The first logo in 1952.
Who is that man in KFC logo I wondered. In the research that I’ve done, the man appeared on the KFC emblem is actually the founder itself, Hartland Sanders, aka Colonel Sanders.
The first iconic KFC emblem was born in 1952 designed by Lippincot & Margulies, a New York company specialized in corporate identity. As you can see below the iconic Colonel Sanders with his white goatee, the ribbon bow tie and the classic glasses.
26 Years After
The Redesigned logo in 1978
After 26 years, the first logo was redesigned and you can see the ribbon bow tie appear shorter and the fonts on the words “Kentucky Fried Chicken” was changed. The same company that designed the first KFC emblem in 1952, Lippincot & Margulies, made this version of design changes.
The Third Version of KFC Emblem
Schechter & Luth, a company that also specialized in corporate identity base in New York, designed the third version of KFC logo in 1991. As you can see this time the words was changed to “KFC” instead of “Kentucky Fried Chicken”.
The word changes were mainly because of the different marketing direction that KFC is trying to approach. The “Fried” sounds too fatty and taken out from the logo and replaced by the word “KFC”. The font that applies in this logo is a slight modification version of Friz Quadrata typeface.
In 1997
KFC emblem went through a design changes again in 1997. This time the emblem was stylized by Landor Associates, a strategic brand consulting and design base in San Fransisco. As you can see Colonel Sanders appear friendly in this version. I can see his teeth!
2006
Tesser, a San Fransisco based brand strategy company, designed the latest version of KFC emblem was born in 2006.
I like this version so much as Colonel Sanders is wearing an apron. The bold outline appeared on Colonel Sanders enhanced the overall appearance of the logo.
Hey wait, is he wearing an Adidas apron!?
Looking for a logo designer in Malaysia to create an iconic logo? Get in touch with me.