The Heinz keystone is one of the most enduring symbols in packaged food branding. The H. J. Heinz Company has used a variation of its wordmark and keystone logo design since the company was formed in 1869, and the company itself has described the logo as “one of the world’s most familiar symbols.”[1]
Design and History
Early in his career, founder Henry J. Heinz adopted the keystone logo, which was featured on every label and quickly became an iconic symbol for the company.[2] By the early 1900s, H.J. Heinz products were identified by the famous Heinz pickle and signature keystone logo, design features still found on Heinz products today.[3]
The keystone shape was inspired by Pennsylvania, the home of Heinz, being the “keystone state.”[4] The company was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1869.[5]
In 2015, following the merger that created the Kraft Heinz Company, the company’s corporate identity guidelines emphasized that the Heinz logo should never be removed from the keystone graphic, nor should it be combined with any other logo.[1]
In 2020, design agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) unveiled a global masterbrand for Heinz, unifying the brand’s identity for the first time in 150 years. The work brought the keystone shape to the forefront, tweaking the logo, identity and packaging to better convey “simple greatness.”[6] The redesign arrived on shelves in early 2020 and prominently featured the keystone symbol.[7]
JKR noted that digging into the company’s archives revealed huge inconsistency of application throughout its history. The shape of the keystone was inconsistent across products, with some using three lines and others using different proportions. Particular attention was given to the keystone, which was reintroduced as a “living, breathing design asset.”[8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The keystone shape references Pennsylvania’s nickname, the Keystone State, where the company was founded.[7] The keystone logo is a registered trademark that appears on all Heinz products.[4]
The shape has become so strongly associated with the brand that Heinz has built advertising campaigns around it. In 2021, Heinz turned burgers, fries and hot dogs into its keystone logo in a campaign that played on the shape’s recognition.[4] In 2025, the brand launched a global “Looks Familiar” campaign revealing that fry boxes in restaurants around the world mirror the distinctive shape of the Heinz keystone logo.[9]
Typography and Design
As part of the 2020 masterbrand work, JKR introduced a pair of brand typefaces: Heinz Label, which has letterforms that mimic the Heinz logo, and a secondary typeface called Intro.[7] The comprehensive toolkit also included a definitive list of brand Pantones, plus the company’s trademarked Heinz Beanz Blue.[6]
The 2020 identity also limited the number of typefaces used across the brand to create simplicity and consistency, especially on packaging.[10]
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