Old Atari Logo & Font

[wiseguyusa]

I had to edit this photo to protect my friends privacy but look at this old Atari ID badge. Ever seen that logo before? Ever seen Atari use that font ? What was "Syzyrgy?

[+bennybingo]

No photo.

[UKRetrogamer]

Syzygy Engineering was the company Nolan Bushnell formed but didn't incorporate before he went on to form Atari.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari#Atari_Inc._.281972.E2.80.931984.29

 

Looks like the badge may pre-date Atari itself or maybe the badge was used by early staff, working for both companies before it transitioned into Atari...

 

Any chance you could attach the photo which should've been in your original post, so we can see the badge?

[Retro Rogue]

Wiseguy, there's no picture posted but you're most likely talking about one of the Syzygy/Atari badges (we have a bunch of them in our book). Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney formed Syzygy Co. (it was not Syzygy Engineering) as a partnership and tried to incorporate as that in May '72. They were informed the name was already reserved so they resubmitted with three different possible names and had the state pick one. Atari was chosen and they were formerly incorporated as Atari Inc. on June 27th of that year. They had to do formal business as Atari, however they still continued to use and identify as Syzygy Co., including with their business cards. The coin route they operated also was under Syzygy. When they decided to manufacture and distribute PONG on their own and started hiring people right and left, they came up with the ID badges mentioned that state Syzygy/Atari and have Atari in the older font. These were used until around Spring '73 when Ted took the coin route with him as Syzygy Co. as part of his settlement and the main company became known as just Atari Inc. The logo and font everyone is familiar with was developed shortly after that.

 

Curt and I actually reformed Syzygy Co. with Ted Dabney in 2012.

[wiseguyusa]

how about now?

Edited July 4, 2014 by wiseguyusa

[+atari2600land]

Your friend is Krusty the Klown?

[Shawn]

So is that the original Atari logo?

[Retro Rogue]

Wiseguy: Yes, that's one of the original Syzygy/Atari ID cards I was talking about. We had pictures of them in the book donated from a lot of the early Atari employees we interviewed who still have theirs. What did your friend do there at the time?

 

 

David: The logo in the middle of the card is the original logo when it was called Syzygy/Atari (it's meant to represent a futuristic SA). As mentioned, the regular Atari logo was created when the company just became known as Atari Inc. in late spring/early summer '73 around the time of Space Race's release. It was one of a bunch of doodles created by George Faraco and his recent hire George Opperman. Faraco saw it in the bunch and picked it. Later on the story about it representing "two people playing pong" developed, and by the mid 70s it was being referred to as the "fuji."

[wiseguyusa]

If I recall she met her husband on the assembly line making 2600 carts, she was mostly coin-op and went to "Atari Games" after the split.

[wiseguyusa]

if you give me the email address of whoever keeps "the book" I will see if she would like to add to it.

[wiseguyusa]

sorry for the double post

Edited July 6, 2014 by wiseguyusa

[Retro Rogue]

if you give me the email address of whoever keeps "the book" I will see if she would like to add to it.

 

The book is Atari Inc. - Business Is Fun, came out in 2012 and we're working on the second edition right now. Certainly we're always looking to interview more former employees and you can reach us at [email protected]

 

Did she make it to the coin reunion in 2012?

[wiseguyusa]

I believe so, I know that she has been to a couple of them.