Taco Bell Logo PNG
“Attention, everyone is welcome,” the Taco Bell logo calls. The emblem announces the place where national dishes are prepared according to recipes. The symbols show the wide distribution of fast food restaurants and the chain’s confident position in the market.
Taco Bell: Brand overview
| Founded: | March 21, 1962 |
| Founder: | Glen Bell |
| Headquarters: |
Irvine, California, U.S. |
| Website: | tacobell.com |
Meaning and History
One of the most popular restaurant chains emerged after Glen Bell watched long lines at San Bernardino’s Mitla Cafe serving tacos in hard cakes. At that time, he already had his kiosk called Bell’s Drive-In, and he was just across the street from a Mexican restaurant. Glen began experimenting with recipes, but nothing came of it. This continued until the owners of a nearby establishment let him watch the process of making tacos.
Then in 1951, Glen opened another kiosk, for which he tried several options – from Taco-Tia to El Taco, eventually settling on Taco Bell. An institution under this name first appeared in 1962 in the city of Downey, California. The first franchise outlet was launched in 1964 in Torrance, the same state. And in 1967, there were already a hundred restaurants: the hundredth was opened in Anaheim.
In 1978, a decisive event occurred: PepsiCo (later renamed Yum! Brands) acquired Taco Bell. She played a huge role in the fast-food chain. This corporation owns all the outstanding ideas that contributed to the promotion of the subsidiary. Since then, the brand has been consolidating, merging, forming joint companies, expanding the menu, and much more. And in the fall of 2015, its head office was moved from Downey to Irvine.
Each event impacted the identity, so the original restaurant, like the franchise, had several emblems reflecting the development process. To date, there are six options.
What is Taco Bell?
Taco Bell is an American company that owns over 7,000 fast food outlets under the same name and logo. She was named after her original owner and creator, Glen William Bell Jr. The entrepreneur opened the first Taco Bell in 1962, and the 100th restaurant appeared in 1967. Now the chain is part of the Yum! Brands. The basis of her menu is extraordinary Mexican-style dishes.
1962 – 1985
The logo, which appeared in 1962, is a bright composition of eight vertical rectangles. They are tilted in different directions, which resembles miniature bells. Each contains a letter from the name of the fast-food chain. They are white, wide, sans-serif uppercase characters against orange, yellow, green, and burgundy backgrounds. In theory, they convey the energy and variety of ingredients found in signature dishes.
1972 – 1985
Several establishments continued to use the old logo with letters in multi-colored rectangles, but in parallel with it, a business version appeared. It is made in a restrained style – both in shape and in color. The graphics are no longer in it – only large block letters in brown with serifs. The emblem with monochrome uppercase lettering has been around for over a decade. Its main feature is in elongated bold lines with spikes at the ends. “A,” “C,” and “L” also have diagonal cuts that form a sharp corner.
1985 – 1994
This is a friendly logo that was used in some points until 2010 inclusive. The designers changed the aggressive writing style by adding streamlined and smoothness to the letters. But they nevertheless supplemented the rounding with sharp protrusions, and for the “T” and “B,” they made original hats with a hook on the left side. The bar at “A” is slightly curved upward, as is the middle stroke at the letter “E.” There is a bell above the brand name. It is yellow with a red line and a green oval. The call is depicted on a red background with two yellow stripes at the bottom.
1992 – 1994
With the advent of the bell, designers began experimenting with it, offering it in one style or another. So there was a version with a red-purple bell on a purple background. It is positioned diagonally to give the logo a dynamic feel as if the bell were ringing while in motion. The red body is outlined with a white stripe and has a dark vertical highlight. The inscription is located in two lines: at the top – “Taco,” at the bottom – “Bell.” The font remains the same.
1994 – 2016
In 1994, an improved version of the emblem of 1985 and 1992 was adopted. It has been in use for 22 years. The author of the updated version is the American design studio Lippincott. She changed a lot: drawing style, color, shape, and font. Therefore, the bell became wide, reddish-pink, with a border along the bottom (on the wide part). The white edging remains as it separates the bell body from the domed purple background. The inscription received wide and squat letters.
