On June 16, 2000, Bell Atlantic acquired GTE Corporation and merged with them to become Verizon Communications (a portmanteau of the Latin word "veritas" (meaning "truth") and "horizon").
The first Verizon logo, created by Landor Associates, has been almost universally panned by the graphic design community, and is often regarded as one of the worst logos ever made. The white variant of this logo still exists on some items such as phone cards, while the logo itself continues to be used on their buildings and payphones, as well as some affiliate stores.
