Jewel-Osco is a regional supermarket chain serving the Chicago metropolitan area, with stores also in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. The company traces its roots to 1899, when Frank Ross and his brother-in-law Frank Skiff founded the Jewel Tea Company in Chicago with $700, a rented horse and a secondhand wagon.[1] Today, Jewel-Osco operates as a banner of Albertsons Companies, which acquired the chain in 2013.[2]
Design and History
The Jewel-Osco name reflects the 1961 acquisition of Chicago-based Osco Drug stores by The Jewel Companies, Inc. The first Jewel-Osco food-drug combination stores were built in 1962.[3] The hyphenated wordmark unites the two heritage brand names under a single retail identity.
In early 2014, Jewel-Osco began rolling out a new circular logo design at remodeled locations, including stores it had purchased from Safeway after the closure of the Dominick’s chain. The updated mark placed “Jewel” above “Osco” within a circle, a departure from the horizontal wordmark that had appeared on stores for decades.[4] Observers noted that the new oval shape recalled the early “Jewel Food Stores” logo used when the company was first founded.[5]
Prior to this update, the storefront logo had been a simple italicized “Jewel-Osco” wordmark, which one contemporary observer described as essentially Arial in an italicized font.[4] The 2014 circular treatment represented a more substantial visual change, introducing a stacked arrangement of the two names within a contained shape.
Meaning and Symbolism
Jewel-Osco’s official brand guidelines identify a signature red as the primary brand color. The color is specified as Pantone 1795 C, with RGB values of 226-24-54 and hex code #E21D38.[6] The guidelines describe the logo as “the primary visual representation of the brand” and caution against altering it in any way, noting that modifications weaken its impact and trademark status.[6]
Typography and Design
Jewel-Osco’s brand guidelines specify Helvetica as the primary typeface, described as “a classic, clean font that allows us to express ideas simply, confidently, and in an approachable manner.” If Helvetica is unavailable, Arial may be used instead.[6] These typography specifications apply to the broader brand communications system managed by the Albertsons Companies Foundation, which publishes the guidelines for Jewel-Osco marketing materials.[7]
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