Pedigree is an American brand of food for dogs, which was created in 1957. Today the company is one of the most famous pet-food producers in the world and its products are distributed in all six continents. Pedigree is a part of the Mars Group.
Pedigree is one of the world’s most famous brands of dog foods, which has a pretty long history. In 1934, Mars Limited acquired the Chappel Brothers of Manchester. They based their dog food on Chappi in 1957 and began producing special dog foods.
Pedigree branded dog food was first produced in Great Britain in 1934 by the American Mars Corporation.Originally the food was canned meat scraps, not suitable for sale to humans. Over time, the product improved until it acquired a modern look.
Today there are several types of Pedigree. Each one is tailored to a special group of dogs. Pedigree products range from puppy nutrition for young dogs to nutrition for adult dogs graded as small or large breeds and nutrition for senior dogs over eight years of age. A scientific approach is used in developing Pedigree dog foods. For this matter, Mars collaborates with the Waltham Research Center.
The word Pedigree comes from the Old French “Pie de grue”, which translates as the “Crane’s foot”, referring to the lines diverging in a family tree. Pedigree pal means literally “a high-breed friend”.
What is Pedigree?
Pedigree is the brand of a series of premium dog foods produced by the American food corporation Mars in its “Masterfoods” division. The first dog food under this brand was produced in Great Britain in 1934. Today the company has a wide range of products tailored for the different needs of different dogs.
The original design had pretty much the same style as the current one, except for a couple of comparatively subtle modifications. On the forefront, you could see the word “Pedigree” in white with pronounced black trim. The type was rather traditional, with serifs and the old-fashioned “g” featuring an intricate tail.
Behind the wordmark, there was a medal/seal combining various shades of blue. The background was gold.
The designers made the logo look more luxurious by making adjustments mainly to the ribbon badge. It was a deeper blue color and had golden elements. The yellow background was much brighter and the ribbon badge seemed to be lighted from behind, which created an even more positive impression. The inscription was kept without visible changes.
The yellow background disappeared for several years. Although the letters “e” in the name were slanted here, the overall look of the inscription was very close to the original. The ribbon badge, on the other hand, had little in common with the other versions. The shadows that added volume looked darker just like the blue, which made the golden lines stand out. The ribbon badge created a feeling of sophistication and richness.
During the year 2006, the brand used a logo that was closer to the 1992 version. Instead of light around the ribbon badge, the designers added thin, short rays. The golden accent was not as prominent. Moreover, the logo used a font that was closer to the original, without the slanted “e”.
The emblem has grown simpler and better legible. The type is now bolder, the tail of the “g” has been replaced by a plainer version. Some of the letters are now linked. The links probably symbolize the way the pets are supported by their owners, while the owners, in their turn, can count on the support from the brand providing quality products.
Despite the bold type, the letters look lighter because the dark trim has been replaced by lighter blue. The medal has grown lighter and shinier, too, and light “rays” appeared around it.
There were major changes to the logo in 2022. The ribbon badge was moved to the right, so the first letter of the name was in its center. The blue outline around the letters was replaced by a subtle shadow, while the ribbon badge did not have rays around it. There were also some other minor modifications. Despite all the updates, the logo looked very recognizable and maintained its original roots.
The international label seen in the 70s looked very sophisticated thanks to the intricate, elegant cursive font. The white lettering on a rich red background enhanced the great impression and association with a high-quality product. The red color of the emblem also reflected the company’s passion for creating the best product for its consumers.
A stylish logo was replaced by a simpler version, which will later turn into a great brand image. It featured just the name of the brand, but this time it was printed in brown on a beige background. The font used in this logo is bolder and although it has serifs it no longer has a cursive writing style. A slanted “e”, which was used by the company in several logo versions, can be seen in this emblem as well.
The logo created in 1988 became one of the main elements of all the other logos designed afterward. It featured just the “Pedigree” inscription. It was done in black and had serif letters that were closely spaced together. This inscription has undergone minimal changes since then.
The company tested a logo with a yellow background, similar to the US version, but with a red ribbon badge. They used the same font as in the previous logo but made only the outline black while the strokes were white for a brighter and lighter image. This logo turned out to have a great color combination and could be easily seen even from afar.
The brand presented a red version of the US logo in Europe and Australia soon after the preds. Unlike the blue version, it had golden accents on the folds going around the ribbon badge in addition to the golden accents on the ribbons. The name looked just as bold with white lettering and a thick black outline.
The company introduced very similar designs for the US and other markets once again. In Europe and Australia, it continued to use the red color for the ribbon badge. Although its shape was the same, the red version also featured golden accents on the folds. The name was printed in an identical way.
The original logo looked pretty much like the US logotype, except for the red medal. However, it looked brighter and lighter, partly because the red of the medal was not as dark as the blue in the US logo. Also, the European version has a somewhat bolder, more prominent wordmark with better legible letters.
The differences between the US Pedigree logo and the European one have grown even smaller. Now only the color is different, while the shape of the elements is the same.
The updated logo for the European and Australian markets looked almost identical to the US version. The only difference was the use of red color for the ribbon badge instead of blue.
The bold elegant serif lettering from the primary Pedigree badge is set in a massive and extended typeface with stable outlined letters. The closest fonts to the one, used in this insignia are, probably, Stafford Serial Bold and Geometric Slabserif 712 Medium Bold.
As for the color palette of the Pedigree visual identity, it is composed of red and yellow, with the white lettering outlined in burgundy. This color scheme looks bright and dynamic, showing the brand as a powerful and constantly developing one.