Warner Bros. Pictures

This page only shows primary logo variants.

For other related logos and images, see:



1923–1925	1925–1929 (primary); 1929-1932 (secondary)	1929–1932 (primary); 1932-1937 (secondary)	1934–1937	1937–1953	1940–1948; 1953-1967; (secondary) 1948-1953; (primary)	1953–1967; 1985-1993; (primary) 1970–1973; 1993-2019; (secondary)


1967–1970	1969–1972	1971–1972	1972–1990	1993–2019; (primary) 2019-2022, 2023 (secondary)	2019–2023	2023–present

Warner Brothers Classics of the Screen[]

1923–1925[]

SVG NEEDED

The first logo of Warner Bros. Pictures was introduced on April 4, 1923. Before the 1925 update, this logo was used as a primary logo until the same year.

Warner Brothers Productions[]

1925–1929 (primary); 1929-1932 (secondary)[]

BETTER LOGO NEEDED

This is the very first Warner Bros. shield logo, nicknamed the "Brain Shield". The title card with this version of the logo originally included the text "A Warner Brothers Classic of the Screen", which was later replaced with "A Warner Brothers Production" in 1926.

As late as 1932, the logo remained in use in domestic releases under Warner Bros.-Vitaphone,^[1] and on-screen for Vitaphone until the 1930's.^[2]

Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.[]

1929–1932 (primary); 1932-1937 (secondary)[]

SVG NEEDED

This was the first logo design in which the "WB" letters filled the whole shield. This logo was also used on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.

1934–1937[]

In 1937, this variant was used as the "Zooming W-B Shield". This logo was used on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons until that same year.

1937–1953[]

SVG NEEDED

In 1937, a banner was added onto the shield reading the company's full name ("WARNER BROS. PICTURES INC.") for the first time, a design that would resonate within many of its subsequent logo designs.

Warner Bros. Pictures (first era)[]

1940–1948; 1953-1967; (secondary) 1948-1953; (primary)[]

By 1940, this design started appearing on press books.^[3] However, this logo wouldn't become the primary logo until 1948, when it started appearing on posters^[4]^[5] and letters.^[6]^[7]

1953–1967; 1985–1993; (primary) 1970–1973; 1993-2019; (secondary)[]

Designer:

Unknown

Typography:

Goudy (1985)

Launched:

November 27, 1953

After its introduction at the end of the 1953 film Hondo, this logo was slightly modified to be used as a print logo for film trailers and other stationary media^[8] for 14 years until the merger with Seven Arts in 1967. It was reintroduced in 1970 as the primary logo for Warner Bros. Records, and would be seen on films such as Blazing Saddles and Time After Time.

In the commentary on the DVD of the movie Gremlins, which brought back the shield logo, director Joe Dante knew the movie was going to have the classical feel of the classic Warner Bros. movies; due to it being shot on the Warner lot and having music by Jerry Goldsmith. The company officially reinstated the older logos after they approved the logo's use in the film, starting with Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Television adopted the 1948 on-screen logo; they would also be adopted for most Warner Bros. divisions in 1985; the film division adopted this logo by May 26.^[9] Until its retirement in 2019, with a total run of 51 years, this is the longest lasting logo used by the company, as well as the most memorable.

Warner Bros.-Seven Arts[]

1967–1970[]

Designer:

Unknown

Typography:

Custom

Launched:

August 11, 1967^[10]

To symbolize the company's merger with Seven Arts, this symbol appeared starting in 1967.

Warner Bros.[]

1969–1972[]

Designer:

Unknown

Typography:

Eurostile

Launched:

December 16, 1969

This was used during the period Warner Bros. was owned by Kinney National Company. This logo was once superimposed over one of the backgrounds used for the 1948 logo that would later be used for the 1984 logo.^[11]

1971–1972[]

This logo was used shortly at the end of Kinney National Company's ownership.

