-end service.

Throughout its logo redesigns, Amazon gradually shifted its focus from the river theme to a more specific symbol that could represent its extensive product range and delivery network. 

Design-wise, we see a transition from complex elements to a cleaner, simplified aesthetic. This emphasizes the company’s growth into a global e-commerce marketplace based on seamless experiences and customer satisfaction.

The impact of the Amazon logo

Ultimately, the Amazon logo has profoundly impacted the company’s brand identity and recognition. The logo’s iconically simple design has become synonymous with the company’s core values.

At each stage, the Amazon icon has been a working attempt to capture the company’s commitment to exceptional shopping experiences, customer satisfaction, and its extensive product delivery network.

The logo is one of the most well-known in the world today (Amazon Prime literally has its own day). Amazon’s smile logo reflects the company’s aspirations to be seen as a reliable brand while highlighting its extensive product range and seamless service.

The Amazon symbol, and the surrounding branding elements within its visual identity, have ultimately played a vital part in its recognition as a company and in protecting Amazon from negative perceptions of the brand as it has grown.

Turner Duckworth has demonstrated a consistent approach to logo design across Amazon’s many subsidiaries. Maintaining a sense of visual cohesion while allowing room for unique elements that help differentiate each unit.

Let’s take a look at some additional logos of the Amazon brand.

AWS

The AWS logo works in the signature curved arrow from the main Amazon logo, emphasizing the connection and integration between the two entities.

Amazon prime

The company’s subscription service for shipping and streaming retains the core elements of the primary Amazon logo with significant changes. Primarily, the replacement of Amazon with the word “Prime” and the distinctive Prime blue color. The smile icon remains, showing us how powerful it is as a brand symbol.

Amazon ads

An example of one of the simpler subsidiary logo executions, the Amazon ads logo features the original logo with the word ‘ads’ shortly after in a lighter-weight font.

Amazon music

Another example of a simpler logo addition, Amazon music follows the previous pattern but includes a unique font color for the lighter weight font style.

Amazon studios

The Amazon Studios logo is the most noticeable deviation from the original logo. It has a more cinematic design through a white logo font on a black background and all-caps text.

Ultimately, all of Amazon’s subsidiaries retain elements that help customers associate them with Amazon’s parent brand. Thereby feeding back into the overall Amazon ecosystem. As Bezos has said, if Amazon makes movies, they can sell more shoes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What was the first Amazon logo?

The first Amazon logo, designed in 1995 by the Turner Duckworth agency, featured the company name with a stylized ‘A’ resembling the Amazon River.

What does the A to Z logo on Amazon mean?

Amazon’s A to Z logo signifies the company’s goal of offering a wide range of products and a seamless, door-to-door delivery experience. It’s encapsulated by the brand’s tagline ‘Everything from A to Z.’

When did Amazon start using the smile?

Amazon’s smile emerged in the year 2000 with a more refined version of previous Amazon logos. The primary design element kept from the old logo was the refreshing orange curve (AKA the Amazon smile), a bold, black font, and the word Amazon as the main icon.

What do the colors of the Amazon logo mean?

The yellow-orange of the Amazon logo represents customer satisfaction, collaboration, helpfulness, friendliness, and happiness. It’s also a powerful color for an eCommerce platform, as it incentivizes immediate action in a friendly way. 

How did Jeff Bezos come up with the Amazon logo?

Jeff Bezos briefed the design agency, Turner Duckworth, to design both the current Amazon logo and its first back in 1995.

From A to Z:  How to start (and finish) your own beautiful logo design

Amazon’s logo has become an internationally-renowned symbol of the company. For good or ill, the logo has achieved such deep brand recognition that even the Amazon smile alone is recognized independently of the brand. It shows that simplicity, a strong concept, and solid execution are all critical in creating a truly iconic logo.

Finally, if the evolution of the Amazon logo over time teaches us anything, it’s that persistence is key. You might not nail the perfect logo straight away or even in the first finished versions of your logos. 

That’s okay. 

Think about how your brand identity can represent your company’s character.  Inevitably you’ll design a logo that fits the story you’re trying to tell your customers. 

Amazon’s multiple logo iterations show us that elements emerge over time, and the really good logo elements should stick around. 

Why not get started on your own design with a quick spin in our logo maker?