The new Apple event logo is giving me hope

(Image credit: Apple)

I've long lamented Apple's move away from fun, colorful design. Whereas the Apple design department of the nineties and noughties was seemingly irrepressible, everything, including the logo, suddenly went silver and/or grey – and things have stayed that way since.

We've seen a few hints of the company revisiting its colourful retro roots over the last few years, most notably with the advent of the current iMac. But as Gen Z embraces Y2K tech and the iPod becomes cool again, is it possible we might see a return to the days of the colourful, translucent iBooks and iMacs of yore? A few days ago I'd have said it wasn't possible. But a new Apple event logo is suddenly giving me hope.

A blonde student in the middle of a crowded classroom sitting behind a distinctive orange Apple iBook — A leaked image of the upcoming low-cost MacBook. (Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Apple has announced a "special Apple experience" in New York, London and Shanghai, taking place on March 4. The company is widely expected to launch new iPads, the iPhone 17e, and potentially the long-rumoured new low-cost MacBook.

New rumours have suggested Apple is planning to release the low-cost MacBook in "fun colours", with renowned Apple leaker Mark Gurman suggesting the company has tested "light yellow, light green, blue, pink, classic silver, and dark gray".

iMac G3 — Simpler times... (Image credit: Apple)

And now we have an Apple event logo that looks both translucent and colourful, in yellow, green and blue. And I'm not the only one to notice. "With the transparency in the invite design, would be kinda wild if they released transparent color stuff like the original iMacs/iBooks," one Redditor comments, while another adds, "The logo instantly reminded me of the 90s and the iBook G3. Maybe the new cheap MacBook is a throwback to them?"

Is it finally time to dare to dream? Could throwbacks to those products really be on the horizon? Time will tell – but if Apple really has discovered its sense of fun again, I'll be first in line.

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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.

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