IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. is a veterinary diagnostics, software, and water testing company headquartered in Westbrook, Maine, serving customers in more than 175 countries and territories.[1] The company’s corporate identity is built around the IDEXX wordmark, a registered trademark that has been in continuous use since the late 1980s.
Design and History
IDEXX was incorporated in 1983 as AgriTech Systems, Inc., and changed its name to IDEXX in 1988.[2] The name derives from IDX, the abbreviation for immunodiagnostics.[2] The IDEXX wordmark was registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, with a registration number of 1815598.[3] The mark is registered as a typeset word mark, meaning the protection covers the word “IDEXX” itself rather than a specific stylized logo design.[3]
IDEXX’s own trademark guidelines note that the company uses “specially designed logotypes” that are trademarked, some of which employ bold or italic typefaces or color.[4] The company’s official website and newsroom materials display the IDEXX name in a straightforward, all-caps wordmark format.
Meaning and Symbolism
The IDEXX name itself carries the primary documented meaning: it is based on IDX, the abbreviation for immunodiagnostics, reflecting the company’s founding focus on diagnostic testing.[2] The company was originally incorporated as AgriTech Systems, reflecting its early focus on agricultural and livestock diagnostics, before the 1988 name change to IDEXX aligned the corporate identity with its immunodiagnostics technology.[2]
No official documentation has been found that assigns specific symbolic meaning to the letterforms, the double-X ending, or any color treatment in the IDEXX wordmark. The trademark registration describes the mark simply as the word “IDEXX” in typeset form.[3]
Typography and Design
The IDEXX wordmark is registered as a typeset word mark, which under USPTO classification means the mark consists of standard characters without claim to any particular font, style, size, or color.[3] IDEXX’s trademark guidelines confirm that the company employs specially designed logotypes, some using bold or italic typefaces or color, though the specific typeface used in the primary IDEXX wordmark has not been publicly identified by the company.[4]
IDEXX has also developed distinct visual identities for sub-brands and product lines. For example, the company engaged the naming agency Catchword to develop the name and visual identity for Vello, its pet owner engagement platform. The Vello symbol was designed to recall a heart and the letter V, with two interweaved lines suggesting collaboration between veterinary practice and pet owner.[5] This demonstrates that IDEXX’s approach to branding extends beyond the corporate wordmark to include purpose-built identities for individual products.
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