KISS is an acronym for “Keep it simple, stupid” as a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960.^[1][2] The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.

There are many rumors about how the original Apple logo came to be. One widely-spread tale is that the technicolor apple was a tribute to the late, great Alan Turing, who’s known as “the father of computer science.” Turing committed suicide in 1954, possibly by eating a cyanide laced apple.

Although this tribute to Alan Turing is a somewhat romantic gesture, it’s completely untrue. Walter Isaacson’s new biography of Apple CEO Steve Jobs reveals that Jobs was in the middle of a fruitarian diet, and had just come back from an apple farm. Jobs simply thought that “apple” sounded like a nice word that was “fun, spirited, and not intimidating.” As for the bite out of the apple? That’s just so people wouldn’t mistake it for a cherry.

 

The big takeaway from Apple’s logo is that it’s imperative to keep it simple. According to a recent study by DesignBuddy, 95% of the world’s top brand logos are comprised of only one or two colors – proving that simplicity is championed in logo design. A simple design is versatile, allowing the logo to shine across both physical products and digital platforms, and stays evergreen throughout time.