Design the WeChat Logo from Scratch Using Python and Matplotlib

Overall Canvas Design

The tutorial uses Python (Anaconda) on Windows 7 and relies on Matplotlib for drawing. First, import the necessary libraries and configure a square canvas with a green background matching the WeChat logo color, removing axis ticks.

Analyzing the Logo

The WeChat logo consists of three parts: two overlapping ellipses (one larger left, one smaller right), four small circles representing the "eyes" of each ellipse, and two arrows—left arrow on the left ellipse and right arrow on the right.

Drawing the Ellipses

Code for the two ellipses:

es1 = Ellipse([15,24], width=21, height=18, facecolor='white', zorder=1)

es2 = Ellipse([26,16], width=18, height=15, facecolor='white', linewidth=5, edgecolor=color, zorder=1)

Both ellipses are placed on the canvas; the second is drawn after the first so it appears on top.

Drawing the Eyes

Four small circles are added, symmetric to the ellipses' central lines, with the left eye larger than the right. All eyes are colored green.

Drawing the Arrows

The arrows are created using sector shapes (pie wedges) whose central angles act as arrowheads, simplifying coordinate handling. This method allows precise control of the arrow direction and size.

Final Result

The completed WeChat logo is rendered on the green canvas. A variant with different colors (left ellipse #A1CC3F, right ellipse #E9E9E9, black eyes, white background) can be produced by adjusting the color parameters.

The example demonstrates that Matplotlib is well‑suited for simple graphic design tasks, allowing beginners to create recognizable icons with only a few lines of code.