Aaron’s is an American lease-to-own retailer of furniture, electronics, appliances and home goods, founded in 1955 by R. Charles Loudermilk Sr. and headquartered in Atlanta. The company was publicly traded from 1982 until its acquisition by IQVentures in late 2024. Its visual identity has evolved through several distinct phases, from a sign-like early mark to the current stylized blue wordmark.
Design and History
The earliest Aaron’s logo, used from 1955 to 1964, was a combination of a black arrow pointing right and a white rectangle with a black outline. The word “Aaron” appeared in white sans-serif lettering on the arrow, while “Rents” was placed on the rectangle in black. A later version from the mid-1960s through the 1970s used an italicized, cursive-style font in black and white, with the name split by an oval medallion containing a man’s image. During the 1970s through the 1980s, the company adopted a deep blue rectangular background with contrasting white lettering in a bolder type style. In 1987, a more complex logo appeared: the word “Aaron’s” in large, bold dark blue letters crossed by a thin red line, with red text below reading “Rent-to-Own” and “Electronics – Appliances – Furniture,” accompanied by a striped red circle with a white lightning bolt. [1]
In April 2009, Aaron Rents Inc. officially changed its corporate name to Aaron’s Inc., a change the company said reflected its unique sales and lease ownership business model started in 1987. [2] The rebrand brought the corporate name in line with the name already used by its stores. [3]
The current logo consists of the word “AARON’S” in stylized blue letters, as described in a U.S. trademark filing that claims blue as a feature of the mark. [4] The wordmark is often accompanied by a tagline and an icon featuring a white letter “A” on a blue square, used for websites and mobile applications. [1]
In 2014, Aaron’s launched an integrated brand campaign under the message “Own the Life You Want,” created with its advertising agency of record, 22squared. The campaign accompanied a store redesign that incorporated a softer version of Aaron’s signature blue on the walls. [5]
In 2020, Aaron’s Inc. separated into two public companies: the Aaron’s Business segment became The Aaron’s Company, Inc., while the Progressive Leasing business was renamed PROG Holdings, Inc. [6] The Aaron’s Company was acquired by IQVentures in a take-private transaction completed in late 2024. [7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The blue color of the Aaron’s wordmark is the primary documented visual feature of the current logo, claimed as a trademark feature in the USPTO filing. [4] The 2014 store redesign used a softer version of this signature blue, indicating that blue functions as a consistent brand color across the retail identity. [5]
The possessive “Aaron’s” construction derives from the company’s founding name, Aaron Rents, and was retained when the corporate name was shortened to Aaron’s Inc. in 2009 to match the store brand. [2]
Typography and Design
The current logotype is set in an extra bold modern sans-serif typeface in title case. The italicized inscription closely resembles Futura Pro Extra Bold Oblique, while the tagline “Easy. Beautiful. Affordable.” uses a thinner, stricter typeface similar to Vito Black. The app icon uses the same Futura-style lettering for the white “A” on a blue square. [1]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
