Hy Vee Logo PNG
The Hy Vee logo is associated with reliability and quality, as it reflects the company’s long history. Its bright colors emphasize the energy and dynamism of the brand. The unusual graphical elements symbolize the diversity of products and services offered by the supermarket chain.
Hy Vee: Brand overview
Meaning and History
The name Hy-Vee, reflected in most of the brand’s logos, was formed from “HYde” and “VrEdEnburg,” the surnames of the founders and original owners of the supermarket chain. Even though the company’s shares are now owned by its employees, the original name continues to be used as part of the historical legacy. Equally important in the visual identity is the color red, whose task is to attract consumer attention. The red emblem is displayed above the entrance of each store so drivers and pedestrians know where to find the necessary products and services.
What is Hy Vee?
Hy Vee is a supermarket chain founded in the 1930s by David Vredenburg and Charles Hyde. Its largest stores offer a full range of services, including medical clinics, clothing boutiques, coffee kiosks, bakeries, delicatessens, and eateries. The company’s shares are owned by its employees. Its main office is located in West Des Moines.
1952 – 1955
The logo contains the white inscription “Hy-Vee” on a shapeless cloud made of numerous small dots. The letters are outlined in black contours of uneven thickness, clearly hand-drawn. The store’s name is positioned diagonally: the right side is raised, symbolizing the great potential of the developing supermarket chain. At the top is the line “IT PAYS TO SHOP AT,” where all words are in bold italics. Here, some glyphs have single square-shaped serifs. The lower right corner features the two-level phrase “FOOD STORES,” placed inside a black rectangle with rounded corners.
1955 – 1963
The white name Hy-Vee is depicted against a black wave, its curves mimicking the inscription’s ascent, visually balancing the logo. In the lower right, the text “100% EMPLOYEE OWNED” is present.
1963 – 1994
In 1963, the company aired its first television advertisement, launched the famous slogan “Where there’s a helpful smile in every aisle,” and introduced a new emblem. Now, its name is in red letters on a plain white background. The font is similar to previous ones, but the ends of “H,” “y,” and “e” have diagonal cuts. The slanted positioning of the inscription is retained, but only in this version are the capital “H” and “V” lower than all other glyphs.
1995 – today
Hy-Vee customers first saw this bright red emblem on January 1, 1995. Here, the supermarket chain’s name is horizontally aligned and written in a custom font with an abundance of roundings where they usually aren’t. At the same time, the glyphs have many vertical strokes: even the left side of “V” is straight, not slanted. The “y” and “V” have small indents, between which a white circle is visible in the negative space. It replaces the usual hyphen and further softens the logo’s geometry. In the lower right corner, the phrase “EMPLOYEE OWNED” is written in small letters.
Font and Colors
The brand name uses a custom set of glyphs associated with innovation and modernity. Each letter looks unique and has no equivalents:
- “H” has rounded outer sides at the bottom, and the horizontal bar is raised higher than usual;
- “y” resembles “4” with a semi-circular notch;
- the left part of “V” is aligned horizontally;
- both “e” s look like 360-degree inverted numbers “6” s and have an open intra-letter space.
Regarding the “EMPLOYEE OWNED” inscription, it is in a standard thin sans-serif font. All letters in the logo are painted in the same red color, symbolizing the company’s high potential and energy.
