New locations used this logo for their signage until 1982,[1] while some previous locations had this logo up to 1988. This logo became a secondary logo in 1975. Although rarely used after 1982, it continued to be used internally via a promotional symbol until 1987.
1971–1987[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Macbeth
Launched:
December 1971
Despite the following logo being introduced in 1984, this logo was used in tandem with said logo on building plans into 1987.[2] As of 2021, this is still used at a location in Santa Barbara, California (though the 1994 logo is used as an external sign near it).[3]
February 6, 1984 (first use) [4] May 17, 1984 (public reveal)[5]
In a Los Angeles Times piece from December 7, 1982 on San Francisco design firm S&O Consultants, chairman Robert Ohrenschall confirmed S&O had “just been” hired to redesign Taco Bell’s image.
Despite the following logo having been introduced so early into 1994, locations continued to open with this logo until at least March 1995.[6] Some older locations continued to use this logo until the early-to-late-2010s, however some locations continue to use this logo. This includes Scottsdale, Arizona, Aberdeen, North Carolina, Monterey, California, Cary, North Carolina, and Columbus, Ohio.[7][8]
Two unknown locations began to use this logo some time in June and July 1984 respectively,[9][10] whilst its earliest known use for franchise materials internally is January 1, 1985.[11]
1992–1994 (alternate)[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Unknown
Launched:
October 15, 1991 (registered) [12] February 1, 1992 (first use)
This logo was used in tandem with the previous logo in promotional materials.
In 1994, Taco Bell introduced a new logo designed by Lippincott & Margulies. This version retains the same concept of its 1984 predecessor but appears to be based on the secondary logo from 1992.
Despite being discontinued in 2016, this logo is still used at several locations, and was also used for the Taco Bell Arena until 2019, when it was renamed the ExtraMile Arena.
On November 14, 2016, Taco Bell revealed a revamped version of its logo to coincide with the opening of its flagship restaurant in Las Vegas. Designed in-house with help from Lippincott (who designed the previous logo), this logo sees the bell symbol revised and changed to different shades of purple, with the wordmark in a new sans serif font.
