The Star Wars series has many recognisable components, such as lightsabers and a variety of helmets, but one that shouldn’t be forgotten is the logo’s straightforward strength. One imagines that it is a part of the expanded world that will never alter for any prospective Star Wars films if one were to present even one letter from the design to any movie fan. It’s funny to understand, though, that despite being an incredible work of design, it was an idea that was conceived in less than 24 hours.
During a presentation focused on Industrial Light & Magic at the ongoing Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California, Joe Johnston, who began his career there before going on to produce blockbusters like Jumanji and Captain America: The First Avenger, revealed the history of the Star Wars logo. When the moderator asked the director to explain the history of the font, he revealed that it was something that was put together under very tight time constraints after he agreed to work on a redesign. Johnston said,
[Producer] One late day, Gary Kurtz came to me with a concept for the Star Wars logo. It was on one line, and the letters were as thin as hairline, with sharp edges on the W and everything. He then said, “We need this tomorrow,” while appearing to be somewhat panicked. The roll-up has already been recorded, and now we just need to add the logo that disappears in the first frame. “Can you fix this?” he asked. I responded, “I can redesign it, but I can’t fix it.”
Joe Johnston continued by saying that the work required an overnight period of time:
You have until 10 a.m. tomorrow morning, he said. So I just drew what I imagined the design should look like with a pen, a ruler, and black ink. However, I stacked the “Star” on top of the “Wars” rather than placing it on a single line, and that is how it turned up.
The rest, as they say, is history. Undoubtedly, the Star Wars logo is the most well-known and identifiable of all the major movie franchises. In addition to being in movies and on posters, it can be found pretty much everywhere you look on popular goods.
Joe Johnston is aware of its popularity, and based on his statements, it appears that he genuinely wishes he had struck up some sort of profit-sharing agreement that would have allowed him to get even the tiniest sum of money for each time the Star Wars logo is used. The director remarked,
I doubt I would be in this position right now if I had one penny for each time that item had been printed.
To be clear, I believe it is safe to say that Joe Johnston would likely be the richest person to have ever lived on the world if he got a penny for each time the Star Wars logo was used.
Fans everywhere will soon be able to get a taste of the experience with the upcoming docuseries Light & Magic, which is a six-part show created by Lawrence Kasdan and delves into the full history of the adored effects company. That was just one of the humorous stories to come out of the Industrial Light & Magic presentation at Star Wars Celebration. Although no release date has been specified, it will be a Disney+ exclusive and is anticipated to arrive on the streaming service this year.
Stay tuned for more of CinemaBlend’s coverage from the Star Wars Celebration (we’ve already seen some wonderful stuff, like a sneak peek at The Mandalorian Season 3 and the launch trailer for Andor), as well as an update from LucasFilm President Kathleen Kennedy on the Lando series for Disney+.
