NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES; HKEX: 9999) is a Chinese internet technology company founded in 1997 by Ding Lei in Guangzhou and listed on the NASDAQ in 2000 and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2020.[1] The company’s corporate logo is a wordmark combining the Chinese characters “网易” (in traditional form), the English name “NETEASE,” and the domain “www.163.com,” rendered in red and black.[2]
Design and History
The NetEase corporate wordmark has long been associated with a red color scheme. When NetEase Games, the company’s gaming division, launched its own brand identity in June 2014, the new visual identity was described as inheriting the red color of the original NetEase mark.[3] That 2014 launch marked the first time NetEase Games introduced a full brand VI (visual identity) system.[4]
NetEase’s corporate logo has also been described as using the Chinese characters “网易” in seal script (篆书), a classical calligraphic style, paired with the Latin “NETEASE” and the domain address.[5] The company’s mission slogan, “网聚人的力量” (“Gathering the Power of People”), has been associated with the brand since 2000.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
Documented symbolism for the NetEase corporate mark itself is limited. However, the 2014 NetEase Games logo, which was derived from the parent brand’s identity, carries explicit meaning. According to a NetEase Games brand representative, the logo was built from three elements: “易” (Yi, the first character of NetEase’s Chinese name), a fingerprint, and a flame. The fingerprint and flame imagery was intended to express that “the temperature at the fingertips is the attitude of a lover of games,” using a concrete symbol to convey the emotional connection between players, NetEase, and passion for gaming.[3] The flame-and-fingerprint lines were described as conveying NetEase’s deep love for games.[4]
Typography and Design
The NetEase corporate logo combines Chinese characters in seal script with a Latin wordmark. The seal script choice has been noted as giving the mark a classical quality, suggesting the company’s long-standing position in Chinese internet culture.[5] The full lockup includes the Chinese name, the English “NETEASE,” and the domain “www.163.com,” with red used for the Chinese characters and black for the Latin text and domain.[2]
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