The IBM logo shows eight horizontal stripes. Graphic designer Paul Rand created the striped IBM wordmark in 1972, replacing an earlier solid-letter logo with a design that conveyed speed, modern technology, and a more open visual rhythm.
The striped letters are not eight separate bars placed beside the company name; the stripes form the letters themselves. Small breaks in the horizontal bands create the counters and shapes needed to read “IBM,” while the consistent blue color gives the mark its familiar identity.
IBM’s earlier logo, introduced in 1956, used the same three-letter name in a solid type treatment. The striped version is therefore a redesign rather than the company’s original emblem. The letters also derive from the company’s historical name, International Business Machines, which IBM adopted in 1924 after operating under the name Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company.