2016 – today
To open a new restaurant in Las Vegas, Taco Bell redesigned the logo, unveiling a new version in November 2016. The old font has been removed and replaced with a sans-serif typeface. The title is now written in black. The developers removed yellow and red from the bell, concentrating on several shades of purple: the color is darker at the bottom, lighter at the top. Moreover, the bell itself is white and is formed from negative space due to the contours of the corresponding shape. The developers of this option are Lippincott together with a restaurant chain.
Font and Colors
Early logos used only text. Graphics appeared in 1985. It was directly related to the founders’ surname and, accordingly, to the name of the restaurant chain. The bell has a classic shape – only its location has changed. At first, it was directed downward; later, the designers placed it diagonally to create the effect as if it were ringing. Now its body is slightly wider than before and is drawn from negative space against a purple background.
Since the logo initially contained only text, the letters replaced the graphic images. To do this, the designers drew them by hand, decorating them with thorns, protruding sharp points, and elongated legs. They developed them based on fonts from the Sary Soft, Heebo, Amaranth families. The thorns and protruding touches were necessary to convey the spice of the dishes because Mexican cuisine uses a lot of hot spices. The latest version of the logo uses the Gotham Bold typeface.
The color scheme is varied and bright. It consisted of green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown, pink, white, and black at various times.
Taco Bell color codes
| African Viole | Hex color: | #aa80bd |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 170 128 189 | |
| CMYK: | 10 32 0 26 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 2573 C |
| Vivid Violet | Hex color: | #782490 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 120 36 144 | |
| CMYK: | 17 75 0 44 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 2602 C |
| Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
| CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
| Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |
What is the meaning of the Taco Bell Logo?
The big bell on the Taco Bell logo is an illustration of the name of the restaurant chain. At the same time, it denotes a call to go to fast food because ringing is usually used to attract attention. Indeed, judging by the inclined position of the bell, the designers wanted to show its dynamics - that it does not just hang in place but moves. The base, in the form of a square with a rounded top, looks like an oven damper and is associated with freshly prepared dishes.
What is Taco Bell slogan?
Taco Bell, whose logo contains a bell, used to use the slogan ‘Think outside the bun,’ derived from the common expression ‘Think outside the box.’ In 2012, the restaurant chain abandoned its usual motto and replaced it with the no less intriguing phrase ‘Live mas.’ The second word was taken from Spanish and translated as ‘more.’ This phrase should be taken as a call to live without limits.
When was the Taco Bell logo created?
The original Taco Bell logo was created in 1962. It contained a white inscription, where each letter was in its own colorful rectangle. The first emblem with a bell appeared in 1985 and became oblique in 1992. At the same time, a blue-violet hue began to prevail in the color scheme. The current badge version was designed in 2016 by Lippincott Studios, which joined forces with Taco Bell’s in-house design team.
What does the Taco Bell logo symbolize?
Some fast food lovers saw a reference to tacos in the previous Taco Bell logo. They believed that the yellow element resembled a tortilla in shape and color. With the current emblem, there are no such discrepancies. Now it is obvious that the bell is just a bell that symbolizes the name of the restaurant chain. The only ambiguous element is the purple base because, in general outlines, it looks like a stove damper.
Where did the Taco Bell logo come from?
The Taco Bell logo comes from the name of this company. And it, in turn, is associated with the name of the person who gave rise to a large-scale restaurant chain - Glen Bell. The modern logo of the brand appeared thanks to the American design studio, Lippincott. Its employees created the two most famous versions of the symbol: 1994 and 2016. But the very idea of depicting the bell does not belong to them. This element appeared on the logo back in 1985, though it looked different then.
Why did Taco Bell choose their logo?
Taco Bell chose the bell logo to emphasize its name with an unusual graphic element. It has always been bright and colorful, but in 2016 its color scheme was simplified to a purple gradient, which is used along with the traditional combination of black and white. Visual identity decision makers decided that a modern, minimalist design would make the emblem more adaptable for promotional purposes.
Why did Taco Bell choose purple?
As a rule, purple is associated with royalty and magic. But in the case of Taco Bell, it has a different meaning. The company’s early logos featured green, yellow, and red elements, a nod to lettuce, cheese, and meat, which are a must-have for tacos. The 2016 logo, however, uses a purple gradient. This color represents a modern approach to Mexican cuisine. He says that new and fresh ideas drive the restaurant chain.
