What Is the FedEx Logo?
The FedEx logo is the name FedEx in bold letters, Fed in purple and Ex in orange, with a right-pointing arrow hidden in the white space between the E and the x. Lindon Leader of Landor Associates in San Francisco designed it in 1994, when Federal Express shortened its name to FedEx.
FedEx is the delivery company Frederick W. Smith founded in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1971. It began formal operations from Memphis in 1973.
The purple and orange version is the mark of FedEx Express, the company's air delivery business. The wordmark with its hidden arrow is available as the FedEx logo SVG.
FedEx Logo Facts
| Designer | Lindon Leader, Landor Associates |
| Introduced | 1994 |
| Symbol | An arrow in the negative space between the E and the x |
| Logo type | Wordmark: the name with a hidden arrow |
| Owner | FedEx Corporation |
What the FedEx Logo Means
The arrow is the point of the design. It is not drawn in; it appears in the gap left between the capital E and the lower-case x. Leader said it conveyed getting from point A to point B reliably, with speed and precision.
The name itself was a strategic choice, for three reasons:
- Landor's research found that people already said "FedEx a package" in everyday speech.
- The shorter name moved the brand away from the word federal towards a global position.
- Landor wanted to position FedEx as an industry leader amid growing competition.
The letters are a custom design. The logotype combines features of Univers 67 Bold Condensed and Futura Bold, with very tight letter spacing and enlarged lower-case letters.
FedEx Logo History
FedEx traded as Federal Express until 1994, when Landor Associates shortened the name and drew the arrow logo.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Smith founds Federal Express Corporation |
| 1973 | The company moves operations to Memphis |
| 1994 | Landor Associates creates the FedEx logotype |
| 2016 | FedEx announces all units will adopt purple and orange |
Smith drew up the idea for the company in a term paper while he was at Yale. He chose Memphis International Airport for its central location in the United States.
Until 1994 the company traded under the full name Federal Express.
The Landor team then produced hundreds of mock-ups. Leader then spotted the arrow in the negative space of one of the tightly spaced versions. The new logotype shortened the name to FedEx and set it in purple and orange.
For years the company gave each business its own colour for the Ex. FedEx Express kept orange, and FedEx Ground used green, among other unit colours. In August 2016 FedEx announced that all of its operating units would adopt the purple and orange logo over the following five years.
For more brands like FedEx, browse our retail logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the arrow in the FedEx logo?
In the white space between the capital E and the lower-case x, pointing to the right.
Who designed the FedEx logo?
Lindon Leader, a senior design director at Landor Associates, in 1994.
What does the arrow in the FedEx logo mean?
Its designer said it stands for getting from point A to point B reliably, with speed and precision.
Why did Federal Express change its name to FedEx?
People already used FedEx as a verb, and the shorter name moved the brand away from the word federal towards a global image.
Why were some FedEx logos green?
FedEx Ground used green for the Ex, while FedEx Express used orange. In 2016 FedEx announced that all units would move to purple and orange.