First, there was AIM, then there was Myspace, then came Facebook, and then came Discord.
While the first platforms that come to mind when you think about social media and messaging friends may be things like Google Chat, Facebook, and Instagram Messenger, Discord also serves this purpose.
Started by two video game lovers, Discord initially was a place for fellow video gamers to connect with other video gamers. Since then, Discord has evolved and grown to be a place where anyone can connect with people with similar hobbies and interests, outside of strictly gaming.
To learn more about Discord, Discord’s logo, and the key takeaways from Discord’s logo design, keep reading below. Throughout the remainder of this article, we’ll explore that in-depth and so much more!
Meet Discord
Discord’s story is one of humble beginnings – two video game lovers who were brought together after sharing a common goal.
Officially founded in May of 2015, Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy built this platform intending to connect video game users with other video game users through messaging software.
Before Discord, Jason loved video games since he was a child. This love uncovered an interest in coding at 13, which led him to study Game Design and Development at Full Sail University. Upon graduating, Jason founded two start-ups, OpenFeint and Hammer & Chisel, both in the video game realm.
After selling OpenFeint for more than $100 million, Stan approached Jason with his idea of Discord. This led him to think about pivoting his second company, Hammer & Chisel.
Always looking for other start-ups to run, Jason jumped on board, and Discord, Inc. was born.
If you create a profile with Discord today what you’ll find is a web and mobile platform, that is adaptable to a wide range of operating systems, that allows you to text, video, or voice message other Discord users.
Whether your hobby is around gaming, fitness, finding memes, or something else, Discord likely has a channel for you to join.
The Evolution of Discord
Now that you have a general understanding of Discord, let’s take a closer look at how Discord came to be.
the Early 2010s: Jason Citron’s early days
Discord was not Jason’s first stint with being an entrepreneur. As we just mentioned, Jason also started OpenFeint and Hammer & Chisel before Discord. Every business Jason started shared a common thread of being in the video game industry. After selling OpenFeint for millions of dollars, Jason went on to start his second company, Hammer & Chisel.
2014: Fates Forever was released
Hammer & Chisel released Fates Forever in 2014 which looked like other games at the time, except it had unique, unheard-of features. Unlike other games, Fates Forever also offered the ability to chat with other gamers through video and text messaging. The chat feature was so popular with the gamers, that people elected to chat more than they played, making Jason and his team rethink their strategy.
2015: Discord, Inc. is born
After realizing gamers weren’t as excited about Fates Forever as they were about the chat feature, Jason and his team realized they needed to pivot. Rather than start from scratch to turn the company around, Stan approached Jason about his idea of focusing strictly on the messaging component of his past business venture. Gamers were interested in not only talking about the games they were playing but also staying in touch and forming friendships outside of the game. This led Jason to shut down Hammer & Chisel and refocus and restructure the business as Discord, Inc.
Upon Discord’s release, hundreds of users signed up for the platform and began using Discord as their prime video game messaging tool.
2016: Discord goes through funding to promote long-term growth
Like many fellow companies that take off and grow fast, the interest of investors was piqued for Discord. For Discord, this started with Warner Media Group which they raised $20 million from. This was a great starting point, but Jason and Stan were not done. From there, they raised another $150 million in 2018 from other investors, another $100 million from additional venture capitalists in 2020, and even more in 2021. This extensive funding shows that Discord has the backing and support it needs to continue growing for years to come.
Roadblocks Along the Way
When looking at roadblocks that Discord may have faced in its less than 10 years of operation, it’s important to look at the years before Discord’s launch.
Before Discord, Jason was running Hammer & Chisel. When the appetite for that gaming company was failing, Jason decided to pivot rather than waste funds trying to save his second company.
This can be hard for a new entrepreneur, but Jason took what he learned and pivoted. His pivot was a direct response to what his customers were craving and that helped him navigate what could have been a detrimental roadblock effectively.
The Meaning of Discord’s Logo and Discord’s Logo History
With every great (and growing company) comes a logo that becomes the face of the brand. For Discord, their logo is quite literally the “face” of their brand.
Given that Discord has only been around since 2015, you’ll see below that this company’s logo evolution is quite briefer than other companies we’ve covered in our blog.
2015: The first version of the Discord logo
This first iteration of Discord’s logo stayed with the brand until recently. This logo has a few key elements which make it unique. The first element is the icon to the left of the logo. This shape resembles other messenger logos (like Facebook Messenger or Google Chat), but how Discord’s designers created this still gives it a unique feel. Within the chat box shape sits a smiling face, that at first glance looks like a crab. When you look closer, you can see this resembles a gaming controller, which the company has named Clyde. Together, this icon represents how gamers can communicate with fellow gamers within Discord. This icon clearly captures what the business is all about, which isn’t always true for every brand.
When looking at the font, the typography is a bold, capital letter font that clearly states the company name. The color choice is a pale blue, which again, is like other social media applications, yet this blue is a different shade. The color choice not only represents a friendly company, but it also helps to solidify the fact that Discord is a messaging application similar (yet different) to the other ones we know and love.
