Wendys Logo

Wendys LogoWendys Logo PNG

From the emblem breathes friendliness and cordiality. The Wendys’ logo invites you to enter and have fun in the restaurant. The sign promises that the plate contents will please adults and children. The restaurant offers a full and tasty menu.

Wendys: Brand overview

Founded: November 15, 1969
Founder: Dave Thomas
Headquarters:
Dublin, Ohio, U.S.
Website: wendys.com
Wendys is the third-largest franchised fast-food chain from the United States, second only to Burger King and McDonald’s competitors. It appeared in the fall of 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, where it was founded by Dave Thomas, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and tycoon. He made square burgers, Frosty ice cream, chicken sandwiches, and sea salt fries, the main highlight of his business. Moreover, this representative of the fast-food industry was the first to offer a menu at a single price: in 1988, a card with 99 cents for each dish was entrusted. In the winter of 2006, the company’s headquarters were moved to Dublin. Now its structure includes more than 6,710 points.

Meaning and History

Wendys Logo History

His travels to the Kewpee Hamburgers in Kalamazoo, Michigan (his hometown) inspired this fast-food chain. They sold big square burgers and malt cocktails. They impressed him so much that he started with a similar menu when he opened his establishment – a round bun with a square flatbread (not a cutlet) made from fresh ground beef. It was large, and its corners protruded from the sides of the roll, hanging down appetizingly. This gave the impression that a lot of good meat was served here.

Such a marketing move gave a good reason for the development of the network. In 1972, the first franchisee L.S. Hartzog signed a contract to open its outlet in Indianapolis, Indiana. At the same time, the first Wendy’s commercials appeared on television. Then, in 1976, a signature restaurant was created in Canada – in Hamilton (Ontario). In the same year, the 500th fast food point was launched (in Toronto), and two years later – the thousandth (in Springfield, Tennessee). In general, the chain has had a very turbulent history so far, merging with Triarc Companies Inc. in 2008. and Arby’s, after which it became known as The Wendy’s Company.

In particular, the name of the restaurants came from Melinda Lou “Wendy” Thomas, the fourth child of Dave Thomas. Her childish image became the basis of the emblem and is still used today. In total, the network had seven logos.

What is Wendys?

Wendy’s is a chain of fast food restaurants where you can order french fries, a chicken sandwich, a square hamburger, or a signature dessert. She appeared in 1969 and belonged to the holding company The Wendy’s Company. The founder of the network is an American businessman Dave Thomas. He named the fast food brand after his daughter Melinda Lou Thomas-Morse, who got the nickname Wendy because of her inability to pronounce certain letters. Her youthful face is depicted on the logo of the restaurants.

1969 – 1971

Wendys Logo 1969-1971

The first emblem set the style for everyone else because they often changed but not drastically. The debut version presents four basic elements that form the restaurant chain’s visual image and convey its concept.

The title is the main one because “Wendy’s” is written in large red type and is located at the top. It has a slightly wavy shape because, at the bottom, there is a thin winding ornament, turning into a circle. It depicts the owner’s daughter, which is associated with the brand’s name: a smiling girl with red hair, friendly eyes, and two short pigtails braided with blue bows. The stripes on her dress are the same color.

At the bottom is the phrase “Old Fashioned Hamburgers,” which spans two lines. The upper inscription (Old Fashioned) is made in Old English script with curly letters and double-sided sharpening in the middle of the legs. The bottom word (Hamburgers) is written in Showguide Normal with very wide serifs, reminiscent of massive platforms on which the characters are printed. The central part of the letters, on the contrary, is thin and elongated.

1971 – 1972

Wendys Logo 1971-1972

The next emblem appeared after the launch of the second restaurant, where a window was added to serve customers on cars. All elements in the logo remain the same. The only update that touched the circle with Wendy: the designers placed the slogan “Quality is our recipe” over the girl’s head in a semicircle.

1972 – 1977

Wendys Logo 1972-1977

For the first time, the portrait of the daughter of the company’s founder was redrawn in a different style. The artists removed the childish mood and vivid emotionality, making the image more formal. Blue stripes, like on Wendy’s dress, appeared on her collar. The graceful curls separated from the large circle with the girl. The developers changed the slogan, and the words “Old Fashioned” gave a new font, halving it.

1977 – 1983

Wendys Logo 1977-1983

Since 1977, the emblem has been divided into two zones: red and yellow. The first (with beveled corners) features a portrait of Wendy against a white background in a round black frame, curls, and a wave-like name for the restaurant chain. The second part (bottom) contains the phrase “Old Fashioned Hamburgers” in two rows. The developers have aligned the phrase “Old Fashioned” in the center.

1983 – 2013

Wendys Logo 1983-2013

This logo has been used the longest, probably due to its unique shape with a portrait projecting upward. The image of the girl remained the same – just the designers changed its location. They put the word “Wendy’s” below, making it very large. White letters on a red background with thin black curls look bright and distinct. The developers changed the font of the slogan “Old Fashioned Hamburgers” again.

2007 – 2013

Wendys Logo 2007-2013

At this time, in parallel with the previous emblem, its simplified version was used. It has no lower part – yellow, where the slogan is.

2012 – today

Wendys Logo 2012-present

As a result of the redesign, the fast-food chain received a new logo, which is radically different from all the previous ones. The first presentation of the logo took place in November 2012, and the final approval in 2013.

