WordPress is an open-source content management system launched on May 27, 2003, as a fork of the b2/cafelog blogging platform. Its visual identity consists of a circular “W” mark paired with the “WordPress” wordmark, a combination that has remained consistent since the mid-2000s.
Design and History
Shortly after the WordPress project began, co-founder Matt Mullenweg designed the original logo: simply the word “WordPress” set in the Adobe Dante typeface.[1]
The WordPress logotype as it is known today was created in early 2005 by designer Jason Santa Maria. Mullenweg met Santa Maria at South by Southwest in March of that year and asked him to redesign the logo. In discussing the direction, Santa Maria noted that recurring ideas included “the idea of publishing” and “having a personal journal and a personal thing that might have some sort of tactile overtones,” with links made to letterpress, journaling, and older representations of physical publishing.[2]
Santa Maria used two Emigre typefaces for the design: Mrs Eaves Small Caps for the “WordPress” text and Dalliance as influence for the “W” mark.[1] The logo was finalized on May 15, 2005, when Mullenweg sent an email to the design mailing list with the subject “I think this is it.”[2]
The major change from the original wordmark was the creation of a standalone mark. According to the official WordPress history, this gave WordPress “a stand-alone element of the logo which, over time, would be recognizable even without the word beside it,” usable in icons, branding, and t-shirts.[2]
The design was later visually refined by Matt Miklic (formerly known as Matt Thomas), the core design lead who helped shape the WordPress brand from early on. It was further adjusted for balance and proportions by Hugo Baeta during the creation of the official Design Handbook.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The official WordPress Design Handbook documents the logotype as composed of two elements: the “W” mark and the “WordPress” wordmark. The proportional relationship is defined precisely: the “W” mark dictates the set of proportions for the whole logotype, and the wordmark is half the height of the “W” mark. A safety margin around the logo measures half the size of the “W” mark. These proportions apply to both the main horizontal version and the alternate vertical arrangement with the “W” mark on top of the wordmark.[1]
Typography and Design
The official WordPress brand color is documented by the WordPress Marketing Team as WP Blue, with the hex value #21759b and RGB values of 33R, 117G, 155B.[3]
The WordPress trademark is owned and managed by the WordPress Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Permission from the Foundation is required to use the WordPress name or logo as part of any project, product, service, domain name, or company name. The logo may be used on pages that describe products or services, but not as part of a company or product logo or branding itself.[4]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
