It became clear from examining their core values, and the detail they had gone into to express them that their brand values were something they tried to live by as a company, rather than just something pleasant that they abstracted in order to have something to say. With this in mind, it became important to ensure that the logo was visually strong and immediate (resonant without pouring through their corporate brand guidelines), but also that it spoke directly, and literally to their values and could represent those values within the company. The new Spotify mark has four distinct layers of meaning:
A — The large and small circle represent the relationship between Spotify and its customers with Spotify being the smaller circle.
B — Spotify has five core values: Innovation, Collaboration, Sincerity, Passion, and Playfulness, which reference in the five parts of the logo (the ‘S’ being distinct from the outer circle despite being connected).
C — The suggestion of an ‘S’.
D — A slight resemblance to a vinyl record or compact disc