Wegmans Food Markets is a family-owned regional supermarket chain founded in 1916 by brothers John and Walter Wegman in Rochester, New York. The company’s visual identity has undergone several distinct phases, most notably a 2008 return to a script-style wordmark inspired by logos from the 1930s and 1940s.
Design and History
For nearly 50 years, Wegmans used a block-letter style logo first introduced in the 1970s. That mark was described as rigid, bold and angular, reflecting the design conventions of its era. In September 2008, the company announced it would gradually phase out the block-letter logo in favor of a script-style wordmark that harkened back to the grocer’s logos of the 1930s and 1940s. The transition was deliberately gradual: new employee uniform shirts and the weekly sales flier carried the new mark first, while grocery bags and packaging were updated as supplies ran out. Storefront signs were expected to take longer to replace due to cost. [1] [2]
The redesign was announced internally in a September 19, 2008 email to employees from Colleen Wegman, then president, and her father, CEO Danny Wegman, who wrote that the new logo was “both a reflection of our past and a vision for our future.” [3] Colleen Wegman explained the rationale publicly: “When we looked back at some of our earliest logos, they conveyed the warmth and personal attention to detail that we hope reflect our brand. The family culture in our company continues to grow. It was time to go back to our roots and to a logo that is welcoming because it is more like a family signature.” [4]
The 2008 script logo also became the subject of a trademark dispute. In November 2010, Walgreens sued Wegmans, claiming the scripted “W” in the grocer’s new logo too closely resembled Walgreens’ “flying W,” which the drugstore chain said had been in use since 1951. Wegmans responded that the scripted “W” it adopted in 2008 was actually a copy of logos the supermarket had used in the 1930s. [5] The case was settled in April 2011. Under the settlement, Wegmans agreed to discontinue use of the “circle W” symbol on its store-brand product packaging by June 30, 2012, but retained the right to freely use the name “Wegmans” in script. [6]
In December 2015, Wegmans unveiled a gold anniversary logo to celebrate its 100th year in business in 2016. The circular logo was developed by a creative team in the Wegmans marketing department and carried the grocer’s signature phrase, “Every day you get our best.” It appeared on anniversary uniform shirts, a reusable bag, a reusable coffee mug and a Wegmans gift card. [7] [8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The company’s own leadership has articulated the meaning behind the 2008 redesign. Wegmans described the cursive-style writing as “welcoming because it is more like a family signature,” connecting the mark to the company’s family culture and its earliest logos, which the company said conveyed “warmth and personal attention to detail.” [4] The script style was chosen specifically to evoke the grocer’s heritage rather than to introduce a new symbolic language.
Notably, the Wegmans wordmark has never included an apostrophe. The company’s website explains that the apostrophe has been “missing in action since 1931, when the company incorporated and we simplified the logo.” [9]
Typography and Design
The 2008 wordmark is a script-style logotype, a deliberate departure from the angular block-letter design that preceded it. Commentators at the time noted that the new script was a custom lettering job rather than an existing commercial typeface. [10] The mark is used as a standalone wordmark, though some Wegmans product packaging and in-store applications have paired it with other illustrative elements. No external design agency has been publicly credited for the 2008 redesign.
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