DC Comics — logos

This page only shows primary logo variants.

For other related logos and images, see:



1940–1942	1942–1949	1949–1970	1970–1972	1972–1974	1974–1977


1977–2005; 2024–present (print)	2005–2012	2012–2016	2016–2024 (primary); 2024–present (secondary)	2024–present

1940–1942

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DC's first logo appeared on the April 1940 issues of its titles. The letters "DC" stood for Detective Comics, the name of Batman's flagship title. The small logo, with no background, read simply "A DC Publication".

1942–1949

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The November 1941 DC titles introduced an updated logo. This version was almost twice the size of the previous one and was the first version with a white background. The name "Superman" was added to "A DC Publication", effectively acknowledging both Superman and Batman. This logo was the first to occupy the top-left corner of the cover, where the logo has usually resided since. The company now referred to itself in its advertising as "Superman-DC".

1949–1970

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Designer:

Ira Schnapp^[1]

Typography:

Cooper (DC)

Launched:

November 1949

In November 1949, the logo was modified to incorporate the company's formal name National Comics Publications. This logo would also serve as the round body of Johnny DC, DC's mascot in the 1960s.

1970–1972

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In October 1970, DC briefly retired the circular logo in favor of a simple "DC" in a rectangle with the name of the title, or the star of the book; the logo on many issues of Action Comics, for example, read "DC Superman". An image of the lead character either appeared above or below the rectangle. For books that did not have a single star, such as anthologies like House of Mystery or team series such as Justice League of America, the title and "DC" appeared in a stylized logo, such as a bat for "House of Mystery". This use of characters as logos helped to establish the likenesses as trademarks, and was similar to Marvel's contemporaneous use of characters as part of its cover branding.

1972–1974

The July 1972 DC titles featured a new circular logo. The letters "DC" were rendered in a block-like typeface that remained through later logo revisions until 2005, and again since 2024. The title of the book usually appeared inside the circle, either above or below the letters.

1974–1976

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Designer:

Michael Uslan^[1]

Typography:

ITC Machine

Launched:

1974

In 1974, the text color was changed to blue, along with the addition of the words "The Line of DC Super-Stars" and the star motif that would continue in later logos. This logo was placed in the top center of the cover from August 1975 to October 1976. The designer was Michael Uslan, who would later be an executive producer on various Batman films starting in 1989.

1977–2005; 2024–present (print)

Designer:

Milton Glaser

Typography:

ITC Machine

Launched:

Late 1976

When Jenette Kahn became DC's publisher in late 1976, she commissioned graphic designer Milton Glaser to design a new logo. Popularly referred to as the "DC bullet", this logo premiered on the February 1977 titles. Although it varied in size and color and was at times cropped by the edges of the cover, or briefly rotated 4 degrees, it remained essentially unchanged for nearly three decades. Despite logo changes since 2005, the old "DC bullet" continues to be used only on the DC Archive Editions series. It is revived as the print logo in 2024.

2005–2012

Designer:

Josh Beatman of
Brainchild Studios
Richard Bruning

Typography:

Unknown

Launched:

May 8, 2005

On May 8, 2005, a new logo (dubbed the "DC spin") was unveiled, debuting on DC titles in June 2005 with DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1 and the rest of the titles the following week. In addition to comics, it was designed for DC properties in other media, which was used for movies since Batman Begins, with Superman Returns and Red showing the logo's normal variant, and the TV series Smallville, the animated series Justice League Unlimited and others, as well as for collectibles and other merchandise. The logo was designed by Josh Beatman of Brainchild Studios and DC executive Richard Bruning.

2012–2016

Designer:

Landor Associates

Typography:

Gotham Bold

Launched:

March 2012

In March 2012, DC unveiled a new logo consisting of the letter "D" flipping back to reveal the letter "C" and "DC ENTERTAINMENT". The Dark Knight Rises was the first film to use the new logo, while the TV series Arrow was the first series to feature the new logo. It was designed to represent the dual identity trope of the superhero genre, one identity peeling back to reveal the other.

2016–2024 (primary); 2024–present (secondary)

Designer:

Pentagram

Typography:

Unknown

Launched:

May 17, 2016

DC Entertainment announced a new identity and logo for another iconic DC Comics universe brand on May 17, 2016. The new logo was first used on May 25, 2016, in conjunction with the release of DC Universe: Rebirth Special #1 by Geoff Johns. The logo seems to be a redux of the 1970s logos.

2024–present

Designer:

Milton Glaser

Typography:

ITC Machine

Launched:

July 26, 2024

On July 26, 2024, DC Comics announced a rebranding, an updated version of the "DC Bullet" logo designed by Milton Glaser which was previously used from 1977 until 2005, and adopting the icon for the DC Studios logo. The logo began to appeared on its official website and social media accounts on the same day and began rolling out onto comics, toys, and merchandise beginning in October of this year.^[2]