Today’s most popular video game is a visual representation of the potential to build a complex cubic universe out of many logical circuits, as shown by the Minecraft logo. The pixel brand showcases the asymmetrical nature of the game’s mechanics and visual elements, making them instantly recognisable.
Brief Overview of the Minecraft Brand
Founded: 2009
Founder: Mojang
Minecraft is a sandbox video game created by Swedish programmer Markus Persson and later published by the Swedish company Mojang AB on May 10, 2009. It has a three-dimensional setting made out of cubes. It’s easy to pick up and play, but the possibilities for building sophisticated AI systems are enormous.
Context and Origins
Minecraft: Could you explain it to me?
The award-winning Minecraft is a creation of independent studio Mojang, and it features non-linear gameplay and has gained widespread popularity. The initial release was in 2009, and since then it has undergone several revisions and adaptations for use on various devices.
From May 10-15, 2009, the video game was known as the Cave Game, which was represented in the logo. The writers later changed the name of their “brainchild” and the brand to something more fitting.
Dock, an alias for Hayden Scott-Baron, came up with the original idea. At the time, one of the leading illustrators in the industry was also one of Markus Persson’s coworkers in the field of game creation. However, his design was quickly shot down since Mojang AB’s owner did not like of the four-color Minecraft sign with rounded galloping letters. As a result, Dock quit, and Markus designed the first concept for the current logo.
2009 – 2011
A logo with original imagery first emerged on May 15, 2009. Gray cobblestones, a common construction element in the Minecraft universe, surround the word “Minecraft.” The letters are made up of individual square pieces and have an irregular surface. The inscribed word is tilted at a little degree from the horizontal. The deep, dark shadows give the impression that it is floating in the air.
2011 – 2015
Mojang AB, the developers of the game, came up with a second brand name for the MineCon debut. It debuted in the version 1.40 beta. This choice is quite similar to the last one. Though the designers did away with the shadows, they did not paint the innermost borders. They made the letters shorter and thicker to give them a more three-dimensional appearance.
The texture underwent yet another transformation. Instead of being surrounded by perfectly square paving stones, the word is now fashioned from a collection of uneven cobblestones. In addition, the capital letter “A” has been given a unique look. There’s a portrait of Creeper, the most infamous creature in Minecraft, within. Marcus Persson accidentally made this animal while trying to build a pig.
There were other previous iterations of the present logo. In other words, the Java Edition and Bedrock Edition are the ones for which they were designed. There were only nuanced distinctions between the choices.
2013 – 2021
The logo was updated in 2013 to reflect a more contemporary aesthetic by making it more “pixelated.” The fractures were smoothed out, the edges were evened out, and thick black outlines were drawn around every section of the text. Colors, forms, and dimensions are all the same as they were before. As previously, the iconic Creeper has been etched into the shape of the letter “A.”
For a while, this logo existed solely as a slanted variant of the primary visual symbol, shown exclusively on the Xbox 360 Edition. Not until 2015 did it overtake the others as the primary. Microsoft’s acquisition of Mojang AB and Minecraft brought to this change.
2021 – today
The designers went back to the Minecraft logo from 2011–2015 since that’s where the text fits best. Likewise, they eliminated much of the border shadows, retaining them just inside the letters themselves. For the signs to more closely resemble bricks, the developers smoothed over the fractures and replaced them with straight lines. Even the shiny sheen has disappeared. The colour was replaced with a timeless grey.
The Symbol’s Typeface and Hue
The instantly familiar Minecraft logo may be seen throughout the game and its marketing materials. This is a stylised inscription made up of several of the cube-shaped blocks that serve as construction materials in the made-up world. The letters “lay” on the plane at an angle since they are three dimensional. They seem like they were carved from stone because of the uneven cracking throughout their surface.
Creators of the Minecraft logo made it from scratch. They didn’t follow any guidelines for font choice, thus the word ends up seeming more like a picture than an inscription. Large height (in 3D space), straight angles, and the absence of serifs are the distinguishing qualities of these letters.
The illustrators simulated the cobblestone texture by using several tones of grey for the primary surface and black for the cracks, contours, and shadows. This mixture is in harmony with the game’s block colours.
Codes for Minecraft’s Colors
| Raisin Black | Hex color: | #252326 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 37 35 38 | |
| CMYK: | 3 8 0 85 | |
| Pantone: | PMS Neutral Black C |
| Pale Silver | Hex color: | #c7b8b5 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 199 184 181 | |
| CMYK: | 0 8 9 22 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 406 C |
| Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
| CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
| Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |
Can you name Minecraft’s original logo?
The current Minecraft logo is based on the original. The inscription, written on individual bricks, had fallen to the ground. Grey cobblestones instead of white ones formed the game’s name in the original edition. There was no attempt at stylization to make the letter A resemble the monster’s face.
As to why Minecraft redesigned its logo, read on.
The current logo debuted with the release of Xbox 360 Edition. After Microsoft bought the Minecraft video game franchise and its creator, Mojang AB, the logo above became the primary graphical representation of the Minecraft brand. In other words, the change in design served to announce a new owner.
