The Stop and Shop logo attracts supermarket visitors with its original design, combining vivid colors with a formal look. This means the emblem demonstrates the brand’s casual nature and serious approach to customer service. It strikes a golden middle ground for effective marketing.
Stop and Shop: Brand overview
Founded: | 1914 |
Founder: | The Rabinovitz/Rabb family |
Headquarters: | Quincy, Massachusetts, United States |
Website: | stopandshop.com |
Meaning and History
The stylized image of a traffic light is the oldest logo of Stop and Shop. It’s had several versions, differing in the number of colors, the presence or absence of a shopping cart, and the font of the accompanying inscription. All the emblems shared a common idea: the red light urged passersby to stop near the store, while the green light signaled it was good to shop.
This concept, built on road traffic rules, was in use until 2008 when Ahold decided to unify its Stop & Shop and Giant Food brands under one graphic symbol. That’s when an abstract logo appeared, where colorful half-ovals formed something resembling a plate of sliced fruit. This design only lasted ten years before the decision was made to return the iconic traffic light to the retail chain. Red and green circles have become a permanent part of the supermarket’s identity, reflecting its modernized format. Because a logo doesn’t change for no reason – it accompanies significant transformations happening in the stores.
What is Stop and Shop?
Stop and Shop is the abbreviated name for Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, which was known as Economic Grocery Company until 1946. This supermarket chain hails from Northern New Jersey, Downstate New York, and New England. It has existed since 1914 and has been part of Ahold Delhaize since 1995.
1914 – 1963
Back in the day, the store chain didn’t have an official logo; instead, they had a sign above the entrance. Specifically, the wording “STOP and SHOP” started being used around the late 1930s. Notably, from 1914 to 1946, the supermarket chain was officially known as Economy Grocery Stores. The term “Stop & Shop” was more of an informal name that came into being in 1935 following the opening of a Stop & Shop Foodmart in Massachusetts.
1963 – 1982
This logo was designed by Selame Design, now known as BrandEquity. Headed by Joe Selame, the team created a vibrant image of a traffic light consisting of red, yellow, and green circles. These were set within a blue rectangle with rounded corners and complemented by a stylized shopping cart, which was visible in the negative white space.
1973 – 1982
This logo was designed by Selame Design, now known as BrandEquity. Headed by Joe Selame, the team created a vibrant image of a traffic light consisting of red, yellow, and green circles. These were set within a blue rectangle with rounded corners and complemented by a stylized shopping cart, which was visible in the negative white space.
1982 – 2002
In May 1982, the company rolled out a new emblem: an entirely black inscription “STOP & SHOP” next to two multicolored circles. The ampersand was moved up next to the first word. To make both lines of equal length, the designers had to tweak the font, specifically connecting the “ST” and splitting the “H” into two parts. A red rectangular frame with rounded edges added a sense of visual completion to the logo.
2002 – 2008
On November 1, 2002, an updated symbol for Stop and Shop was introduced. It stood out from its predecessor with brighter colors, balanced sizes of the circles, and a clear font in which each letter was whole and stood alone. Still, the gaps between the glyphs remained narrow, and the font was still bold and uppercase.
2008 – 2018
In 2008, Ahold, which owns Stop & Shop and Giant Food, unified the two brands under a single symbol. Designers crafted a four-color sign made up of semi-circles of different sizes. The first shape was orange, the second red, the third purple, and the fourth green. As they ascended, the angle of inclination shifted by 45 degrees. Store patrons didn’t get what this geometric abstraction was all about, mistaking it for either a fruit bowl or an exotic bird in a nest.
Still, something unique remained in the Stop & Shop logo: the supermarket chain’s name. It took up only one line and was set in a font resembling Delta Book. The font’s purple color underscored the significant changes within the stores.
2018 – today
The symbol mockingly called the “fruit bowl” lasted just a decade. In 2018, the “traffic light” replaced it, which best encapsulates the brand’s concept. This revamped logo was unveiled in a renovated supermarket in Hartford. Sure, the traffic light isn’t full; it traditionally only features two circles—red and green. Yet their hues are vibrant enough to get noticed. The adjacent gray inscription is designed to be unobtrusive while effectively advertising Stop & Shop, thanks to a clean, straightforward design.
Font and Colors
The trade name uses a bold, sans-serif font. Several roughly similar alternatives exist Betm ExtraBlack by Typesketchbook, Typold Condensed Black by The Northern Block, Animo Black by Durotype, and Poster Plain JNL Regular by Jeff Levine Fonts.
The gray inscription visually balances out the bright circles, colored like a traffic light. Here, the red has a raspberry tint, and the green is more of a lettuce shade.