Jonathan Mak Long’s Tribute Logo Goes Viral
The Tumblr biography of Hong Kong–based graphic artist
Jonathan Mak Long reads, “I try to do good work, and the
world agrees on occasion.” The death of Steve Jobs was one
such occasion. Within hours of the news of his death, griev-
ing Apple fans across the world took comfort in an image
created by the then-teenaged college student, who had
merged Jobs’s recognizable profile into the iconic Apple logo.
Actually created two months before Jobs’s passing,
the image went viral on social media as fans posted and
reposted it to express sorrow and gratitude. While many
other artists who created tribute pieces got noticed, none
received the global attention that Mak did. Hundreds of
messages poured into his blog and email inbox. At one point,
he was getting two requests an hour for media interviews.
“A lot of people emailed me about the tribute, sharing
their personal stories with me,” Mak explained. “Going
through the interviews was a very unique and interesting
experience, but hearing from the Apple users was what
really made me appreciate how much Steve Jobs had
touched people’s lives.”
Mak created and posted the image shortly after Jobs
announced his resignation from Apple in August 2011. His
design did not generate any buzz until he reposted it again
on October 5, 2011, when news of the Apple leader’s death
was announced. Mak soon found his image incorporated
into tattoos, T-shirts, and iPhone cases.
There was even a brief controversy when a British
artist accused Mak of copying his work. Mak insists that
he never saw the other artist’s work and arrived at his
design on his own. He acknowledges that he may not
have been first to come up with the idea. However, he
says that during his online research while adapting the
logo, he did not come across the other artist’s work.
Mak never thought to copyright the image or cash
in on its use. He says he created the logo because of his
love of Apple and respect for Jobs, as well as to exercise
his interest in the ability of minimalism to create powerful
messages, not unlike Steve Jobs’s vision for his products.
Hired by Ogilvy & Mather (China) to create a design
for Coca-Cola, Mak was able to turn the company’s wavy
vertical white line on a red background into two hands
reaching for a Coca-Cola bottle. The “Sharing a Coke”
design went on to win a Grand Prix Cannes Lions award,
the advertising industry’s equivalent to the Oscars.
“I would describe what I do as trying to create designs
that people will remember,” Mak said. “But only when it’s
appropriate and for the reasons, meaning good design
should only command your attention when the context
requires it. And ideally, people should remember the
designs because it’s useful, or because it delights or
provokes.”
Mak feels delight when he happens across the tribute
image he created. He knows skeptics view Apple’s ad cam-
paigns as fake or manipulative, but the viral reaction to his
tribute image is proof, he says, of the strong feelings people
have about Apple.
“There’s a genuine love there (if people getting tattoos
of my tribute graphic isn’t enough proof),” Mak said. “This
brand will always be special to me just because of how it
affected my life.”
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(PAGE 23) The award-winning Coca-Cola
poster Mak designed for Ogilvy & Mather.
ILLUSTRATION: Jonathan Mak Long
◄
(PAGE 22) Graphic designer Jonathan Mak was a
college student when he created the Steve Jobs
tribute logo. PHOTO: Jonathan Mak Long
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