Naughty Dog is the American video game development studio behind franchises such as Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. The studio’s visual identity centers on a red dog paw print paired with the company name in a bold, condensed wordmark, a combination that has been in place since the mid-1990s.
Design and History
The modern Naughty Dog identity dates to the studio’s Crash Bandicoot era in 1996, when the paw print icon debuted alongside the wordmark. Earlier logos from the studio’s pre-PlayStation years were quite different, featuring actual dog imagery rather than the stylized paw print that later became the company’s signature mark. A retrospective of the studio’s early branding shows that the first logos used a mischievous dog illustration, which was later replaced by another dog image that accompanied the studio through the 1990s before the paw print identity took over. [1]
In March 2025, Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC filed a figurative trademark application for the NAUGHTY DOG mark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). [2] The filing revealed a subtle modernization of the logo. Where the previous version placed the words “Naughty” and “Dog” side by side on a single line, the new version stacks the two words vertically, with “NAUGHTY” above “DOG.” The dog paw print illustration remains intact. [3]
Observers comparing the two versions noted additional refinements. The older logo’s red paw print included a black shadow beneath it, while the new version removes that shadow and adds a thicker white border around the paw. [4] Some commenters pointed out that the studio had already removed the shadow from the logo used on its official website, making the EUIPO filing a formalization of a change that had already appeared in practice. [5]
The studio has not issued an official statement about the logo change, and the new mark was first noticed by fans through the trademark filing rather than an announcement. [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The paw print icon directly references the studio’s name, serving as a visual shorthand for the Naughty Dog brand. The mark has remained a constant element of the identity even as the studio’s game catalog shifted from cartoon platformers to more mature, narrative-driven titles. The 2025 redesign preserves the paw print while simplifying its presentation, keeping the core identity intact while updating the layout and removing the shadow detail. [3] [4]
Typography and Design
The wordmark uses a bold, condensed sans-serif typeface with tight letter spacing, rendered in uppercase. The 2025 version changes the arrangement from a single-line lockup to a two-line stacked format, with “NAUGHTY” above “DOG.” The color palette remains consistent with the previous identity, using black, white, and red. [6] The red paw print in the new version is outlined with a thicker white border and no longer carries the black shadow that appeared in the earlier design. [4]
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