A deep dive into the visual branding of Cyberdyne Systems from the "Terminator" films

Speculative Identities is a site run by Roger Strunk that analyzes and examines the graphic design and UI details of science fictional companies. For example, the myriad corporations that comprise the worlds as seen inBlade Runner and Total Rekall, or looking into the ways that the divergent timelines fromBack to the Future IIimpacted the logos for Pizza Hut and USA Today.

Even more recently, they've taken a branding approach to one of my favorite dystopian sci-fi corporations: Cyberdyne Industries from the Terminator films.

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A new research entry is set to land on the site tomorrow, so stay tuned. And be prepared for a long read.

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Strunk reverse-engineers from each and every iteration of the Cyberdyne logo as it appears across the movies in order to create the kind of standard branding standards sheet that any corporation would get from a graphic designer. These includes rules on things like fonts, color strategies, and permissible variations of the logo. Andbecause it's Cyberdynethis extends beyond the instances of the logo as it appears on company badges and clothing, but also the variations that occur in divergent timelines.

It's an impressively comprehensive breakdown, approached with specificity and care of a professional graphic designer, as if they were actually hired to brand this multi-temporal company. Strunk even speculates intohow this company's branding came about, both in-universe and in the real world. It's pretty fascinating stuff. Read the rest