Id Software

Logo descriptions by Logophile Video capture courtesy of QuakegodLogoArchive

Background: id Software was founded in 1991 by John Carmack, John Romero, Tom Hall and Adrian Carmack. The company is best known for the creation of the first-person shooter with Wolfenstein 3D in 1992. The company then was put on the map with the release of DOOMin 1993 and also had Quake, another well acclaimed shooter. Since 2009, the company is a subsidiary of ZeniMax, where publishing rights would then go to Bethesda Softworks. In the company's earlier days, no real logo was used; it did appear on the credits. The first real logo was used on DOOM port for 3DO and the animated logo first appeared on Quake II.

1st Logo (1996) Id Software (1996) Logo: The common corporate logo for that years, with two yellow overlapping letters of "id" and "SOFTWARE" below. There is also "INC" at the tail of the logo.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Only seen on 3DO ports for Doom and Wolfenstein 3D.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (December 9, 1997)

Id Software (1997)Logo: On a brown rusted steel background, the id logo ("id" in a box) gets punched in on the background a little bit at a time. First the top part of the "i", the the bottom part of the "d", then the rest of the "i" and "d", then the top part of the "d", then the lower left corner.

FX/SFX: The logo getting punched in.

Music/Sounds: Five pounding sounds.

Availability: Seen on Quake II on the PC.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (December 2, 1999, October 10, 2000)

Id Software (1999)Logo: The concept is the same as the first logo, except more updated. On a brown stone background, the lower left of the logo pounds through. The logo is carved in a gray stone background, and as the logo pounds its way through, the brown stone crumbles as dust falls down. Then the top middle pounds itself in, then most of the logo inside the square appears, then a bit more, then the whole logo pounds into the screen and back as dust falls

FX/SFX: The logo pounding itself in, the stone crumbling, the dust falling.

Music/Sounds: Same as the second logo.

Availability: Seen on Quake III: Arena on the PC. Also appears on the Dreamcast port.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (September 30, 1999)

Logo: On a black background is the "'id' in a box" logo in white. The logo has black faded smudges and creases.

FX/SFX: None, it's still.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Appears on Quake II for the Playstation.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Logo (November 19, 2001)

Logo: On a black background with rain falling to the ground, the white "'id' in the box" with the faded smudges is superimposed on the background with "an" above" and "software game" below. The words are white as well.

FX/SFX: None, it's a superimposed logo.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the game.

Availability: Seen on Return to Castle Wolfenstein on the PC.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Logo (May 6, 2003-October 18, 2005)

Id Software (2004)Nickname: "The Laboratory"

Logo: We move across the laboratory full of evil-looking equipment, tubes, gauges and steam knobs (a la LTI Grey Matter). The machinery seems to be attached to the large breathing organ with the "id" logo, now yellow, carved on it, which we bump into. The organ then dims, becoming less visible.

FX/SFX: The whole animation of the lab made accurately.

Music/Sounds: Sounds of working machines, steam and pulse, ending with a bump sound.

Availability: Seen on the PS2 and Xbox versions of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, as well as DOOM 3 and Quake 4.

Editor's Note: None.

7th Logo (August 18, 2009- )

Id Software (2011)

Nickname: "Neural Net"

Logo: We start with the red image of what appears to be a medical shot of the human head from the side. The image begins to exfoliate and parts of it zooming, as we move through the brain cortex, which already turns blue. Then we move along the blue nerve through the network of other nerves, and towards the shining node. When we bump it, it shows the id Software logo.

Variant: On DOOM (2016), DOOM II: Hell on Earth (packaged with DOOM 3: BFG Edition), and Quake Champions, a still version of the logo is used.

FX/SFX: The animation of the nerves and brain cortex, the appearance of the id logo.

Music/Sounds: Small click at the start and synth wheezing as we move.

Availability: Seen on Rage, Wolfenstein (2009), DOOM 3: BFG Edition, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, DOOM (2016), and the free-to-play Quake Champions.

Editor's Note: None.