Who designed the FedEx Logo?
The FedEx logo was designed by Landor Associates in 1994. The logo designers leader goes by the name of Lindon Leader. According to leadercreative, it states, “Over a thirty year career in corporate identity, Lindon has earned significant recognition worldwide… his two design philosophies being: simplicity and clarity.” Aside from creating the famous FedEx logo he also created a plethora of other well known logos. To name a few, Hawaiian Airlines and The DisneyLand Hotel logo. From what i’ve noticed Lindon likes to use a lot of positive and negative space to make the logo more intriguing and interesting to look at. And if definitely does that for me.
What is the idea and creative process in the design?
The creator of the logo, Lindon Leader had to create something bold and noticeable. He decided to use a blend of two different typefaces. And according to creativereview, it states, “Lindon Leader had to create unique letterforms to make the logo and apparently a blend of Univers 67 (Bold and Condensed) and Futura Bold, providing him with a starting… I took the best characteristics of both and combined them into unique letterforms.” Lindon took a unique route and was able to create a bold typeface. But he is extremely famous for the hidden image within the FedEx logo. According to creativereview, it states, “The FedEx logo might appear simple, boring eve, to the average observer. But once you’ve the forward facing arrow created by the “E” and the “x”, it is impossible not to think that’s clever.” On top of creating his own typeface he even added a hidden image within the logo using the negative space. It gives the viewer something to look at and find rather than just staring blindlessly staring. The arrow even has meaning behind it, it wasn’t just random. The arrow within the FedEx logo stands for the companies speed and accuracy!
What are the colors and the reason for their selections?
The colors of the FedEx logo are purple and orange. These are the colors we most often see on FedEx trucks and packaging. But the FedEx company has a unique way of handling color. According to logaster.com, it states, “There is also an important meaning in the colors of the “Ex.” Whatever color the Ex is differentiates between the different parts of the company. As an example an orange “Ex” stands for FedEx express, while a red “Ex” stands for FedEx Freight.” FedEx was able to separate different parts of their company with color. They managed to put a lot of symbolism and interest within it. Like I said before, FedEx uses color to separate the different parts of their company. This is a strategy called color psychology. And according to 99designs, it states, “Color psychology is so important in business, each color can intentionally reflect a specific aspect of your brand.” Color can have different meanings and it can express what message you are trying to convey with your brand. We can use McDonalds as an example of color psychology. The McDonalds “M” is yellow, and according to the psychology of color in branding, it states, “It is widely considered a cheerful hue and yellow has been shown to increase metabolism and can lift self esteem. It is stimulating and attention grabbing.” So McDonalds uses the color yellow to grab the attention of customers and if you eat at McDonalds it’ll make you happy.
How has the logo changed throughout the years?
The first FedEx Logo was created in 1971. FedEx originally started out with its full name, “Federal Express”. The colors were red, white, and blue, with a bold italicized font. According to logaster.com, it states, “The main reason for the name “Federal Express” was to associate the company with the U.S. government… this helped Federal Express to catapult itself to the top of the delivery.” This explains why they used the colors red, white, and blue. This was probably to show patriotism and to grab the attention of the U.S. And according to Rebranding-fedex, it states, “Federal Express hired Landor Associates to redesign its logo with a… requirement mandated by Federal Express CEO Fred Smith to make sure that the Federal Express truck five blocks away was visible and recognizable when he stood on a street corner.” So this new and improved logo introduced a name change and a cleaner, simpler design. They also changed their colors to purple and orange and this became the brands classic colors. And of course FedEx thrives on their negative space, aka the hidden forward facing arrow.
Where can we see the products and how is it placed and sized?
We see the FedEx logo mainly on its trucks and on the packages they deliver. The FedEx logo is bold, big, and right in the center of the trucks. This is because you want people to be able to notice and recognize the logo quickly when you’re driving or when you’re walking. It wouldn’t be a good idea to keep this logo small. Mainly because of the bold font and you wouldn’t be able to read or see it.
The Overview
Personally I enjoy the way the FedEx logo is designed. I like the use of negative space that creates the famous hidden arrow between the “E” and the “x”. Although it’s a fairly simple design I think it makes a statement. It’s large and noticeable and I think it grabs your attention. It started off with a lot of different elements but as time passed simplicity in logos became more prominent and this led them to change their design. And I think for the better because the colors are so much more interesting and they definitely pop out more than the standard red, white, and blue.
When I look at the FedEx logo compared to other delivering companies logos, it’s the one that stands for me. I think it’s striking when you first look at it and it doesn’t get muddy unlike the brown and yellow Ups logo. I do like both logos but the colors in the FedEx logo compared to the colors of the Ups logo are more pleasing to the eye. The FedEx logo does exactly what it set out to do, which was grab the attention of the viewer and make it visually interesting. I think overall the FedEx logo was a simple and clever design. With its bold font to the purple and orange colors and that sneaky little arrow, Lindon Leader was able to create a design that would last even beyond my years.
