The day Steve Jobs caused controversy for paying $100,000 for a logo that divided critics

Steve JobsKnown for his uniqueness, he always stood out from the rest and that was one of the key factors of his success. Throughout his life, there were moments that could be described as curious, to say the least. One of those moments is when he paid $100,000 for a logo.

After John Sculley forced Jobs out of Apple, the company he himself had founded, he decided to create NeXT. His most famous computer was a cube for which Jobs spent $650,000 in molds to make sure the corners were at a perfect 90-degree angle. Although sales were not very high, the company’s operating system was highly praised, so much so that Apple eventually acquired the company and Jobs returned to the company.

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For the NeXT logo design, they hired renowned designer Paul Rand, who had previously worked at Esquire and Apparel Arts, and had created famous logos for companies such as Ford, IBM, and ABC. Rand delivered a 100-page book detailing the step-by-step creative process that led to the final logo design. In this book, Rand laid out his views on logos, stating: ‘Ideally, a logo would explain or suggest the company it symbolizes, but this is rarely possible or even necessary’.

In an interview, Steve Jobs revealed that he asked Rand if she had any other options for the logo, to which Rand replied: ‘No, I solve the problem for you and you pay me. You don’t have to use the solution. If you want options, go talk to other people’.

NeXT logo. (Photo: Applesfera)

As for the opinions about the logo, there are those who believe that it would not have stood the test of time, while others consider it a masterpiece.

Source: Elcomercio