Kohl’s Logo PNG
Kohl’s logo is as large as a wide, sprawling department store chain. The emblem indicates that the most sought-after basic goods are sold here. The emblem’s strong, massive elements reflect its impressive product range.
Meaning and History
Although the chain’s official founding year is 1946, its origins go much deeper, to 1927. That’s when a Pole opened a retail outlet selling a variety of food items and standard household goods. But he did not stop there; he went on to become even more successful. After opening a supermarket in 1946, the entrepreneur decided to enlarge his business, and in 1962, he became the owner of the chain.
In 1972, British American Tobacco acquired the controlling interest, but the Kohl family remained in charge. At the end of the 70s, BATUS Corporation purchased the trading company. In 1992, a group of investors took Kohl’s public. The company has continued to develop, open new stores, and expand its range. In 1986, it had 40 department stores and, over the next two years, added another 27. By the 2000s, the chain operated in 49 states.
The brand also introduced progressive technologies. For example, it launched its card system, QR code payments, and Apple Pay. Its assortment also broadened to include not only groceries but also food, jewelry, clothing, and more. Kohl’s pays close attention to its visual identity. To strengthen its market position, the brand hired the New York advertising agency DeVito/Verdi, which worked on its image down to the last detail. The department store used four different types of emblems that also served as signage throughout its history.
1946 – 1962
Although the company was called Kohl’s Food Stores, the logo featured only one word, “kohl’s.” However, the logo’s association with the founding family remained unchanged despite changes in status and department store ownership. The inscription was written in lowercase bold type. The only thin element was the upper-right stroke of the “k.” A large, unusually shaped apostrophe sat between the “l” and the “s.” It looked like a vertical trapezoid, turned slightly on its side. The last letter was far from the others, so the distance between it and the other characters was greater.
1962 – 1979
After the change of owners, the brand underwent its first redesign, after which its symbols changed dramatically in style. According to English spelling, the first letter of the alphabet was moved to uppercase, while the others remained lowercase. All the characters were serifed, and the “K” and “s” were also serifed. The inscription was slanted and almost entirely coherent, with the letters joined together. Only a space was preserved between the “o” and the “h.”
The last character in the word “Kohl’s” exceeded the lower border and took two lines. Under the brand’s main name appeared its second part: “Department Stores.” The word combination sat at the bottom in fine print. The apostrophe became classic and distinct. The entire text was white. A black rectangle served as the background.
1979 – 1983
The next facelift introduced an intricate logo. Instead of typewritten characters, it was written in cursive without italics, with strictly vertical strokes. The word “Kohl’s” served as a personal signature, suggesting the chain was personalized and owned by a single individual rather than a group of businessmen. This gave customers more confidence in the stores and helped the company grow.
The logo letters were thin, large, and sans serif. The main emphasis was on the looping writing style: all characters had loops except for the “s.” The “K” was uppercase and the largest, extending below the baseline. The second part of the brand name sat at the bottom, set in a typewritten font. The developers removed the dark background and repainted the text black to contrast with the white space.
1983 – 1987
The changes in 1985 were significant. As a result, the chain’s management approved a radically different logo. The word combination “Department Stores” disappeared from it as the brand became widely recognized. This allowed the owners to shorten the inscription and make the logo more universal, representing both the brand and the company. The emblem now featured broad printed letters without solid fill, with a bold outline.
1987 – today
A new logo for Kohl’s, namely the letters, was given a solid cherry-colored fill where the outline was. It is now used everywhere in marketing, signs, labels, and business papers. The word “Kohl’s” is set in broad-faced characters with consistent spacing between letters. The apostrophe does not look like a comma but like a bold dot with a miniature stroke at the bottom.
Font and Colors
The retail chain’s identity has evolved from a simple form to… simple. It had the most complex look between the debut and the current logo. This was because the composite name included several words.
While the early versions of the logo used a thin typeface, the current version uses a very bold, squat Helvetica. The current Kohl’s logo palette consists of white and burgundy #800033. It was first used in 1985; before that, black-and-white monochrome prevailed.