In this version, there are still two key parts – the portrait of the red-haired girl with freckles and the company’s name. The difference is that Wendy’s crown and blue-bowed braids now extend beyond the thin black border. The text part received a free spelling – in careless handwritten italics with wide strokes.

Font and Colors

Wendys Emblem

Wendy’s logo has at all times been associated with the portrait of the daughter of the creator of the franchise. It has never changed – even after the redesigns. He always wore a freckled, smiling girl with two pigtails and a striped collar. Only the drawing style was updated. The most recent version is even more friendly than the others, as the surrounding details have disappeared and all attention is focused on a friendly smile. There is also special encryption in the logo: the word “mom,” written by hand, is hidden in the teeth of the collar.

The designers chose a retro typeface for the first emblems: the upper part was made in Old English letters, the lower one – in Showguide Normal font with large rectangular serifs. Now an individual typeface is used, reminiscent of handwritten text made with broad strokes.

Wendys Symbol

The fast-food chain’s signature palette is red, blue, black, and white. They create an attractive contrast in an original way. Previously, yellow was also used. As representatives of the company note, they are very strict about the observance of style and color in all franchise outlets.

Wendys color codes

Pale Pink Hex color: #ffd4d8
RGB: 255 212 216
CMYK: 0 17 15 0
Pantone: PMS 699 C
Scarlet Hex color: #ff0c36
RGB: 255 12 54
CMYK: 0 95 79 0
Pantone: PMS Bright Red C
Crimson Glory Hex color: #b70328
RGB: 183 3 40
CMYK: 0 98 78 28
Pantone: PMS 1795 C
Spanish Sky Blue Hex color: #02afed
RGB: 2 175 237
CMYK: 99 26 0 7
Pantone: PMS 801 C
Zinnwaldite Brown Hex color: #311810
RGB: 49 24 16
CMYK: 0 51 67 81
Pantone: PMS 4975 C

What is the meaning of the Wendys Logo?

The Wendy’s logo signifies a friendly attitude towards customers because it depicts a friendly smiling girl. This is the same Wendy mentioned in the company’s name, the daughter of Dave Thomas. When opening the first restaurant, Dave decided to perpetuate his daughter’s face and playful nickname in his visual identity. So she ended up on the emblem, where her image is presented in the form of a freckled girl with red hair and two funny pigtails.

What does the logo symbolize Wendys Logo?

The Wendy’s logo symbolizes the main principle of the restaurant chain - to create a friendly atmosphere that is as attractive as possible for customers. To do this, the brand uses in visual identification the image of the eight-year-old daughter of Dave Thomas, who decided to name the company after his fourth child. The girl on the emblem smiles affably, and the freckles on her face give the image of ease, naturalness, carelessness, and spontaneity.

What is the hidden message in Wendy logo?

Wendy’s logo has a hidden message. If you look closely at the raven on the girl’s neck, you can see patterns in the form of the word ‘mom.’ The role of the letter ‘o’ is played by a round cameo of light blue color, and two ‘m’ are formed by folds of fabric, which are highlighted with the same shade of blue. According to the company’s owners, this element appeared by chance after the redesign. But in the context of a catering chain, it can symbolize the family focus of restaurants.

Why is Wendy’s mascot a girl?

Wendy’s mascot is a funny eight-year-old girl with red pigtails and freckles. This is not just a fictional character but the daughter of the company’s founder Dave Thomas. In fact, her name is Melinda Lou Thomas-Morse, but due to her inability to pronounce some letters, she received the nickname Wendy as a child. That is, the owner of the restaurant chain decided to perpetuate its image both in the name and in the brand logo. So he wanted to express love and affection for his child.

Why did Wendy’s change their logo?

Wendy’s rebranded in 2012 to position itself as an upscale hamburger chain. With the same goal, she updated the logo, which changed everything except the concept. Now the girl’s face looks more modern because the drawing style has changed. The artists added visual volume to the hair by using several different shades. The inscription has become soft due to uneven handwritten letters with rounded lines.

What is the story behind Wendy’s logo?

The girl on Wendy’s logo is the daughter of the founder of the company, Dave Thomas. In this picture, she is eight years old - the same age as she was at the time of the opening of the first restaurant. In fact, the girl’s name was Melinda, and Wendy was her playful nickname, derived from her inability to pronounce letters. When choosing a name for the brand, Dave tried the names of all five children and eventually settled on the nickname, Melinda. Then he asked his daughter to collect her hair in pigtails and photographed her like that.

Why does the Wendy’s logo have mom in it?

According to Wendy’s, the hidden word ‘mom’ on the logo appeared quite a by accident. The artists redrew the portrait and enlarged it so that the sleeves were not visible. But it so happened that the cameo and the folds of fabric on the collar formed themselves into letters.

Who is the Wendy’s logo girl?

The fifth child of the founder of the Dave Thomas restaurant chain is immortalized on the logo and in the name of Wendy’s. Now, this is a grown woman named Melinda Lou Thomas-Morse, but then she was an eight-year-old girl with the funny nickname Wendy, which appeared due to the incorrect pronunciation of the letter ‘l’ in the word Melinda.

What year did Wendy’s turn red?

If we talk about the moment when Wendy’s logo began to use red, then this happened in 1969. That is, different shades of red have been present in the identity of the restaurant chain since its inception. And yellow finally disappeared from the emblem in 2007.