Qualcomm Incorporated is an American wireless technology company headquartered in San Diego, California, founded in 1985 by Irwin Jacobs and several co-founders. The company’s corporate wordmark has been a consistent element of its identity since the early days, though it underwent a significant visual refresh in January 2018.
Design and History
For more than three decades, Qualcomm used an all-caps “QUALCOMM” wordmark. The original logo featured a distinctive double-M ligature at the end of the name, a device that was carried into the redesigned version. The old mark was criticized by design commentators for inconsistencies: the “Q” was too bold, the “u” too squared and condensed, and the “m”s were the only letters with rounded corners. The 2018 update redrew the wordmark so that letter thicknesses matched, improved legibility, and integrated the “mm” ligature more smoothly into the overall mark. The “mm” remains the only uppercase pair within the otherwise title-case wordmark, and its diagonal strokes were kept in the new version. [1]
The new identity was unveiled on January 9, 2018, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The update changed the logo from all-caps “QUALCOMM” to title-case “Qualcomm,” keeping only the initial “Q” capitalized. The letterforms were redrawn using a custom corporate typeface called “QualcommNext.” The company also introduced its first corporate tagline, “We invent the tech the world loves,” at the same event. [2] [3]
The 2018 rebrand was designed by Interbrand, which worked with Qualcomm to develop a new brand strategy aimed at engaging new audiences and better expressing the company’s portfolio of platforms. The visual identity was designed to express an openness and approachability reflecting how technology has become a more accessible part of people’s lives. [4] [1]
The rebrand also included a refresh of the Snapdragon sub-brand, Qualcomm’s flagship mobile product brand. One goal of the exercise was to take equity built in the Snapdragon product brand and funnel it back to the Qualcomm masterbrand. [1]
Typography and Design
The QualcommNext typeface used in the 2018 wordmark was developed in collaboration with A2-TYPE, the London-based type foundry. The font is a custom version of A2-TYPE’s “Boing” typeface, created exclusively for Qualcomm and its associated partners. [4] [5]
Qualcomm’s official third-party logo guidelines specify that the logotype may be reproduced in Pantone 286 blue or black inks. [6]
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