The company was originally called Echo Bay Technology Group — named after a picturesque bay near founder Pierre Omidyar’s home. But the domain echobay.com was already taken (by a gold mining company), so Omidyar simply shortened it to ebay.com. That’s how a name that would become a global brand was born — completely by chance, but forever part of e-commerce history.
Design
This section features logos of companies working in the field of design and visual communication. You can download the logos for free in vector SVG format or as PNG images with a transparent background.

When the perfect domain is taken, eBay is born

A little secret of the Ford logo
The Ford logo, with its iconic blue oval and elegant script, was first used in 1907. Here’s a fun fact: the famous handwritten font associated with the brand wasn’t actually created by Henry Ford himself, but by a company designer who simply copied his autograph! So every time you see the Ford logo, you’re looking at the “handwriting” of someone who never imagined it would become so iconic.

The Nike logo only cost $35
The Nike logo — the famous “Swoosh” — was designed in 1971 by design student Carolyn Davidson. She received only $35 for her work. Co-founder Phil Knight admitted that he didn’t particularly like the logo, but that he would “get used to it over time.” Later, when Nike became a successful brand, Carolyn received a gold ring with the logo and company shares in gratitude, which made her a millionaire.

How did the McDonald’s logo come about?
The legendary “Golden Arches” of McDonald’s were not originally a logo, but part of the restaurant design in the 1950s — the curved structures on either side of the buildings caught the attention of passersby. In 1962, designer Jim Schindler saw potential in them and joined the arches into the shape of an “M”. This iconic emblem was born and is now recognized by millions worldwide as a symbol of fast and affordable food.

The world’s first automatic electric kettle
Before 1955, you had to watch the boiling water yourself — look away for a second, and it would spill over. Russell Hobbs solved this problem by releasing the K1 — the world’s first electric kettle with automatic shut-off. The new product quickly conquered British kitchens and then the entire world. What seemed like a simple innovation became a true household revolution and marked the beginning of the smart appliance era no one had even dreamed of.
