Having been forced to remake itself to keep pace with the rise of digital imaging, Kodak has now re-branded itself with a new contemporary look described as “simple, fresh and modern”.
The company, which came into existence back in 1878 when George Eastman became one of the first to demonstrate gelatin dry plates which would replace the messy wet plate photography prevalent in the day. The next year Eastman was one of the first to successfully mass-produce dry plates for photographers.
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| Eastman Kodak logo circa 1907 |
Ten years later the name “Kodak” was born and the KODAK camera was placed on the market, with the slogan, “You press the button – we do the rest.” By 1892 the company was known as Eastman Kodak Company of
Click to enlargeKodak logo 1935 – 1960
Kodachrome Film was introduced in 1935 – became the first commercially successful amateur colour film. It was initially offered in 16 mm format for motion pictures; 35 mm slides and 8 mm home movies followed in 1936. The company’s
Click to enlargeKodak Logo 1960 – 1971
By the next logo change in 1971 the company had produced the Instamatic, later reducing the camera to pocket size in 1972. In 1980 Kodak celebrated its 100th anniversary and the following year reached the US$10 billion revenue mark. It was another four years after that the company entered the video market with the Kodavision Series 2000 8 mm video system and introduced Kodak Videotape Cassettes in 8 mm, Beta, and VHS formats. In the same year, the company entered the floppy disk market too.
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| Kodak logo 1970- 1987 |
In 1987 the company updated its 30 year old logo to the form we are all familiar with – there was only a minor font change to keep the logo up-to-date. It was the first font change in over 50 years. 1987 was also the year Kodak introduced the first disposable cameras – the Kodak Fling. It was another nine years till the first pocket-sized digital cameras for the rapidly growing consumer digital market.
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| Kodak logo 1987 – 2006 |
Today the company has all but left behind its film heritage and is deeply immersed in the digital imaging revolution. Kodak says the new logo reflects a transformed and stronger business with a focus on digital growth and innovation.
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| The new look Kodak logo |
“Kodak has led the digital camera and photo printer category for well over 24 months and with the continued surge in market domination, a rejuvenation of the brand logo is timely. The new logo is an evolution of the brand. Whilst retaining the powerful attributes from the prior corporate logo, the new brand logo offers greater relevance for the digital age,” said a company statement.
