Red Lobster Logo PNG
The Red Lobster logo is conceptual and clear, much like the restaurant chain it represents. The emblem directly indicates both the offered menu and the primary style. With just a simple design, the designers conveyed the main idea of the fast-food owners using a single image. Yet, they managed to make it as appealing and appetizing as possible to maximize its impact on visitors and marketing returns.
Red Lobster: Brand overview
| Founded: | March 22, 1968 |
| Founder: | Bill Darden, Charley Woodsby |
| Headquarters: | Orlando, Florida U.S. |
| Website: | redlobster.com |
Red Lobster is a restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It boasts 720 branches worldwide, found in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, the Philippines, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, Ecuador, China, Canada, and the USA, where these establishments are most prevalent. A hallmark of these places is their laid-back atmosphere and seafood dishes. The franchise’s founders are entrepreneurs Bill Darden and Charley Woodsby, who launched it in 1968.
Meaning and History
The restaurant’s inception aimed to attract seafood lovers and delight them with remarkable dishes. Hence, both the menu and the identity of the future franchise were inspired by the intent to emphasize this feature. The search led to the establishment of four more fast-food points. By the time the company transitioned to General Mills (which acquired the chain in 1970), there were already five outlets. The new owner tried to increase the number of Red Lobster establishments, which soon sprang up in the USA, Canada, and other parts of the world.
What is Red Lobster?
Red Lobster refers to fast-food establishments in the USA and Canada. The chain also has branches in several other countries: the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, India, Ecuador, China, and others. The starting point of the franchise was in Lakeland, Florida, where businessmen Bill Darden and Charley Woodsby established their first restaurant in 1968. Gradually, the business hub shifted to Orlando, evolving into a vast structure. By 2023, it encompassed almost 720 fast-food outlets.
1968 – 1969
The logo, of course, features a lobster. It is large, hefty, and appetizing because it’s colored red, akin to the hue crustaceans acquire during cooking. This shade also resonates with the name of the fast-food establishment placed at the top. The text is rendered in black characters in an Old English style, emphasizing that this is a cuisine for the select few – for seafood enthusiasts. To add authenticity to the lobster’s depiction, shadows and light reflections have been added as if reflecting off a smooth, moist surface. Both the text and the image below are framed in a rectangle.
1969 – 1974
The signage with the red lobster became even more magnificent. Against a white backdrop, even the name sparkled in vibrant colors, now also painted in red. The Gothic letters look stylish and captivating, bearing Old English motifs. They are elegant, ornate, and expressive and harmonize well with the lobster, which has similar spikes, curves, and irregularities on its shell and claws. The promotional poster contains numerous textual additions, not only to attract potential visitors but also to explain the essence of the offer. The rectangular frame has been rounded at the bottom.
1974 – 1984
Preserving the old logo style, designers recolored the name from red to black. This traditional sign greeted visitors at the entrance of the chain restaurants for a decade.
1984 – 1988
The owners revisited visual identity elements and settled on a different design – calm, modern, and less realistic. The image became flat but with a storyline. The artists placed the lobster in an aquatic environment to show customers that the lobster is ultra-fresh. They depicted it swimming through waves, for which they added four thin curved lines and one broad one, simulating the sea. The text also underwent significant modernization: it now sports a different font with small sharp serifs. The only thing that remained unchanged was the large lobster. It’s portrayed in the same position and color as before. Naturally, the wave-like elements are colored blue.
1988 – 1995
During this period, the Red Lobster restaurant chain’s logo did away with the wave-like background. The name was doubled in size and positioned in two lines. To the right of the word “Red” is the lobster, but now it’s not dark red but light-red, matching the inscription.
1995 – 2011
An architectural style update of the branded buildings housing the seafood chain restaurants prompted a logo change, essentially the sign that greets visitors at the entrance. Due to gabled roofs, the lobster was moved to the very top of the emblem, set against a blue semi-oval backdrop. The designers kept its position unchanged, darkened its color, and added black strokes to its sides. Meaning the lobster gained detailed features. The name was placed in a horizontally elongated rectangle with rounded corners and a triple border. It’s white and three-dimensional; each letter has shadows, visually elevating the inscription above the dark blue surface.
2011 – today
The refreshed logo underwent a radical design transformation. The background turned black, and in white uppercase font, not only the franchise’s name is stated but also client-attracting information: “Fresh Fish. Live Lobster.” All letters are in capital form. Inscriptions are set on two levels: the first line is arch-shaped and large, and the second – is horizontal and small. In the top row, the beginning of each word is denoted by a large glyph, although the rest are also in uppercase. Even though the lobster’s colors are softened, they still stand out vividly against the dark backdrop. This emblem is used on new and revamped restaurant buildings with flat roofs; the sign is positioned on the gable from different sides.
Font and Colors
Depending on the era, the logo’s inscription is crafted using a typeface with spike-like serifs in Old English, Minion SemiBold Small Caps (created by Robert Slimbach), and a modern font with tiny serifs. The emblem’s primary color is, of course, red, resonating both with the name and the depiction of a boiled lobster. Additionally, there are black, blue, and white hues.
