The tale behind the Penguin logo

A flightless bird might seem an unusual logomark for a company on the cusp of revolutionising the publishing industry. But in the 78 years since its first iteration, Penguin's charming icon has become one of the top brands on the planet, charged with cultural and political significance.

Penguin's logo design is instantly familiar and represents more than books and publishing. The most recent revision saw Pentagram partner Angus Hyland decrease the white space of the stomach, add a thicker black outline for increased legibility on the spine, and subtly alter the orange background.

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Julia Sagar
Editor-in-chief retail

Julia is editor-in-chief, retail at Future Ltd, where she works in e-commerce across a number of consumer lifestyle brands. A former editor of design website Creative Bloq, she’s also worked on a variety of print titles, and was part of the team that launched consumer tech website TechRadar. She's been writing about art, design and technology for over 15 years.

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