Five Guys logo history, symbol meaning and evolution
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Five Guys logo history, symbol meaning and evolution

Five Guys Logo

You don’t need to be a fast-food connoisseur to be familiar with the Five Guys logo. This emblem has become a symbol of delicious, customizable burgers, hot dogs, and shakes across the globe, with a phenomenal customer following.

However, most people don’t know much about the Five Guys logo history or where the venture’s name came from.

Today, Five Guys is best known for selling fast food to consumers all around the globe. The organization started in the United States before franchising in 2003, allowing for a period of rapid expansion around the world.

In 2016, the company had more than 1,700 locations open worldwide, with another 1,300 already under development.

The Five Guys logo is a simple but eye-catching emblem intended to grab the attention of hungry customers on the move. Today, we’ll take a closer look at the Five Guys logo evolution and how the design has changed over the years.

Before we explore Five Guys logo history, let’s start by exploring the company itself. Five Guys Enterprises LLC, known as simply Five Guys, or Five Guys Burgers and Fries, first opened in Arlington County in Virginia in 1986. 

The organization was launched by Jerry and Janie Murrell, with a bit of extra help from their four sons, Ben, Chad, Matt, and Jim. Jerry and his sons were the original “Five Guys” responsible for running the venture together. 

Initially, the company’s expansion was relatively slow, with five locations throughout the US emerging by 2001. However, when the franchising section of the company opened in 2003, the team sold over 300 permits for franchising locations within a year. 

In 2016, Five Guys became the fastest-growing fast-food chain in the United States, boasting a phenomenal 32.8% sales increase between 2010 and 2011. Five Guys has also received a number of awards in different publications, including “Number 1 Burger”. 

Even US former president Barack Obama was reported as being a fan. 

In recent years, the chain has developed an avid cult following and has achieved amazing brand loyalty. The venture is rated one of the most talked-about burger brands in the digital world.

Why is it called Five Guys?

The Five Guys logo is focused on the unique name of the business. According to the organization, this name comes from the five men or “guys” responsible for running the venture. 

Janie and Jerry Murrell gave their sons the option of either attending college or helping develop the business. Fortunately for fast food lovers, they took the business route and dove into helping their father launch the Five Guys restaurants. 

Initially, these were Jerry and his four sons. However, the Murrells ended up having a fifth son, who also grew to play a part in the company’s evolution. 

Today, all five sons have their own role in running the business. Jim and Matt travel around the US visiting stores, while Chad is responsible for overseeing the training of new team members. Ben selects the franchisees, while Tyler runs the bakery, which makes the crucial Five Guys buns.

Five Guys logo history: The Five Guys logo evolution

Unlike many other fast-food restaurants, the Five Guys symbol has remained mostly the same over the years, with only a few distinct changes. Initially, the logo was somewhat more complex than it is today, with a significant amount of text compared to other similar emblems.

Let’s briefly look at the Five Guys logo evolution throughout the years.

Five Guys Logo

1986

Between 1986, when the fast-food location first opened, and 2005, the Five Guys brand used a simple logo featuring the name “Five Guys” in a bold, serif font. Underneath the name was the tagline “Famous Burgers and Fries,” with all the words except “and” written in uppercase.

Like today’s logo, this Five Guys symbol also featured the iconic red and white coloring connected to the modern brand. The color red is popular in the food industry, as it helps capture attention and cultivate a feeling of hunger.

Five Guys Logo

2005

In 2005, Five Guys began experimenting with different variations of their logos. The first alteration was made to the font in the initial logo with its red and white checkered lines on the top and bottom of the emblem.

A simple sans-serif font was chosen, and the word “famous” was removed from the tagline to simplify the image.

Following the update to this logo, the company began exploring an even more straightforward and modern version of the Five Guys symbol.

Five Guys Logo

The new variations of the logo featured only the name of the company, written in bold sans-serif font, either in red on a white background or white on a red background. This inspired the next stage of the Five Guys logo evolution.

Five Guys Logo

Today

The Five Guys logo today is an updated version of the previous simplified image, with the words “Five Guys” placed on two levels rather than appearing side-by-side.

In this design, the components of the logo are slightly refined, and the color red chosen for the background is deeper and darker to convey a sense of power and confidence.

Though the check-style borders have disappeared from the brand’s logo entirely, they still appear in some of the decorations used for various stores around the world.

Five Guys symbol meaning, fonts, and colors

The Five Guys logo today is a simple wordmark emblem designed to convey strength, confidence, and passion. The use of the color white on a red background makes the logo stand out and attracts the attention of fast-food consumers.

The simple but bold font choice is also excellent for making the company appear professional and friendly at the same time.

The stacked version of the logo is an excellent choice for preserving visual space. It has allowed Five Guys to expand its digital presence, create apps, and design branded assets for various delivery services around the globe.

If you’re interested in viewing the details of the Five Guys logo in further clarity, you can find some valuable resources to download here:

The Five Guys logo font is similar to the Helvetica black font, with an extra heavy and bold weight. When the “Burger and Fries” component still appears underneath the brand name, this part is similar to Tekton Bold, intended to symbolize regular handwriting.

The Five Guys font conveys power and strength while ensuring the company appears friendly, accessible, and welcoming to many customers. The extra spacing between each letter also helps to boost the legibility of the image.

The Five Guys logo color

Five Guys have consistently used a combination of red and white as their primary brand colors. The Five Guys logo colors are intended to attract the attention of fast-food consumers and make the stores stand out in busy supermarkets and streets.

As mentioned above, red is also a popular choice for many fast food vendors, as it can help to inspire both passion and hunger.

Red:
Hex: #C92027
RGB: (201, 32, 39)
CMYK: (14, 100, 98, 4)
PANTONE: PMS 711 C

The Five Guys logo might seem simple, but it has had a lasting impact on the brand’s followers. The powerful font choice and the engaging colors of white and red help strengthen the company’s image in a competitive food landscape.

The Five Guys logo symbolizes strength and passion, linking back to the company’s history and the origins of how it began. Today, this logo has a significant presence globally, and it’s considered a modern and appealing choice for the business.

Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.

Stephen Peate
Creative director
Stephen Peate
Creative director
As Fabrik’s creative director, Stephen oversees complex branding programmes. He advises our clients on their tone of voice, creates logos and visual identities and crafts names for companies, products and services. Writing for Brand Fabrik Stephen reflects his love for logo design and visual identity.

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