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Walmart is a global USA-based network of hypermarkets and discount stores, which has been around since 1962, and so far offers a tremendous range of products. The company has a simple and memorable logo.
Meaning and history
From the very beginning, the company’s name has been the center point of logo design. The logo has undergone several transformations: it has changed fonts, color, and, most important, orthography.
1950
The earliest logo featured the original name, “Walton’s,” in red capital letters. The designer chose a simple sans serif type.
1962
Here, the name “Walmart” is used, which is given in blue. While the type is also a sans serif, it looks more elongated than its predecessor.
1964
The black roundel was initially used as an alternative Walmart logo. Here, the name “Wal-Mart” was hyphenated.
1965
The roundel disappeared leaving only the name of the store in a rather heavy sans-serif type. To the right, the lettering “Discount City” could be seen.
1967
In this version, the letters were placed inside rectangles with a thin black border. While the overall style of the typeface was very similar to the previous version, there were also a couple of notable differences.
1968
The typeface was slightly updated. The proportions of the glyphs were modified: the letters were now shorter; their basic shape grew closer to a square.
1969
The roundel emblem made a comeback. While the board in the middle looked the same, the text in the upper and lower fields was changed.
1970
Once again we see the logo where each of the glyphs is placed inside a rectangle. This time, the colors were inverted: the glyphs and the border of the boxes grew white, while the background grew black.
1975
Unlike the previous emblems, this one had a distinctive style. The unusual serifs and the decorative dots in the middle of each letter made the design memorable.
1977
While the overall style preserved unchanged, there were a couple of subtle differences in the design of some elements. For instance, the hyphen grew bolder.
1981
After a complete overhaul, the letters in the Walmart logo adopted not only a new shape but also a new color. Now, they were brown and looked very simple. The type was a regular sans serif. Probably the most unusual part was the lack of breathing space between the “L” and “M.”
1992
While the type remained almost the same, it was now dark blue (there were also versions in different colors). The hyphen was replaced by a star, which added a distinctive accent.
2008
All the letters, except the “W,” were lowercased. The heavy geometric type was replaced by a friendlier, rounded one. The new logo had a happy and youthful feel due to the sunshine theme. It was introduced by the choice of colors (blue and yellow) and the shape of the emblem, which reminded sunrays.
Old logo
The very first Walmart logo was the wordmark written in blue caps. It did not feature any extra design elements. The version was in use from 1962 until 1964. The next version was accepted in 1964 and was in use until 1981. It was the hyphenated version of the company name spelled “Wal-Mart” and written in a black signature font. The next version (in use from 1981 until 1992) was the same hyphenated wordmark written in blue uppercase letters. The 1992-2008 version was the same as the previous one except the hyphen was replaced with an asterisk.
New logo
The next Walmart logo version was accepted in 2008, and it is still in use. It is the company name written in sky-blue blue lowercase letters with a ‘spark’ at the end – five yellow bars radiating outward from a center.
Symbol
The company’s transition to a new logo in 2008 was to emphasize its move from promoting cheap stuff to being a company that strives to use innovative and fair marketing strategies. In an interview, the company’s spokesperson confessed their goal was to show that the company had changed rather than to demonstrate an outstanding Walmart logo.
Emblem
The Walmart logo reflects the company’s new eco-friendly approach to running their global business. Today, it is one of the most recognizable emblems.
Font
The Walmart logo sports a font that appears to be close to Myriad Pro.
Color
The combination of blue and yellow evokes a feeling of friendliness and inspires hope. It is Walmart’s new philosophy, which the company is projecting around the globe. Also, it reflects the company’s effort to provide best quality products and achieve the highest possible product quality level.
