Meijer is an American supermarket founded in 1934 that is known as the best wholesaler and retailer of food products in the United States.
Currently, Meijer has over 250 stores, with half of the supermarket chains concentrated in Michigan, where the company initiated, and the remaining are in the neighboring states (Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois).
The headquarters are located in Walker, Michigan, and throughout nearly the century since its inception, the corporation has been a huge success.
One of the main reasons why the supermarket is so well known and has become so famous throughout the years is the iconic emblem that has represented the company and earned the hearts of shoppers around the country.
This supermarket chain is famously known for its creativity, which doesn’t stop at its stores. Every inch of Meijer’s marketing is unique and creative and helps the supermarket distinguish itself from other chains that may be similar.
When first seeing the Meijer logo logo, one might think it’s a simplistic design. Still, upon further inspection, it’s easy to see that one simple logo contains an extraordinary amount of expression and creativity.
In this article, we’ll look at the history of the Meijer logo and how it reached its current state through various redesigns.
1934––1957: The First Logo
Meijer’s first logo was initially designed in 1934 and marked the start of the supermarket and its new and fresh identity.
Back then, however, the supermarket chain didn’t have the name that we associate with it now; rather, it was called Thrift Market.
The brand’s fresh logo reflected this name, featuring a long red horizontal rectangle with white letters inside.
The white uppercase letters were in an almost vintage-looking font that was unusual during the period.
A small square dot was shown at the end of the name, and added an embellishment to the design.
1957––1966: The First Logo Redesign
The first logo lasted the chain for over two decades before they decided it was time to change. This time, the brand decided it was time to use a different shape, and instead of using a rectangle, they opted for a pentagon. In true Meijer fashion, this new badge didn’t merely feature a pentagon; instead, it customized the pentagon to have rounded edges and fit so that the white letters pushed out of it. By then, the name had been officially switched from Thrift Market to Meijer. The red pentagon has edges of various lengths, and a large and chunky font shows “Meijer” above smaller letters that read “Super Markets.” The name is in lowercase, while the two words at the bottom are in uppercase letters. The one distinguishing aspect of the design is the white stars that are on top of the “i” and “j” in the first part of the company name.
1966––1984: A Simpler Look
The second logo didn’t last quite as long as the first one, this time long-lasting nine years before the brand’s designers thought a more simplistic look would fit the brand.
This time they decided to take the name as the basis of the style and work around that to ensure it would make it the main center of attention.
The designers’ main focus was on the ‘m’ in the company name and curating all other elements of the design to work around it. The shape was changed again; this time, the brand adapted to a solid red square.
The text is white on the red background, with a large ‘m’ shown with the company name below it. All of these characters are similar to the large’ m,’ being executed uniquely and creatively.
This was a cool and contemporary design that stood out, and although it was different from the competition, it also had enough similarity to the previous designs that you could tell it was the same brand.
The logo was cohesive with the rest of the brand while also allowing the company to move forward and develop a new emblem.
1984––2004: Yellow Is Added
Meijer decided it was time for another redesign in 1984; this time, they decided to add some yellow. Now, red wouldn’t be the only primary color in the design.
The brand opted to redesign the logo this year because it was a significant date, Meijer’s 50th anniversary.
This time, the brand opted to completely redo the emblem, removing any type of shape from the logo and instead focusing just on the company name. This time they also removed the lone ‘m’ from the design and just focused on showing the company name as a whole.
The new Meijer logo featured a bold uppercase font in a light shade of red. They used miniature serifs and clear angles in the font design to ensure that it would have an impact.
Now, the ‘dots’ above the ‘j’ and ‘i’ were shown as yellow parallelograms slanted to the left. This time, the logo appeared as a bright and happy emblem, professional and sharp yet happy and stylish. The designers opted to remove any type of background for the design entirely and simply showed a white background that the white stood out and made an impact on viewers.
2004––Present: The Logo Today
The logo was redesigned in 2004 and hasn’t been touched since, being the logo that customers can still find today represented on all of Meijer’s branding.
This logo radically differs from the previous ones, featuring only text with no graphics. This logo was the most simplistic of all the logos to date, showing just the company name on a white background. The letters were rounded and streamlined, having smooth lines and a stylish appearance.
The only exception to this cohesive design are the dots on the ‘i’ and ‘j.’ These are perfectly rounded and appear in dark blue, standing out from the other aspects of the design.
This logo is still used for the brand today and has won over many hearts by making it well-established.
What makes the logo stand out?
A question that many have when it comes to the Meijer logo is why it stands out and makes such an impact.
This is one of the most famous logos for shopping centers, and the most significant reasons behind this are the font and the colors used.
The font choice in this logo is simplistic and minimalist, showcasing the brand and its values by keeping it simple and not having a lot of elements included in the logo it allows for the focus to be entirely on the name and the colors.
The colors themselves keep it simple: red, blue, and white. However, the main focus lies on the red and ensuring that the name fully stands out. Using the two dark blue dots in the company name adds depth and layer to the design, ensuring Meijer continues to use creativity as it always has.
The History of Meijer
Now that we’ve examined the history of Meijer’s visual identity, it’s time to explore the history of the supermarket chain itself.
The chain was founded in 1934 during the Great Depression by Hendrik Meijer, who owned a barber shop in Greenville, Michigan. From his seat talking to customers in his barbar shop, Meijer had the opportunity to see what the different needs in the community were.
One of these needs was for an advanced grocery store. Meijer enlisted the help of his then fourteen-year-old son, Fred, and together they opened what was then known as Thrift Market. Meijer was one of the first stores that offered customers self-service shopping and shopping carts.
He offered staples such as vinegar for cheap prices, which appealed to customers. In 1941, Meijer’s second location opened in Cedar Springs, Michigan.
This store operated under the management of Johanna Meijer, one of the many women staff who worked at Meijer during this period.
From then on, Meijer continued to open more stores across the US. By 1994, they had stores in Ohio and Indiana. The supermarket chain was quickly growing, and as more traction came, Meijer continued to gain more popularity.
Their stores were open all Sundays, and many were open 24 hours a day. These were new, groundbreaking ideas for the type of supermarket it was and made moves in the industry.
Meijer has been credited with pioneering the modern supercenter concept in 1962. 1962 marked a substantial moment for the chain when it opened its modern format with a store in Grand Rapids. This large store, totaling 180,000 square feet, emerged with the creativity of combining grocery and department store shopping.
Hendrik Meijer passed away in 1964, and Fred Meijer took over the company after his death. Under Fred’s management, the stores became massive successes.
To this day, they are still successful and have only grown in popularity and become more successful as the years have passed. Today, Hendrik Meijer’s grandsons, Hank and Doug Meijer are the current co-chairmen.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the history of the Meijer logo is an interesting one. It has undergone many changes and has been redesigned to become the emblem we associate with the brand.
The supermarket chain has spread around the midwestern United States and symbolically impacted grocery store history.
Above, we looked at the history of the logo and how it’s changed throughout the year. We’ve also looked at the brand’s history and how it’s gotten to the massive success we see today.
This article shows exactly how the memorable logo got to be where it is today and the big moves the brand has made in history.
