The HP logo is a lowercase, slanted “hp” cut out in white from a blue circle. Hewlett-Packard was founded in 1939 by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in a Palo Alto garage, and the “hp” monogram has been part of its identity since then. In March 2025, HP Inc. moved the circle to a deeper “Electric Blue”.
The company split in 2015 into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and the circular monogram stayed with HP Inc. It sits among the best-known tech company logos, next to marks from Dell and Lenovo.
What Is the HP Logo?
The HP logo is a circular monogram: the lowercase italic letters “h” and “p” in white on a blue circle, standing for Hewlett-Packard. The letters have been part of the brand since 1939, the circle version in its current form dates from 2008, and the blue was deepened in March 2025. HP does not publicly credit a designer for the main monogram.
| HP logo at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Symbol | White lowercase italic “hp” inside a blue circle |
| Designer/agency | Main monogram not publicly credited; the four-line “progress mark” is by Moving Brands |
| Current version since | March 2025 (Electric Blue); the white-on-blue circle design dates from 2008 |
| Colors (hex) | Electric Blue (Pantone 2132 per HP; hex not given in HP’s web text), white. The 2012 to 2025 light blue is commonly listed as approx. #0096D6 |
| Typeface | Custom “hp” letterforms; brand typeface is HP Forma DJR Office (close free alternative: none exact) |
| Previous major version | Light sky-blue circle, 2012 to 2025 |
How Has the HP Logo Evolved Over Time?
The “hp” monogram has stayed recognizable across every version, while the frame, the colors and the way the company name appears have changed. Sources disagree on the exact years for some of the early versions, so the dates below are approximate. HP does not publish a full logo history.
Original HP Logo (1939 to 1954)
The first mark was a circular badge with slanted lowercase “hp” letters whose strokes extended past the circle, with “Hewlett-Packard” lettering. It was black and white, and appeared on instruments such as the company’s early audio oscillators.
Simplified Monogram (1954 to 1960s)
Around 1954 the name text was dropped and the “hp” in a thin circle stood alone, still with strokes that crossed the circle.
Blue Badge and Wordmark Versions (1960s to 1999)
Later logos paired the “hp” with the spelled-out name “Hewlett Packard”, first in a slanted blue and white badge in the 1960s and 1970s, then in a blue box with the name beside it. From 1999, during the “invent” era, the monogram appeared alone in a blue rounded rectangle.
White Letters on a Blue Circle (2008 to 2012)
In 2008 the logo became a deep blue circle with the “hp” letters knocked out in white. This is the shape still used today.
Light Blue Logo (2012 to 2025)
In 2012 the blue became a lighter sky blue, as in the image below. This version is the one many people still picture as the “blue HP logo”, and it stayed in use until the 2025 refresh.
Current HP Logo (2025 to present)
In March 2025, HP introduced its new brand identity with a deeper “Electric Blue” circle. HP’s brand site says it is “reclaiming the blue” and treating the logo as a distinctive asset. The circle and the “hp” stayed the same.
The HP Progress Mark (2016 to present)
The four-line “progress mark” by Moving Brands is a separate, minimal logo made of four slanted lines that suggest the letters. Moving Brands submitted it in 2011 and it was not adopted then; it resurfaced in 2016 on the Spectre 13 laptop. It is used on some premium laptops, not across the whole brand.
What Do the Design Elements of the HP Logo Mean?
The letters “hp” stand for Hewlett-Packard. The founders settled the order of their names with a coin toss, which Hewlett won, as HP’s own company timeline records. HP has not published a deeper explanation for the circle or the slant, so those readings are interpretation.
What the current identity does show is that the logo’s slant drives the rest of the system: HP’s brand guidelines describe a set of electric blue stripes at 20 degrees, matching the logo letterforms.
What Are the HP Logo Colors?
HP’s current brand guidelines say the logo is always applied in Electric Blue, defined as Pantone 2132, and it is the only blue in the core palette. HP’s CMYK formula (89C, 64M) is for printing and does not exactly match the Pantone. The hex values are shown only as images on HP’s page, so no verified hex is available here.
The older 2012 to 2025 sky blue is usually listed as approx. #0096D6, and the swatch above shows a very close #0095D9. HP’s secondary colors are Power Storm (Pantone 2212 C) and Orange Bloom (Pantone 178 C). The logo is otherwise white on blue, with a white keyline on dark backgrounds.
What Font Is the HP Logo?
The “hp” letters are custom drawn and not a typeface you can install. For brand communications, HP uses HP Forma DJR Office (Medium for headlines, Regular for body copy), and a variable font called Forma DJR UI for digital products. People searching for the HP font are almost always looking for Forma DJR, which is a commercial typeface family.
