The Star Wars logo is so familiar as to be almost invisible today, but as graphic designer Alex Jay explains, it passed through a half-dozen hands before reaching its current state. Jay tracks the design through comic books, mass-market paperbacks, movie posters, and concept art, all the way back to a pre-production decal to stick on film cans. “George [Lucas] had had one for American Graffiti, and wanted one for Star Wars,” said artist Ralph McQuarrie, referencing the logo partially shown above. “This was how we first pictured Han Solo ... George decided that Han Solo should be a more relaxed character, and his costume was changed. But this decal was designed before the change.”
The long, strange life of the ‘Star Wars’ logo
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
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