Cyan Worlds, also known as Cyan, Inc., is an American video game development studio founded in 1987 by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller and based in Mead, Washington. The company is best known as the creator of the Myst series. Its name was chosen for “the open blue sky of possibility,” according to the company’s own history. [1]
Design and History
The company has undergone several name changes that correspond with shifts in its visual identity. Founded as Cyan, Inc. in 1987, it was renamed Cyan Worlds, Inc. in January 2001. In July 2013, the name reverted to Cyan, Inc., a change announced alongside a website and logo update. [2]
The 2013 rebranding was announced in a Cyan website post titled “Cyan Updates Website and Logo!” [2] The current logo, which has been in use since that update, is a simple square symbol rendered in a single color. An SVG version of the mark, hosted on the Guild of Archivists wiki, shows a 65 by 65 pixel square emblem. [3]
Earlier versions of the logo appeared in the company’s game releases. A 1993 logo intro video from the original Myst release is preserved on YouTube, showing the earlier Cyan mark used before the “Worlds” era. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The company name itself carries documented meaning: Cyan was “named for the open blue sky of possibility.” [1] No official documentation has been found describing specific symbolism in the current square logo mark beyond this naming rationale.
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