2021: The second (and current) version of the Discord logo
At first glance, you may not even notice any differences in this Discord logo iteration that came around 6 years after the initial logo was released.
This one takes a bolder stance, relying on the fact that Discord has developed a strong user base since its inception. The chat box was removed, with only the game controller icon remaining. White is still used as the accent color, and used as the negative space within the design, accentuating the face’s features.
Clyde’s face received some updates to eliminate confusion around what Clyde was, making him look even more like a gaming controller now.
Two other updates to this logo design are with the color choice and the font. The color is still in the same blue-purple family as the prior iteration; however, this design is a brighter hue.
The second update is with the wordmark. Now, instead of the entire brand name being in capital letters, only the “D” is. This design is simpler than the previous version, without sacrificing its playful and friendly elements.
Discord’s logo font
Sure, not every logo needs to display its brand name in a font that stands out, but for many companies, having their brand name in the logo design is important. For Discord, having its name associated and placed beside Clyde was an important design element.
Discord has used two different fonts since 2015. Both are highly legible, customized sans-serif fonts. It’s hard to say what font this wordmark is based on because it is unique to Discord, but if we had to choose, we’d say the first design is closely aligned to Uni Sans Heavy, and the second iteration is closely aligned to Ginto.
Discord’s logo color
Choosing what color should represent your brand is no easy feat. Different colors evoke different feelings and different colors have different brand associations already existing.
Rather than going overboard and trying to include too many colors and feelings, Discord kept it simple with one primary color and one accent color. The primary color is a blue-purple hue, and the accent color is white.
While the blue-purple hue is an original color dubbed “Blurple,” it still conveys feelings that we commonly feel with both blue and purple. This shade is like other messaging platforms which help to tell the story about what the brand is all about.
Beyond that, this color is often used to represent friendliness, calmness, and trust – all three pillars of the Discord brand.
The second color, white, is used in the negative space of the design to accentuate the logo’s features. White is a clean color choice that conveys loyalty and simplicity.
The usage of white isn’t too distracting from the logo’s design. Rather than take away from the design, it helps to focus your eye on the most important features of this logo.
Discord’s logo symbols
One of the reasons why Discord’s logo is so unique is because it consists of several symbols that together make up an icon. This icon is a friendly face, tying back to the friendliness of what the Discord platform is all about.
To make up this face, you’ll notice a chat box, a game controller shape, and face-like shapes and cut-outs.
The chat box isn’t always used today when looking at the symbol, but it was previously used to represent what the platform can be used for – talking back and forth with fellow users.
The game controller shape is the shape of the face, which represents the biggest demographic of users that use the platform – gamers. The final piece of this symbol is the smile and the eyes.
Given that this platform’s purpose is to connect users with fellow users, these characteristics represent the people that are behind user-to-user communication.
Discord Today
Some companies must shift focus and today aren’t the same companies they were founded as. For Discord, that isn’t the case. The Discord you find today is the same Discord you would find in 2015, except with an updated interface, a broader audience, and a slightly updated logo.
Today, users can still create a Discord account to communicate with fellow users. Instead of only communicating about video games though, users can join a variety of channels to jump in on a conversation about one of their favorite hobbies or interests. Users can come from Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux – making Discord available to nearly everyone in the world.
Discord has grown alongside the interests of its users. Users can do more than simply text and video messages. Now, users can also video call and screen share with up to 40 users at once!
On the numbers front, Discord has a whopping 250 million registered users, with about 100 million of those being active every month, and nearly 10 million of those being active every day!
The company generates about $120 million annually, is valued at $3.5 billion, and is headquartered in San Francisco, alongside several other tech startups.
Jason and Stan still lead Discord’s operations and have shown no signs of slowing down.
Lessons Learned from Discord
While some critics may think there aren’t lessons to be learned from a company so young, it’s clear something is working for the brand. Discord has 250 million registered users, showcasing how many people across the world recognize this brand and logo.
When thinking about your business’s logo, there are a few things you might want to take away from Discord. For starters, Discord let its logo tell the story of the brand. The icon directly relates to what the company’s purpose is, eliminating confusion on what you might log onto Discord to do. Next, the design is simple without too many complicated features. Your eye goes straight to the game controller icon.
If there were a variety of other colors or features, your eye may not immediately go there. Finally, the logo is scalable. Whether it’s on the Discord website, on a billboard, on a t-shirt, or somewhere else, the logo can be scaled up and down, and still be recognized.
Every company needs something different with its logo. Think about not only your brand’s focus but what you need from a design.
- Is it important to have the purpose of your brand depicted in the design?
- Is it important to include your brand name in the design?
- What are your competitors doing?
- Ask these questions and more and come up with a short list of requirements.
Once you do that, head over toHatchwiseto fill out a contest creative brief. From there, creative designers from around the world will get to work on bringing your logo dreams, and requirements to life.
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