Original Logos of Famous Companies Show How Much We’ve Changed

AT&T

When Alexander Graham Bell first created an organization for his inventions, it wasn’t even a company but a holdings group founded in 1875 with which to own and register his patents. The first logo for the Bell Telephone Company (1877-1899) was a bell with the phrase “long distance telephone” in the middle. When the American Telephone and Telegraph Company was founded in 1900 the familiar bell (then of Bell Systems) was kept, but was encircled in a ring which described the new venture.

So much was Bell a part of the image of the telephone that eventually the very simplified Bell logo (first appearing in 1969) made it’s way onto phone booths and telephone books across the nation. In fact, for most of us, seeing this logo brings back memories since it was such a common sight. You might not even believe how long ago this logo was put out to pasture!

In later years the company has steered away from the imagery of the bell, focusing on newness and hi-tech concepts with their modified globe logo. The end of the bell logo came around the same time as the de-monopolization of the company in 1984 under court order.

Even though AT&T had has their sliced blue globe logo since 1983, there’s something about seeing the bell logo that also brings to mind the same company. Perhaps there is no separation between inventor and company for something as basis and yet revolutionary as the phone.

Click the “Next Page” button to see how RCA’s Nipper imagery is still affecting us today