MS-DOS Logo

MS-DOS is the name of an operating system, developed by Microsoft in 1981 and having its latest version released in 2000. Deciphered as Microsoft Disc Operating System, the software was used on the first PCs of IBM and Microsoft brands.

Meaning and history

The visual identity of MS-DOS has never been redesigned, though has always been available in two versions the flat pixel ones and the modern three-dimensional insignia, used mainly on the packaging of the software. Even though it was exactly the same design and color palette, the two versions of the logo looked completely different, like representing two eras, the one when it all began, and the one where it was moving to.

The official MS-DOS logo is composed of a pixel lettering set in two levels and enclosed into an invisible square frame. The upper level of the inscription features a thin gray MS in a black outline, and the bottom one three intertwined letters DOS, in red, purple, and yellow, with the lines of the letters creating a chain-like pattern. The bottom level of the emblem is larger than the top one and has its letters executed in bolder lines and with wide shadows, looking three-dimensional and intense.

As for the logo, used on the softwares packaging, it has the same composition, but the upper MS lettering is drawn in short blue lines, resembling a pen sketch, and the massive bottom DOS part is made three-dimensional, with the color palette slightly muted red became burgundy, purple got calmer, and yellow gained some orange gradient shades.

What is MS-DOS?
MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) was an operating system developed by Microsoft in the early 1980s. It played a pivotal role in the popularization of personal computers, serving as the primary operating system for IBM-compatible PCs, and establishing Microsoft as a major software company.