Brand New has the complete breakdown on the new quicktime logo, but I found the image above much more interesting in that the logo just kept getting shinier and shinier over the last 4 versions.

It’s almost as if every time a new logo was required the art director was standing behind the designer screaming “Steve Jobs wants it shinier! MORE POLISH! MORE DAMMIT!”.

However realistically it’s probably more a reflection of better video cards and computer monitors over the years, as resolutions got higher and the colour pallet opened up the designers were always looking to use it the full range of tools they had at hand.

Along with the improved computers, Adobe Photoshop kept getting upgraded as well, with more and more layer styles making it easier to polish every element up to a highly reflective finish. Then some one figured out that if you duplicate your layer, flip it vertically and apply a gradient mask to it, you get the much lamented “wet floor” effect and things were shinier then ever.

Shine on you crazy diamond. Shine On.