Corporate Identity Logo

History of Graphic Communications

Corporate Identity Logo
GC 101

Corporate Identity Logo

2

Electronic Arts logo is usually simplified to EA. The logo for Electronic Arts is a
EA in a unique font within a circle that is usually black and the letters EA are white,
however, the logo colors do change for every game they produce. The EA logo features
a custom typeface designed specifically for the company (Famouslogos.net, 2013). It is
a very simple logo for a very famous video game corporation. Electronic Arts is wellknown for many games they have put out over the years such as Dragon Age, Mass
Effect, The Sims, Tetris, Dead Space, and many more.
Electronic Arts was established in 1982 by Trip Hawkins, he considered
interactive games such as Video games to be a new art form (ea.com, 2015). What
Electronic Arts hoped for their games is to bring out an emotional connection to the
characters they are playing with or are playing. In the early years it was rather difficult
because the technology just didnt allow for it. Video games in were also marketed for
children and teens mainly even though they wanted Adults. They developed software
that can run on a variety of computers so in 1986 they became a leading supplier of
entertainment software in the United States (fundinguniverse.com, 1995). Electronic Arts
worked with Sega and designed the first 16 bit video game for the Genesis machine,
which was twice as fast as the 8 bit machines. It was a gamble that the company took to
do this as Sega Genesis did not take off until 1991 but soon they were producing about 35
percent of games (fundinguniverse.com, 1995).

Corporate Identity Logo

3

In 1990 Lawrence Probst became the President of the company when Hawkins
left then took CEO. Electronic Arts was one of the leading independent developers of 16
bit video games and in 1992 the sales for the software for the video game cartridges
overtook the software on floppy disks, finally. In 1992 Electronic Arts acquired the
Origin Systems Inc., who is best known for the Ultima series (fundinguniverse.com,
1995). These story based games called RPGs: Role Playing Games; went hand in hand
with Electronic Arts action and strategy games.
Also around 1992 Electronic Arts diversified into educational children games
which brought along EA Kids (fundinguniverse.com, 1995). Electronic Arts also created
versions of EA kids educational software for school. In 1993 Electronic Arts established
a joint venture technology company called 3DO which was Hardware for the next
generation of video game players. Electronic Arts was the largest shareholder for this
company followed by Time Warner Enterprises, AT&T, MCA, and so on
(fundinguniverse.com, 1995). 3DO CEO was none other than Electronic Arts former
CEO Hawkins, the 3DO brought an unmatched sounds and graphics games for the
television.
In 1993 as video gaming became more advanced, Electronic Arts pushed its
software publishing ever further than before. They digitized taped performances,
performed by real actors and integrated it into software. They also used Musicians,
Writers, Film Makers, Animators, and Photographers. This resulted in stereo sound, full
motion video, and 3D modeled animation (fundinguniverse.com, 1995). This helped
extend the video game market to adults.

Corporate Identity Logo

4

Electronic Arts is one of the largest and well-known video game companies in the
world. Even if someone doesnt know what Electronic Arts actually is, they will know at
least a game that has been produced by them. The reason Electronic Arts is so famous is
because of all the video games and software they have produced for over two decades.
They have things for every one of all ages and different interests. For a long time they
were well known for their Madden sports games but now they are known for so much
more.
One of the large things about Electronic Arts unlike their competitors, they do not
use third-party distributors (Fundinguniverse.com, 1995). They sell directly to retailers;
this has helped Electronic Arts in many ways such as control over sales, inventory, and
consumer trends. Keeping track of consumer trends allows Electronic Arts to learn from
their past mistakes along with what they got right. One of the more recent examples of
this is Dragon Age 2 vs. Dragon Age Inquisition. They found out the main complaints
about 2 and did not repeat those mistakes in Inquisition. Electronic Arts listens to the
consumers and watch the trends so they know what to do and what to avoid in the future.
Electronic Arts is well known for their Logo, it is unique. The very first logo
Electronic Arts was three basic shapes: Square, circle, and a triangle (famouslogo.net,
2015). It was designed by Barry Deutsch who belonged to a firm called Steinhilber,
Deutsch, & Gard. The square, circle, and triangle logo was used up to 1991. From 1995
to 1996 the new logo was vastly different from their original however, they square, circle,
and triangle were all still there. The triangle is being crossed with three curved lines
which forms an E on the left, while a small circle appears on the right. From 1997 to
2003 they used Electronic Arts as their logo. The background and lettering colors

Corporate Identity Logo

5

changed depending on the game. In 1999 to 2002 is when Electronic arts began EA with
the custom font. In some games it had a circle around the EA GAMES logos and in
others it didnt under the EA GAMES logo was EA Games is an Electronic Arts Brand.
2002 to 2005 it was the EA Games in their unique font within a circle but under
the circle included Challenge Everything along with EA Games is an Electronic Arts
Brand. 2005 to 2006 it is simply the EA in their unique font that appears, that is not
within a circle. In 2005 Electronic Arts obtained a very exclusive license from not only
the NFL but also ESPN (giantbomb.com, 2015). Which gave birth to the current EA
Sports logo which is similar to the regular logo only sports is included under the unique
EA. 2006 to current is the EA with its unique font within the circle occasionally it has
the EA Games is an Electronic Arts Brand. Most of these logos undergo subtle
differences in each game for example: in Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2 the
circle is formed by a dragon.
Electronic Arts still focuses on creating software for video games, most of the
games they have produced come from another party, freelancers, or from developmental
studios: such as BioWare and Maxis. The evolution of technology has greatly impacted
Electronic Arts, in fact they were pushing a great deal of it in the video game industry.
Electronic Arts still specifically produces software for these games and publish games
much like they did when the company started. However, Electronic Arts does have a
better system of communication with brands, studios, and marketing (Takahashi, Dean;
2012).

Corporate Identity Logo

6

Electronic Arts while it has many complaints against them; mainly all the
downloadable content they put out, they are well-known for putting out fantastic games.
Their reputation alone can sell games to many individuals, let alone their brand. Many of
these brands are available on many different platforms as well: PC, Mac, Tablets, IPhone,
Android, and Consoles such as: XBOX and PlayStation. Electronic Arts focuses on
creating great games and lead the quantitative analysis of games (Takahashi, Dean;
2012). Electronic Arts brands include: Battlefield, Sims, FIFA, Medal of Honor, Need for
Speed, Madden / NFL, Harry Potter, James Bond 007, Pop Cap, BioWare, and much
more. Electronic Art holds many brands that is recognized by gamers and non-gamers
alike.

Corporate Identity Logo

7

Resources
Famouslogo.net (2013), retrieved from: http://famouslogos.net/ea-logo/
Ea.com (2015), retrieved from: http://www.ea.com/history
Closinglogos.com (2015) editions by: Mr3urious, Redman01, and CuriousGeorge60: retrieved
from: http://www.closinglogos.com/page/Electronic+Arts
Fundinguniverse.com (1995) International Directory of Company Histories, Vol 10, St. James
Press. Retrieved from: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/electronic-arts-inchistory/
Takahashi, Dean (2012) EAs Focus: Brands, Platforms, and Talent; Retrieved from:
http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/08/eas-focus-brands-platforms-and-talent/