How Does the HP Logo Compare to Competitor Logos?
HP’s main competitors use very different approaches. Dell uses a wordmark with a tilted “E”, Lenovo uses a wordmark, and Microsoft uses four colored squares. HP is one of the few that builds its identity on a two-letter monogram.
Compared with the IBM logo‘s striped letters, HP’s progress mark is much more abstract. The four slanted lines are hard to read as letters, which is why it only appears on selected products.
Where Is the HP Logo Used?
The HP logo is on laptops, printers, monitors, packaging and event signage. The sign above shows the 2012 to 2025 light blue logo with the “keep reinventing” tagline. The founders’ Palo Alto garage is a California Historical Landmark and is called the birthplace of Silicon Valley.
After the 2015 split, HP Inc. kept the circular monogram and the consumer products, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise took a separate mark. HPE also introduced a new logo in June 2025, so the two companies’ logos are unrelated.
How Does the HP Logo Fit Into the Overall Brand Identity?
HP’s 2025 identity combines the Electric Blue circle, the Forma DJR typeface and a system of 20-degree stripes taken from the slant of the logo. The goal, according to HP’s brand site, is to make the logo itself a recognizable asset. On devices, the logo sits on the lid, as shown above.
How Should the HP Logo Be Used?
The HP name and logo are registered trademarks of HP Inc., so using them to suggest an endorsement or to build a lookalike brand is not allowed. For editorial use, take a current logo from HP’s own site, keep its proportions and colors, and don’t add effects. For anything commercial, ask HP for permission.
FAQ on the HP Logo
What Does the HP Logo Stand For?
The letters “hp” stand for Hewlett-Packard, named after founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. A coin toss decided that Hewlett’s name would come first. The partnership was formalized on January 1, 1939.
Who Designed the HP Logo?
HP does not publicly credit a designer for the main “hp” monogram. Moving Brands designed the separate four-line progress mark, which was submitted in 2011 and first used in 2016.
What Are the HP Logo Colors?
The current logo is white on HP’s Electric Blue, which HP defines as Pantone 2132. The 2012 to 2025 light blue is commonly listed as approx. #0096D6. HP’s secondary colors are Power Storm and Orange Bloom.
What Font Does the HP Logo Use?
The “hp” letters are custom. HP’s brand typeface is HP Forma DJR Office, with Forma DJR UI for digital products.
What Is the Current HP Logo?
The current HP logo is the white lowercase “hp” in a circle, now in the deeper Electric Blue introduced in March 2025. It replaced the lighter blue used from 2012.
Did HP Change Its Logo?
Yes. The main circle logo changed color in 2012 (lighter blue) and again in March 2025 (deeper Electric Blue). The monogram itself has been recognizable since 1939.
What Are All the HP Logos?
Main versions include the 1939 badge with the company name, the 1954 plain monogram, the blue badge and box versions of the 1960s to 1990s, the 1999 rounded rectangle, the 2008 blue circle, the 2012 light blue circle, the 2025 Electric Blue circle and the separate 2016 four-line mark.
Why Is the HP Logo Blue?
HP has not published a reason. Blue entered the logo around the 1960s and 1970s and has been the core color since. HP’s 2025 guidelines now describe Electric Blue as its one core blue.
What Is the HP Progress Mark?
It is a four-line logo made of slanted strokes, designed by Moving Brands. It appeared on the Spectre 13 laptop in 2016 and is used on some premium products.
Is the HP Inc. Logo the Same as the HPE Logo?
No. After the 2015 split, HP Inc. kept the circular “hp” monogram. Hewlett Packard Enterprise uses its own mark, which it updated in June 2025.
Conclusion
The HP logo has kept the same core idea for more than 85 years: two lowercase letters, slanted, in a circle. What changes is mostly the blue, from the 2012 sky blue to the Electric Blue of March 2025.
The separate four-line progress mark shows how the company experiments at the edges while the monogram stays put. A good logo can survive that many redesigns when the shape is this simple.
Sources
- HP Inc., HP Brand Visual Identity – https://www.hp.com/us-en/hp-information/brandcentral/our-visual-identity.html
- HP Inc., HP Brand Central Portal – https://www.hp.com/us-en/hp-information/brandcentral.html
- Wikipedia, HP Inc. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Inc.
- The Next Web, HP’s new logo is actually old – https://thenextweb.com/news/hps-new-lold-logo
- Logo Heritage, HP Logo History – https://logoheritage.com/?p=789
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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