We all love Subway, don’t we? Well, most of us do. What’s not to like about it? You enter the shop and choose everything from the bread and the fillings to seasoning and sauces – all of which come together to make a sumptuous wrap we call a Sub. Sure, the company has had its ups and downs over the years, but it has constantly tried to keep itself relevant according to the customers’ preferences. This was the reason why the old Subway logo was replaced with a new one in 2016 after almost 15 years.
Subway logo evolution
Subway started in 1965 as a single sandwich shop founded by 17-year-old Fred DeLuca. The goal for DeLuca was to earn money to pay for medical school. He received a loan of $1,000 from Dr Peter Buck, a family friend, to set up the sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He named him “Pete’s Super Submarines” after Dr Buck.
Soon, the two men opened another shop and then a third. Then came the moment for the first marketing pivot. To boost brand recall and recognition, they decided to shorten the name from Pete’s Super Submarines to Pete’s Subway. At the time, they introduced the yellow logo with the arrows around Subway.
In the 1970s the brand dropped the word Pete’s from their name. According to one theory, this was done because on the radio – the social media of that time for marketing – Pete’s Submarine sounded a lot like ‘Pizza Marines’ which impacted their customers’ brand impression. Then, the number of Subways multiplied as the two partners decided to begin franchising.
This brought incredible growth and popularity to the sandwich shop. Today, it is one of the largest restaurants in the world in terms of the number of franchises. On its website, Subway claims to have more than 37,000 restaurants in over 100 nations. The company has more restaurants across the world than any other chain, even beating giants like KFC and Mcdonald’s.
The Subway logo history also reveals interesting insights into how the company always tried to keep up with the changing demands as the years passed by.
Why old Subway logo was changed?
Since 1965, when it was Pete’s Super Submarines, the company had several logos. The original Subway logo was actually the blue and red Pete’s Super Submarines logo. Over time, it changed to Pete’s Submarine and then to Subway.
After a couple of evolutions, the company settled on its most recognizable logo till then. In 2002, the Subway logo featured italicized bold font – in white colors for SUB and yellow for WAY – with green outlines. The tips of S and Y ended in the iconic arrows which came to be identified as Subway’s brand identity.
Another version of the logo, designed in the year 2015, featured the same typeface but this time with green colors and without any outlines. Basically, they turned the logo into a monochrome, reduced the font size, and removed outlines to create the new iteration of their logo with the iconic arrows retaining their places.
The green and white logo remained Subway’s face for almost 15 years till 2016, when the company decided it was time for a logo redesign. The new Subway logo had a modernized design as per the contemporary needs.
The inscription was bold but not italics, with the rounded sans-serif typeface. The white and yellow font colors were changed to yellow and green, and font outlines were also removed. With the removal of italics from the typeface, the arrows on S and Y appeared more pointed and sharper.
Design elements
In terms of design, the new logo still had green and yellow elements but looked minimalistic in line with the demand of the late 2020s. A number of brands redesigned their bulky logo to create simplistic versions that look easy on the eyes and can be responsive on smaller screens, like mobile phones.
The company also created a monogram out of its new logo, this monogram which was then designed on the company’s packaging. The monogram only features S formed out of two arrows, each pointing in the opposite direction.
If we talk about the Subway logo meaning, it features two iconic arrows, depicting entry and exit. This means that customers could grab their food swiftly and have it while on the go. This aligns with the company’s reputation for serving food with convenience.
The vibrant yellow and green colors in darker shades used by the company were in line with the practice of most restaurants and eateries to use bright colors in their branding elements. This obviously has a psychological element attached to it as sharp colors improve people’s appetites, convincing them to make a run to the restaurant and grab their favorite meal.
Let’s now discuss some of the reasons why the company might have felt the need to leave Subway’s old logo and come up with a new design to become its identity.
1. Competitive edge
At the time Subway redesigned its logo, the company was not doing very well in keeping up with its competitors like Chipotle and Firehouse Subs. So, in a sense, the new logo was a means for the company to revamp itself and compete with its rivals with a new face and energy.
This is what the Subway CEO said when the new logo was launched:
“The Subway brand is recognized throughout the world, and this new look reinforces our commitment to staying fresh and forward-thinking with a design that is clear and confident without losing sight of our heritage.”
This clearly hinted at the company’s ambition to get in the race with its competitors and compete with new energy with a new logo.
2. A new face of the brand
At the time of the launch of the new logo, a Subway spokeswoman told CNBC that they saw this as a way to refresh their look while remaining true to the brand’s origins by using the vibrant color palette of the mid-’60s when the brand was founded.
Subway always had a reputation for offering a meal different from its competitors. A fully customizable sandwich with the bread of your choice, the filling of your choice, loaded with veggies, drenched in your favorite sauce – wow!
Subway logos over the years have tried to reinforce the company’s USP – freshness. Subway positioned itself as a healthier alternative by promoting nutritious and wholesome meals. Their “Eat Fresh” slogan resonated with health-conscious consumers seeking better options on the go.
But, over time, it started losing out to the competitors who were offering a more diversified product. What Subway needed was a fresh start. By updating its visual identity, Subway hoped to reinforce its relevance, attract new customers, and also get its MoJo back to win lost customers who might have gone to other options.
After the logo redesign, the company launched a new loyalty program called “Subway MyWay Rewards.” Under the new scheme, Subway introduced personalized deals and rewards for customers based on their buying history. This idea was to improve the rate of customer retention and increase footfall in their restaurants.
3. Evolution based on people’s preferences
For Subway, the new logo was the “next step” in its evolution. This was also stated by Subway’s president and CEO Suzanne Greco, who stated that they were on an exciting journey to meet the changing tastes of their guests.
So, the company didn’t only stop at changing its logo. It also made tweaks to its menu and brought in a more diversified range of products. It started using the rotisserie chicken and carved turkey breast in its Subs and launched a new tech division called Subway Digital to revamp its website, mobile application, and digital payments – all for a more seamless customer experience.
4. New marketing efforts
After redesigning its logo, the next logical step for Subway was to familiarize its customers with it. This required an ingenious strategy to present the logo in such a way that it could attract the most eyeballs. So, what did the company do? They started airing their ads with Subway’s new logo during NBC’s coverage of the Olympics Opening Ceremony. This only seemed like the most logical marketing step because where else would you find more eyes than the most popular sporting competition in the world?
The company also used online mediums for its marketing before the revamped logo and symbol were rolled out at all Subway locations in 2017. Another marketing strategy used by the company was to make the new logo a part of the campaign to highlight its USP – fresh and locally sourced offerings. Earlier, the company had pledged to not use artificial colors, flavors and preservatives in any of its products. This was done to reinforce the brand perception of Subway offering fresh products.
The new campaign was named #SearchforBetter, and it was created by a Boston-based company. The new campaign was also launched during NBC’s coverage of the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Conclusion
The decision to replace the old Subway logo was a conscious effort on the part of the company to pivot its brand position and adapt to the changing demands of its customers. The new logo gave the company a fresher and more modern look, which was in sync with contemporary demands. Subway’s rebranding was helped by an elegant design that had a modern look, but also the elements to reflect the company’s pasts – like the iconic arrows and green and yellow color.