1972–1990[]

Designer:

Saul Bass

Typography:

Handel Gothic (modified)

Launched:

February 10, 1972

Famed logo designer Saul Bass, also responsible for the Geffen "G" and the United Airlines logos of the 1970s, created this logo. In the commentary of Gremlins, Joe Dante notes that this logo was designed to be more artsy. While it was replaced with the 1953 logo in the latter half of the 1980s, it is still used as a logo today for other Warner properties (mainly by the now-unrelated Warner Music Group), and the stylized typeface was used Warner Home Video from 1978 to 1996; it has also appeared on a few movies made by the studio in the 2010s and the early 2020s such as Magic Mike, Joker (albeit modified) and A Christmas Story Christmas.

Warner Bros. Pictures (second era)[]

1993–2019; (primary) 2019-2022, 2023 (secondary)[]

Designer:

Unknown

Typography:

Goudy Old Style Bold

Launched:

August 1993

By August 1993^[12], this design appeared concurrently with the 1953 and 1956 on-screen designs. It was used as the corporate logo of the studio for 26 years until the rebrand in 2019, although the company's on-screen variants were still used until March 18, 2022.

This logo made a surprise reappearance on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as a variant in 2023.

2019–2023[]

Designer:

Pentagram

Typography:

Warner Bros. Sans
(custom-designed)

Launched:

November 13, 2019

After Warner Bros. Entertainment revealed a new logo on November 13, 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures also refreshed its image to reflect this. It debuted on the final trailer of Tenet (2020) and was given a proper animation to accompany it in 2021, which first appeared on the HBO Max original movie, Locked Down.

Despite being phased out in favor of the next logo, it was still used on Warner Bros.' official website until 2024, and in most promotional materials of Warner Bros. Japan's films today.

2023–present[]

In February 2023, the shield's appearance was changed to match its design in the corporate logo of Warner Bros.' current parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. It first appeared on Warner Bros.' campaign for its centennial in 2023, "Celebrating Every Story", and then made its official debut on the first trailer for The Flash before appearing in the film itself. It became the official logo in May^[13].

The ribbon was fully integrated into the logo on December of the same year. This design first appeared on the trailer for the Philippine film Mallari as a variant and then made its official debut on the film Wonka (which also marked the debut of the 2023 on-screen logo) in December 2023.

References[]

External links[]

Official website

◄	Seven Arts Associated Corporation National General Corporation Lorimar Film Entertainment Ted Turner Pictures Turner Entertainment Co.

Warner Bros. Pictures

[1] ttps://www.alamy.com/stock-image-the-public-enemy-1932-warner-bros-film-with-from-left-james-cagney-165121501.html

[2] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4sidPYDZkg

[3] ttps://movieposters.ha.com/itm/movie-posters/western/virginia-city-warner-brothers-1940-pressbook-28-pages-11-x-17-western/a/161751-53459.s#

[4] ttps://movieposters.ha.com/itm/movie-posters/film-noir/possessed-warner-brothers-1947-three-sheet-41-x-81-film-noir/a/161616-53367.s#

[5] ttps://movieposters.ha.com/itm/movie-posters/war/fighter-squadron-warner-brothers-1948-half-sheet-22-x-28-war/a/161339-51131.s#

[6] ttps://www.loc.gov/resource/music.musihas-200184353/?st=gallery

[7] ttps://www.historyforsale.com/joan-crawford-contract-signed-06-22-1948/dc72856

[8] ttps://vintagemenuart.com/products/warner-bros-commissary-hollywood-1963-vintage-menu

[9] ttps://www.newspapers.com/image/358108923/?match=1&terms=%22warner%20Bros.%22

[10] ttps://www.newspapers.com/image/394309042/?match=1&terms=%22from%20warner%20bros.-seven%20arts%22

[11] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peF7R2jtug8

[12] ttps://www.newspapers.com/image/177762064/?match=1&terms=%22warner%20bros.%22%20%22time%20warner%22

[13] ttps://www.designboom.com/design/warner-bros-new-logo-chermayeff-geismar-haviv-05-04-2023/

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