The box is the main element that is presented on the emblem. It is played in numerous formats and styles, has many color shades, and is complemented by several unforgettable images. That is, it evolves along with the franchise, and this is its main advantage. Thanks to the Jack in the Box logo, the fast food restaurant chain demonstrates its vitality, development, and ability to stay afloat with confidence.
Jack in the Box: Brand overview
Founded: | February 21, 1951 |
Founder: | Robert Oscar Peterson |
Headquarters: |
San Diego, California, U.S. |
Website: | jackinthebox.com |
Jack in the Box – fast food restaurants with over 2,200 outlets, concentrated in the western part of the United States and some major cities of the country. The chain offers a variety of chicken and potato dishes, cheeseburgers, hamburgers, egg rolls, and tacos, which are in high demand, generating more than $ 1 billion annually. The founder of the company is Robert Oscar Peterson. The time of its appearance is 1951. The head office is located in San Diego, California.
At first, the restaurateur had other catering establishments. One of them operated on El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego and was called Topsy’s Drive-In. He added a few more points of the same name a little later. In the late 40s of the last century, Robert Oscar Peterson designed his first restaurant on the boulevard in a circus style – with the image of a clown. After a while (in 1947), he bought the right to order and sell food through the window – for those arriving in cars. In 1951, the owner of the fast food chain completely transformed the boulevard, designing it in the design of Jack in the Box, installed a kiosk, and began selling burgers for visitors in vehicles.
It was a two-way drive-thru concept, where the customer received the entire previously announced order at the end. Although such an idea was not new, Peterson was the first to resort to radio communication because before that, everyone around used direct client-window contact. This helped increase the speed of service.
Meaning and History
The new generation restaurant Jack in the Box was conceived as a modern food machine. This idea was reflected in the decor: there was a giant clown on the roof, and another smaller one served for an intercom: next to it, a sign read, “Pull forward, Jack will talk to you.”
The author of the revolutionary project is the Californian modernist architect Russell Forester. Soon, the design he created was harmoniously filled with the concept of a restaurateur. All Robert Oscar Peterson establishments were united into a common network and renamed Jack in the Box. The same idea has been carried over to the visual identity, so some logos (especially the initial ones) feature an image of a merry clown jumping out of a box. In total, there are eight multi-format emblems (two of them are the same).
What is Jack in the Box?
Jack in the Box is an American fast food restaurant chain with over 2,200 outlets. She specializes in potatoes, chicken, tacos, egg rolls, hamburgers, and cheeseburgers. Its founder is Robert Oscar Peterson. The company was founded in 1951. The headquarters is located in San Diego, California.
1951 – 1962
The debut sign was distinguished by a clear link to the image of a clown, which is completely in tune with the name of the fast food restaurant Jack in the Box. It was a simple and friendly logo with a funny toy popping out of a square box adorned with dark diamonds. The body of the figurine consisted of a spring. The hands had a similar structure. The palms of the cheerful little man were open in greeting, which testified to the hospitality of the restaurant chain. On a smiling face, wide-open round eyes, an arched mouth, a long nose, eyebrows, and eyelashes stood out. This logo version was used for over ten years, after which the identity was updated.
1962 – 1971
The second badge was no less friendly, albeit cut in half. The fact is that only the head remained of the clown: he smiled cheerfully, leaning out of the rectangular box. It had the name of a catering chain on it. The largest were the words “Jack” and “Box,” written in capital letters. The phrase was divided into three parts and occupied different lines. The shape of the glyphs testified that they were made in an individual font with no analogs. In the center was the phrase “in the.” It was small, though it consisted of capital letters. At the top was a head with completely different facial features than before. Three miniature circles were striking, which denoted the nose and pupils. The mouth was in the shape of an inverted crescent.
1971 – 1978
In 1971, the personal sign of the restaurant chain was reformatted. It has become simpler, lighter, and clearer since the clown has disappeared from it. The designers replaced the black color with red and used a different style for the lettering. They added the word “Hamburgers” to the name. Like the rest of the text, it was white, with slightly curved letters. The capital “J” and “B,” as well as the lowercase “k,” had curly elements – large curls that resembled the sharp ends of a clown’s cap with a bell. The background was a red square in the form of a box.
