This logo was adopted for the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise restaurants in 1954.
1959–1978 (primary); 1978–1983 (secondary)[]
In 1959, the chickens were removed from the brush lettering. Even after the introduction of the 1978 logo, the text of the 1959 logo continued to appear on KFC packaging until 1982, when it was replaced outright.
In 1978, KFC’s logo was totally overhauled for the first time. This drastic rebrand also saw the introduction of the mansard roof and the cubic tower on the center front of their restaurants, the first location featuring such opened in Zanesville, Ohio in March 1978. The Colonel Sanders head icon was also updated, becoming a more abstract design.
KFC[]
1991–1997[]
Designer:
Alvin Schechter of The Schechter Group
Typography:
Friz Quadrata
Launched:
February 12, 1991
The 1991 logo was the first logo to have the company refer to itself as "KFC" rather than "Kentucky Fried Chicken". The reasoning KFC gave behind this was that the word "fried" was often associated with very unhealthy foods and that their menu went beyond just fried chicken, though other rumors state that it was changed due to the use of the word "chicken". With this logo, the signature mansard roofs on restaurants were updated from the brown shingles to the new red plastic strips. The Colonel Sanders head icon from the 1978 logo is retained. This logo is still seen and used at only Canada locations.
This logo was designed by Landor Associates. Along with this logo, new and remodeled restaurants took away their mansard roof from the two previous logos, and now have a flat roof and awnings directly above the windows and entrances. The signature tower was made thicker and edgier with a flatter pyramid, and new restaurants placed the tower on one of the corners of the front end rather than in the middle, though remodeled restaurants usually kept the tower in the middle where they were when they were first built. This logo is still seen and used at some locations. The Colonel Sanders head icon from the last two logos is replaced with a new, more detailed, Colonel Sanders symbol showing his tuxedo. This logo was still used in the Philippines until 2007.
In 2006, the Colonel Sanders symbol was given a facelift, removing the wrinkles and replacing his tuxedo with an apron. The logo now has thicker lines on it, which help it stand out more. New and remodeled restaurants with this logo were updated once again, only with awnings flatter than from the previous logo and only above the windows where the tower stands, and have hanging black platforms with the words "WELCOME" and "DRIVE THRU" above the front doors and pick-up window, respectively. This logo was still used in China until 2021.
2014–present (Worldwide except China)[]
2014–2018[]
The company started using this throwback logo on advertising starting in January 2014.
In 2016, the full new look was launched while keeping some elements from the 2006 logo. Since 2017, the new design was rolled out worldwide. Also, it is the first logo since the 1991 logo to use just the Colonel Sanders head icon. China is the only country to not use this logo.
2016–2023 (North America), 2018–present (International)[]
Starting in 2016, a revitalised version of the 1959 logo with the addition of the Colonel Sanders image first introduced in 1965 has been used as an alternate logo for KFC advertisements. Since 2019, however, it has outright replaced the 2018 KFC logo in North American advertising and packaging, though the 2018 logo (combined with this logo's wordmark) would return as an endcap during North American advertisements in 2023.
2018–present, 2020–present (China)[]
In late 2018, a new version of the logo was introduced across many countries. The illustration of Colonel Sanders' head was modified slightly, noticeably by making his right ear clearer to see. The wordmark was altered significantly, taking on a more slab-serif appearance. This logo resembles the KFC Bucket. Some countries still use previous designs, while others such as the Philippines introduced this in 2019, China in 2020, and the US in late 2023.
Notes 1Joint venture with PAI Partners (61%). 2Joint venture with Empresas Polar. 3Joint venture with Strauss Group. 4Canada and Oceania only. 5Joint venture with Unilever. 6Juices only, used under licence. 7Former joint venture with Indofood.
