FedEx Corporation originally known as FDX Corporation, is a cargo airline, courier and printing company, based in Tennessee, United States. The company offers overnight courier, ground, heavy freight, and document copying and logistics services. FedEx is a syllabic abbreviation of the company’s original name, Federal Express.
Federal Express was founded Fred Smith in 1971 in Arkansas, United States. Since the Little Rock National Airport did not give the sufficient support, Smith moved the company to Memphis, Tennessee in 1973. The Memphis International Airport gave him the necessary support.
The FedEx Logo
The original Federal Express logo was designed by Richard Runyan in 1973. The logo consists of the name ‘Federal Express’ diagonally positioned with blue and white background. The fonts are very simple, big, bold, distinct, clear and neat making it easily readable giving it a logotype style. The logo depicted a friendly and accessible image of the company. FedEx management believed that the logo did not represent its expanding global interests. The company wanted to preserve its brand equity, while ensuring that its identity stood out from a growing field of global competitors. So they appointed Lindon Leader to design the new logo.
The New millennium FedEx logo
Lindon Leader convinced Federal Express management to shorten their corporate name and logo from “Federal Express” to the popular abbreviation “Fed Ex”, stressing the fact that the abbreviated name gave the company an instant international recognition and reputation which exemplifies in sophistication. Needless to say it had the effect. The new logo won more than 40 awards, worldwide. Economically the new version saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in paint cost. The logo came into effect from 1994.
The font of the Fed Ex logo is a simple one though. The Fed is always purple and the Ex is in a different color for each division. For FedEx Express, the overnight courier services the Ex is Orange; for FedEx Freight, the Ex is Red; for FedEx, the Ex is Green; for FedEx Custom Critical which delivers urgent, valuable, or hazardous items the Ex is Blue; for FedEx Trade Networks the Ex is Yellow; for FedEx Services which provides information technology services the Ex is Grey which is also the color of the ‘Ex’ in its corporate logo; for Fed Ex Kinko’s Office and Print Service which provides printing, copying, logistics and a range of media services the Ex is blue as that of Fed Ex Custom Critical with an added feature of the name Kinko’s in purple after the letter FedEx.
The FedEx Logo has a hidden element in it. Unless someone points out the hidden element most people do not notice. The logo has a right-pointing arrow located in the negative space between the E and x. The hidden sign symbolizes the speed and precision of this courier office. The innovative arrow depicts a mild form of subliminal advertising symbolizing forward movement and thinking of the company. Needless to say the new logo won more than 40 awards and is regarded as the best creative design ever.
