Famous Logos from Kentucky

Kentucky joined the Union in 1792 and the state seal was adopted immediately. The logo has remained steadfast and has undergone only minimal color shifting over the years, but the general look is steadfast. The logo is a circle within a circle, the outer ring reading the “Commonwealth of Kentucky” with the inner depicting a man in buckskin clothing embracing a man in a suit.

There is a rumor that the man in buckskin might be based on Daniel Boone, who is accredited with much of Kentucky’s discovery, while the suit-clad fellow is supposed to be Henry Clay, a well-known statesman in Kentucky history. No one can say for sure, so the two figures embracing in the logo are depicting characters that embody an everyman look, the buckskin-clothed fellow as standard frontier folk, and the suit-wearer covering the political contingent.

Within, the Kentucky motto is written in all capital letters. The words “UNITED WE STAND” are above the two men, with “DIVIDED WE FALL” below, and are considered the most important aspect of the symbol. Finally, corn stalks and olive branches finish the logo at the base within the outer circle. All letters in the outer ring in gold are backed with blue, and words within the inner portion in blue are backed with white.

KFC

It wouldn’t be Kentucky Fried Chicken without Kentucky, and while this singular restaurant entity known the world over might be distinct within its target market, as a part of Yum! Brands, it is only part of a huge conglomeration of restaurants, including Taco Bell, Long John Silvers, and A&W.

The first KFC logo wasn’t created until 22 years after Harland “Colonel” Sanders opened his first location. In 1952 the first logo was monochromatic, the name “Kentucky Fried Chicken” spelled out in a unique font all in black three chickens at the first letter of each word, all backdropped in white. It wasn’t until 1959 that the Colonel’s image added a human connection to the brand.

Each time the logo was updated, a new lettering font was used, with occasional adjustments to the Colonel's visage. In 1997 his look took on a thorough update, with a new hairstyle, but they never lost the unmistakable joy in his smile. When Kentucky Fried Chicken was shortened to KFC on the logos, it remained abbreviated, however, from time to time after 2018, it is fully spelled out in certain merchandise.

Humana

Started in 1961 in Louisville in Humana and was originally called Heritage House of America Inc. It is a for-profit healthcare company and is one of the largest publicly traded entities in its market. It began as a nursing home and in-home care service and the company was renamed in 1974 to humanize their mission beyond end-of-life management.

The logo was simple at first, the “H” in Humana was composed of a plus sign signifying the company as an element of the HealthCare industry. The rest of the word was in lowercase black font and bolded. 1994 saw a significant shift from the black and white logo, to this version written in blue in all caps, New Times Roman, with a dancing figure to the left of the company name.

2004 saw it change again, still with Humana written in blue, but the dancer is missing, and the logo today is green, in a less stuffy font, with the only carryover from the previous looks being the deep bolding of the letters.

GE

Another company started in Louisville, General Electric Company has been the premier tech conglomerate in the country since the day Thomas Edison founded it in 1878. The Articles of incorporation were drawn up in 1892, and GE has had a hand in more business creation than anyone can comprehend.

The logo was approved by the US patent office in 1900 and is the same now as it was when originally submitted. The stylized cursive GE in white on a black backdrop in a circle has only seen one small adjustment in 2004 when they changed the backing from black to blue.

The emblem was used for 23 years but the marketing wing of GE had some trouble making it a household staple. That is until an article was published by a man named Bruce Barton, titled “Initials of a friend.” This endeared the logo into hearts and burned it into the minds of happy and dedicated customers.