1978 – 1980
As a result of the rebranding with the shortening of the name, the emblem was redesigned. So, the right corners of the box were rounded, and the inscription “Jack in the Box” was moved outside of it. The letters became bubbly, as if filled with air, like long balloons and red to match the background square. In it, the developers placed an impromptu clown’s head, made up of two elements: a large ball with a truncated top and a geometric figure resembling a paper boat, which served as a cap. Beneath it was three thick dots representing a clown’s bow.
1980 – 1985
Changes in the identity were associated with the next update of the logo. The designers kept the red square with rounded corners and made it the background for the inscription with rounded lines of letters. They took the lower text from the previous emblem as a basis. The title was set in white, uppercase, with a tight connection between the glyphs. Only the preposition “in” did not have it. In other cases, each next character was part of the previous one. That is why instead of “o” and “x,” something was depicted that resembled a fish head with a tail or scissors.
1985 – 1986
Then there was a radical change in visual identity, but it was unsuccessful, and the innovative logo lasted only a year. It featured the then name of the fast food restaurant chain, Monterey Jack’s. A key detail was a colored badge in the form of a fleur-de-lis. The fleur-de-lis consisted of three segments and was located in the middle – between the arched inscription “Monterey” and the horizontal “Jack’s.” Two thin stripes stretched to the right and left of the classical coat of arms. The same line was under the bottom line. The background was a purple-blue square with a double border.
1986 – 2009
After an unsuccessful rebranding and redesign, the owner of the restaurant chain returned the former name and old logo. It featured a red square with rounded corners and white uppercase lettering, where all the words were solid (with connected characters). The geometric figure, as before, was placed diagonally, with a slight slope: it stood in the lower left corner and looked almost like a rhombus.
2009 – today
The current emblem looks very modern because it has been overhauled. It is a medium-sized and wide rhombus with double-sided triangular protrusions and streamlined edges. Its right side is painted dark red; the left is scarlet as if a side light falls on it. This technique helped to create an amazing visual effect: the corner of a three-dimensional square as if they were two planes of one geometric figure. The inscription on it is made in a cursory stroke of white. The bottom line is typed in red.
2022 – today
On August 27, 2022, a new logo was seen on the Jack in the Box website. This comes days after the fast food chain announced a redesign of restaurants and branded packaging. According to a company representative, rebranding aims to modernize the way the business works so that it is easier for customers to use digital technologies to place and receive orders.
Perhaps that is why the font of the bottom inscription on the Jack in the Box logo has become bold and rounded. Now it looks like a modified Avalon Bold from FontSite Inc. or Hurme Geometric Sans 1 Bold by Hurme Design. This style corresponds to modern design and is associated with comfort, coziness, and a homely atmosphere. It helps to create a friendly and welcoming company image to attract consumers who are looking not only for quality food but also for a pleasant environment.
The shape of the letters in the word “Jack” has not changed much. But the designers repainted the “k” white, removing the gray haze, which made the lines appear thinner and sleeker. This helped to make the inscription more harmonious. The logo officially began to be used on October 4, 2022; however, the previous one is sometimes seen on signs.
Font and Colors
The evolution of the visual identity of Jack in the Box started with a conceptual version of the logo, where the main element was a clown jumping out of the box. But gradually, the ideological focus of the logo was lost because something more original and, at the same time, simple was required. And the text itself was considered a carrier of information and perfectly represented the name, so the management refused its double “encoding.” Only the emphasis on the inscription has been preserved, which is much more convenient for signboards, advertising, and small paraphernalia.
The typefaces used in the Jack in the Box fast-food chain emblems are very diverse. This is a bubble version, and handwritten, grotesque, and antique. In general, there are a lot of them, and almost all of them are individual, made to order. The color palette, on the contrary, is less impressive in terms of the number of tones. A combination of red and white dominates it. In some cases, there are also black, blue-violet, and yellow.
Jack in the Box color codes
Medium Candy Apple Red | Hex color: | #e40e32 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 228 14 50 | |
CMYK: | 0 94 78 11 | |
Pantone: | PMS 185 C |
Crimson Glory | Hex color: | #b8132a |
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RGB: | 184 19 42 | |
CMYK: | 0 90 77 28 | |
Pantone: | PMS 1795 C |