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When a spontaneous call comes in from the president of Nintendo of America, you don’t ask questions—you simply answer.
That was the advice Chris Maple received from a fellow designer back in 1998. At the time, Maple ran Media Design, a creative agency specializing in high-pressure, last-minute design work for companies facing urgent branding or marketing challenges. Though rarely publicly acknowledged, Maple’s firm had built a solid reputation within Seattle’s business community, working with major clients like Boeing, the Seattle Mariners, and Holland America Line cruises.
Maple had years of experience under his belt when he received a call from Nintendo of America’s headquarters in Redmond. He was invited to meet with then-president Minoru Arakawa to discuss a new project. With no details provided, Maple accepted—unaware that this meeting would place him at the heart of one of the most iconic entertainment franchises in history: Pokémon.
Go West, Pocket Monsters
“I walked into their lobby and sat there for about half an hour, staring at this beautiful 21-inch crystal horse head on display,” Maple recalls. “It gave me that feeling—you know, that moment where you have to read the room when walking into a corporate space. I could tell something big was about to happen.”
Eventually, Maple was led upstairs to a meeting room where several people were waiting. When Arakawa entered, Maple says he immediately sensed his leadership presence: “He was magnetic. I could see why he was in charge.”
The conversation quickly turned to the task at hand:
“They told me they were launching a game in the U.S. and Europe, but previous agencies hadn’t delivered what they needed. The budget was gone, time was tight. They asked if that was okay with me, and I said, ‘Sure. It’ll cost a penny.’”
Then, another person entered the room holding a cardboard box. She dumped out toys, drawings, and random pieces of paper onto the table.
I looked at Mr. Arakawa and asked, “What is this?”
He replied, “It’s a Pocket Monster.”
“What’s a Pocket Monster?”
“It’s Pokémon. We’re going to call it Pokémon.”
Maple was being asked to design the very first English-language logo for Pokémon, which until then had only existed in Japan under the name Pocket Monsters. Nintendo wanted to rebrand the franchise globally and launch Pokémon Blue and later Yellow, featuring Pikachu. But they lacked a strong visual identity—and time was not on their side. Maple had just one month to deliver a final design.
The Mystery of the Missing Crystal Horse Head
In the days leading up to publishing this story, I embarked on an online quest to find any trace of that mysterious crystal horse head Maple described. His memory of that strange piece of decor left a deep impression—not just on him, but potentially on the direction of the logo itself.
Despite my best efforts combing through old photos, reaching out to former employees, DigiPen alumni, and even contacting the Video Game History Foundation, no image or mention of the horse head appeared. Even Nintendo declined to comment.
Update 7:21 a.m. PT: Within minutes of publishing, I received a tip pointing me to David Sheff’s book Game Over, which mentions the horse head on page 198: “In the lobby of NOA’s headquarters is a smoky glass coffee table and a crystal horse’s head in a glass case.” Confirmation at last!
If you have any recollection of or, better yet, a photo of this elusive piece of Nintendo history, please reach out to me at [email protected]. I’m eager to learn more.
Attaching Energy
Under normal circumstances, a logo like this would take six months of revisions and client feedback. But Nintendo’s deadline wasn’t negotiable—the logo had to be ready for E3 1998.
Maple got straight to work. Using a light table, he sketched dozens of variations by hand, experimenting with letterforms until he found combinations he liked. Each time he landed on a promising concept, he set it aside and continued exploring other directions, ultimately preparing multiple options for Nintendo’s review.
Original Pokémon Logo Sketches by Chris Maple
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But there was little source material to guide him. Maple wasn’t given access to the games themselves. Instead, he worked off of printed illustrations, toy prototypes—including a tiny Pikachu figurine—and early versions of promotional materials like a draft of Nintendo Power magazine.
One key requirement: the logo had to function clearly on a small, pixelated Game Boy screen in both color and black-and-white formats.
After completing several drafts, Maple returned to Nintendo to present his options. He started with less confident designs, which drew minimal reaction. Then came his favorite.
Silence filled the room.
Finally, Don James, former executive VP of operations at Nintendo of America, broke the quiet: “I believe this is the one.”
Arakawa nodded.
Lance Barr and Gail Tilden left the room.
James turned to Maple: “Produce it.”
Maple: “Okay.”
And just like that, the global face of Pokémon was born.
Maple can’t fully explain why this particular design clicked—it just felt right.
“There was energy in it,” he explains. “I tried to capture the brand story, the potential future of the franchise. There’s always a story behind every symbol.”
Color tests followed, and after trying numerous schemes, the now-iconic blue and yellow scheme emerged. Maple suspects subconscious influence from the naming of the upcoming Blue and Yellow versions—but ultimately, it was instinct that guided the choice.
“It just feels a certain way,” he says. “I know it sounds flaky, but it’s true.”
Pokémon Forever
Months later, while visiting Toys R Us with his son, Maple saw the fruits of his labor for the first time.
“We walked in and there was this massive Pokémon display—arches, TVs, noise, and that logo everywhere. I thought, ‘Holy smokes. This is crazy.’”
His involvement with Nintendo didn’t end there. After E3, Arakawa requested a slight revision to the logo. Maple adjusted the interior lines of the “P” and “E,” creating the version we recognize today.
Later, Maple contributed to other Nintendo projects, including redesigns for Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr., Mischief Makers, and even the packaging for the Nintendo 64’s Atomic Purple release.
Original version of the Pokémon logo submitted by Maple.
Final version of the logo, with adjustments to the P and E.
Though Maple eventually played the games himself, he admits he never got far—he was too busy. His son, however, became deeply involved in collecting Pokémon cards…until they were banned at school.
Maple recalls a touching moment while shopping:
“My daughter was jumping up and down, saying, ‘My daddy did that logo!’ A couple of moms in line looked at me and said, ‘Oh, so it was you, was it? You're the guy.’”
Over time, Nintendo expanded its internal creative team, reducing the need for outside designers like Maple. But he remained active in the design world, taking on new challenges across industries.
For years, Maple never spoke publicly about his role in designing the Pokémon logo. It wasn’t listed on his website, nor was he ever officially credited. Nondisclosure agreements kept him silent for years, as is common in the design industry.
But now, Maple has chosen to share his story. He’s posted the logo on his site, along with updated mock-ups and design samples, to finally showcase this monumental contribution.
Why now?
“It started with conversations with my son,” Maple says. “He encouraged me to come forward and take credit for what I did. Twenty-seven years later, I thought, why not?”
Chris Maple Modern Mock-up Logo Images
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Looking back, Maple says he might revert to the original 1998 design if given the chance. He also hopes to be involved should Pokémon International decide to mark the
