You know that slanted "hp" circle. It’s on your office printer, your old laptop, and probably that dusty monitor in your basement. But honestly, the Hewlett Packard logo history is a lot weirder than just a corporate font change. It involves a coin toss, a secret 13-degree angle, and a design so "extreme" the company sat on it for five years before they had the guts to actually use it.
Most people think logos just "happen" when a CEO signs a check. For HP, it was about identity crises.
The Garage Era and the Coin Toss (1939-1954)
Back in 1939, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard weren't thinking about branding. They were two guys in a Palo Alto garage with $538 and a dream of making electronic test equipment. Even the company name was a gamble. They literally flipped a coin to decide if it would be "Hewlett-Packard" or "Packard-Hewlett." Bill won.
The first logo was remarkably basic. It was a black circle with the lowercase "hp" inside. It looks almost identical to what we see today, which is kind of wild when you think about how much tech has changed. But there was a twist: the tails of the letters actually poked through the circle.
- 1939: The monochrome debut.
- The Disney Connection: Their first big break was making oscillators for Disney’s Fantasia. The logo was there, tucked away on the back of heavy machinery.
- The "H" and "P": They used lowercase because it felt more accessible and less like a giant, scary government contractor.
When Things Got Colorful (1974-2008)
For decades, the logo stayed black and white. Then came the '70s. Everything was getting brighter, and HP decided it was time to drop the monochrome look for something more "corporate professional." They introduced the blue and white palette in 1974, but it wasn't the "Electric Blue" you see on their website now. It was a bit more muted.
In 1981, they hired Siegel + Gale. This was a big deal. They cleaned up the lines and fixed the proportions. The "h" and "p" became more symmetrical. Basically, they took the "garage" out of the logo and put the "Fortune 500" in.
Fun Fact: For a while in the late 90s, they added the word "invent" under the logo. It was a nod to their roots, but it felt a little desperate to some designers, like they were trying too hard to prove they still had ideas.
The "Four Slants" Mystery (2016-Present)
This is where the story gets juicy. Around 2011, a London-based agency called Moving Brands pitched a new logo. It wasn't just a circle change; it was four minimalist, vertical slashes of different heights that implied the letters "hp" without actually drawing them.
HP hated it. Or maybe they were just scared.
They rejected the design and let it sit in a drawer for five years. They thought it was too abstract for the average person to read. But then, in 2016, they launched the Spectre laptop—a super-thin, premium device. They needed something that looked "expensive." They pulled those four slashes out of retirement.
The 13-Degree Obsession
The designers at Moving Brands were obsessed with a specific angle: 13 degrees.
- The slant of the original 1939 letters was roughly 13 degrees.
- They carried this through to the new slash logo.
- It’s meant to represent a "forward-leaning" company.
If you look at the premium logo today (the one on high-end laptops), it’s just four lines. But because our brains are trained by 80 years of Hewlett Packard logo history, we still see the "h" and the "p." It’s a masterclass in brand recognition.
The Great Divorce: HP vs. HPE
In 2015, the company basically sawed itself in half.
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- HP Inc.: They kept the printers, the PCs, and the iconic circle logo. They are the "fun" side of the family.
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): They took the servers and the boring (but expensive) business tech.
HPE didn't want the circle. They wanted a "window." Their logo is a simple green rectangle. No initials. No slants. Just a box. CEO Meg Whitman said it represented a "window to the future," but honestly, it was just a clean break from the past.
Why Does This Matter to You?
Logos aren't just art. They're trust signals. When you see that slanted "hp," you’re subconsciously connecting it to that Palo Alto garage. It’s why they haven't changed the core shape in almost a century.
What you should do next:
If you're a business owner or a designer, take a look at your own brand. Is it "leaning forward"?
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- Check your logo's "slant"—does it feel dated or intentional?
- Look at your color palette; notice how HP moved from "industrial black" to "trustworthy blue."
- Ask yourself: If I stripped my logo down to four lines, would people still know it’s me?
If the answer is no, you might need a rebrand that respects your history while looking at the next 80 years. Go check the lid of your laptop right now. Is it the circle or the slashes? Now you know the five-year drama behind those four little lines.
Practical Next Steps
Start by auditing your brand's visual consistency across different platforms. Use the "Electric Blue" (Pantone PMS 2925 C) as a reference for how color can define a modern tech identity. Once you've settled on a core shape, stick with it—HP’s longevity proves that consistency beats "trendy" every single time.