Was this Netflix’s original logo? Here’s what we found

For years, social media users have shared what they describe as Netflix’s original logo featuring black lettering and a purple gradient cinema reel that swirls around a serif font. The word “Netflix” is in all caps on a white background with the letters “N” and “F” taller than the other characters.

For example, a January 2025 Threads post with the image (archived) amassed more than 23,400 likes as of this writing. The post featured a screenshot of an X post (archived) from 2023 that garnered more than 9.5 million views and described the graphic as “Netflix’s first logo, founded 26 years ago today.”

Netflix’s first logo, founded 26 years ago today. pic.twitter.com/1WLyccYLk8

— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 29, 2023

A reverse image search using TinEye showed examples of the alleged Netflix logo on websites such as X, Instagram and Threads since at least 2014. 

However, there was no record of the alleged logo on Netflix’s website and it was seemingly absent from historical company records based on evidence that is available online. When we asked a Netflix spokesperson about the rumor, that person declined to comment on whether the black-and-purple graphic was the company’s original logo or whether Netflix used it at all.

However, numerous reputable news media outlets have described the image as a genuine relic of the streaming service’s digital history.

Therefore, given the inconclusive evidence, we have not given the claim a rating.

What Netflix says

The spokesperson for Netflix, Iciar Picardo, pointed to the company’s information pages on its website and declined to comment specifically on the authenticity of the supposed logo. Picardo also shared a webpage via email dedicated to “The Story of Netflix,” which stated that the idea for the mail-in DVD service was first conceived 28 years ago in 1997, matching the time range stated in the above 2023 X post.

A slideshow on “The Story of Netflix” page traced the company’s history from conception to later years when the company adopted its current look of red lettering in a subtle convex arch and a stand-alone red “N.” However, the page did not show the black-and-purple graphic anywhere.

To mark Netflix’s 25th anniversary in 2022, Tudum, Netflix’s companion website for TV shows and movies, published an article reflecting on the company’s history. However, that report likewise did not depict or mention the in-question graphic. It did, however, note that Netflix’s first DVD envelope was white, matching the background of the alleged logo.

What news outlets say

Multiple reputable news outlets have published iterations of the black and graphic throughout the years.

Business Insider has published at least two articles stating that the logo was indeed Netflix’s original. One report titled “Netflix’s website in 1999 looked nothing like it does today — here’s how it has evolved over the years” included a screenshot reportedly showing the company’s website in 1999. That screenshot featured the alleged logo.

(Business Insider)

An archived version of Netflix’s website from Jan. 17, 1999, was laid out in the same way as Business Insider’s screenshot and featured the same text. However, the images on that archived version were not loading as of this writing. Therefore, it was not possible to definitively confirm the graphic’s existence on the website.

The same screenshot in the Business Insider article also appeared on a website called UX Timeline, which documents the history of popular brands such as Airbnb, Spotify and Uber.

In 2016, the British newspaper The Independent published the in-question graphic as evidence of Netflix’s marketing history without providing a source to confirm the notion. 

Then, in 2017, BuzzFeed published an article supposedly showing “what summer looked like 20 years ago,” which also included the alleged logo. The entry credited Logopedia, a Fandom page that claimed Netflix used the black-and-purple image as its logo for three years until 2000. At that point, according to Logopedia, the company replaced the graphic with a black, white and yellow logo.

Graphic design company Looka and marketing and branding company The Uptown Agency have also published articles stating that the black and logo was Netflix’s first of several looks over the years.

Sources