Hannaford is a New England supermarket chain headquartered in Scarborough, Maine, operating stores across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. The company’s current visual identity centers on a cornucopia symbol paired with a custom wordmark, a design that has evolved through several documented branding phases since the mid-1990s.
Design and History
Hannaford Bros. Company first used its corporate name as a store logo in 1995, when newly built locations opened under the Hannaford banner. Prior to that, the company’s stores operated under the Shop ‘n Save name, which it had adopted early in its history. In 2001, Hannaford announced plans to convert all of its stores to the Hannaford banner over two years to strengthen its brand image. The conversion program commenced in October 2001 in Maine, and by August 2002, the familiar Shop ‘n Save signs had been replaced by the Hannaford sign and cornucopia symbol. The new signage reflected the company’s desire to create a consistent brand image of quality. [1] [2] [3]
In a later branding refresh, the Portland, Maine design studio Might & Main worked with Hannaford’s internal marketing team to refresh and contemporize the logomarks with custom type and fresh illustration. The studio noted that the brand was “in the process of a slow evolution” and that the work aimed to repair issues with readability and reproducibility while preserving brand equity, familiarity and recognizability. Jamra Patel, a letterform design studio also based in Portland, Maine, partnered on the project. [4]
Jamra Patel’s role focused on replacing a manipulated typeface with a custom-designed wordmark. Special attention was devoted to an arced version of the wordmark that, unlike the previous one, did not look distorted or forced. [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Hannaford trademark registration describes the mark as consisting of an arched red banner with a white line at the top and bottom, with the stylized wording “HANNAFORD” appearing in white between the lines. Below the banner is a depiction of a red tomato with a green leaf, a tan loaf of bread, two red cherries with tan stems, a green bell pepper with a green leaf, and purple grapes. [6]
The cornucopia arrangement of produce items visually communicates the grocery assortment offered in stores, a symbol that has been described in press coverage as reflecting the company’s desire to create a consistent brand image of quality. [3]
Typography and Design
The Hannaford wordmark is a custom-designed logotype created by Jamra Patel, replacing an earlier manipulated typeface. The studio’s work included an arced version of the wordmark designed to avoid the distortion that had affected the previous version. [5]
Might & Main’s refresh work included custom type and fresh illustration for the logomarks, with attention to improving readability and reproducibility across applications. The project scope included logo design refresh, custom wordmark, sub-brand design and brand guidelines. [4]
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