The Panda Express logo is one of the most recognized brand marks in American fast food. It features a stylized panda bear with bold red lettering, a clear signal of the chain’s Chinese American cuisine.
The first Panda Express opened in October 1983 in the food court of the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California. Andrew and Peggy Cherng created it as a fast-food spin-off of Panda Inn, the restaurant Andrew and his father, chef Ming-Tsai Cherng, opened in Pasadena in 1973.
The parent company, Panda Restaurant Group, is based in Rosemead, California, and the chain now has more than 2,400 locations. The logo is the main identifier everywhere, from storefront signage to the app and packaging.
What is the Panda Express Logo?
The Panda Express logo is a combination mark: a panda bear illustration with the brand name in red lettering. The current circular version, with the descriptor “Chinese Kitchen,” was filed as a trademark in October 2014 and replaced the “Gourmet Chinese Food” era. No designer or agency has been publicly credited.
| Symbol | Panda bear illustration, set in a circle with “Panda Express” and “Chinese Kitchen” in the full badge version |
| Designer/agency | Not publicly credited |
| Current version since | 2014 (trademark filed October 2014, registered March 2016) |
| Colors (hex) | Red #D61927, near-black #0A1B22, white #FFFFFF |
| Typeface | Custom lettering, not a retail font; bold sans-serifs such as Archivo or Montserrat are suggested as free look-alikes |
| Previous major version | Earlier panda logos with the “Gourmet Chinese Food” descriptor; the original ran from 1983 to 2009 |
How Has the Panda Express Logo Evolved Over Time?
The panda has been part of the logo since the first restaurant opened. What changed was the descriptor under the name, the shade of red and the lettering.
Panda Express hasn’t published an official logo timeline. The dates below come from trademark records and Wikipedia’s logo captions.
Original Panda Express Logo (1983-2009)
The first logo paired a panda with the Panda Express name and ran from 1983 to 2009, according to Wikipedia’s caption for it.
It arrived with the Glendale Galleria location. The mall’s manager, Donahue Schriber, had invited the Cherngs to create a fast-food version of Panda Inn for the food court.
No designer has been credited for it.
The “Gourmet Chinese Food” Logo (Before 2014)
For years the brand ran with the descriptor “Gourmet Chinese Food.” Panda Restaurant Group registered “Panda Express Gourmet Chinese Food” as a trademark back in 1996, after filing in 1995.
This is the old Panda Express logo many people remember from mall food courts in the 1990s and 2000s. When the 2014 refresh came out, the design blog Grits & Grids described the old red as cooler, close to a dark magenta.
Current Panda Express Logo (2014-Present)
In October 2014, Panda Restaurant Group filed a new design mark. Its trademark description reads as a panda bear surrounded by the words “PANDA EXPRESS CHINESE KITCHEN,” all within a concentric circle design. It was registered in March 2016.
The key changes:
- “Gourmet Chinese Food” gave way to the shorter “Chinese Kitchen”
- The red was warmed up
- The wordmark got new lettering, wider than before
In many uses, the panda and the name appear without the circle. When text sits beside it, the look is close to a bold sans-serif font.
What Do the Design Elements of the Panda Express Logo Mean?
The panda comes straight from the name, which the company has used since Panda Inn in 1973. The giant panda is one of the best-known symbols of China, so it ties the brand to Chinese food at a glance.
Its black and white coloring creates natural contrast that works across all applications. Panda Express hasn’t published a formal explanation beyond that.
What Are the Panda Express Logo Colors?
Panda Express doesn’t publish official color codes. BrandColorCode lists these values for the current logo:
- Red #D61927: the wordmark and main brand color
- Near-black #0A1B22: the panda’s dark markings
- White #FFFFFF: the panda’s face and backgrounds
BrandColorCode notes that its CMYK and Pantone matches are estimates, not values from Panda Express’s guidelines. So treat any Pantone number you see online as a guess. The same goes for RGB breakdowns.
Red is widely linked with luck and celebration in Chinese culture. In general color psychology, it also reads as energetic and attention-grabbing, which helps in crowded food courts. The company hasn’t said which of these drove the choice.
What Font Does Panda Express Use?
The Panda Express logo uses custom lettering, not a typeface you can download. No official font name has been published.
The current lettering is bold and wide, so the name takes up more space without adding clutter. If you want a similar feel for free, font guides suggest bold sans-serifs such as Archivo or Montserrat. They’re look-alikes, not the real thing.
Earlier logos used different lettering, and the “Gourmet Chinese Food” line sat in a smaller style below the name.
What Are the Hidden Meanings in the Panda Express Logo?
There’s no confirmed hidden symbol in the Panda Express logo.
The circle in the 2014 badge version simply frames the panda and the words “Panda Express” and “Chinese Kitchen.” Ideas like bamboo shapes in the letters or a “forward-moving” panda are fan readings, not anything the company has stated.
How Does the Panda Express Logo Compare to Competitor Logos?
Among fast food logos, Panda Express stands out with its animal mascot. Many competitors rely on wordmarks or abstract symbols.
The McDonald’s logo uses golden arches. The Wendy’s logo features a human mascot. The Taco Bell logo uses its bell icon.
Panda Express shares more DNA with the Chick-fil-A logo, which also works an animal into its mark. Both benefit from memorable, distinctive marks that children recognize instantly.
It’s also not the only brand with a panda logo. The best-known other example is WWF, whose panda was designed by Sir Peter Scott and inspired by Chi Chi, a panda at London Zoo.
What Cultural Impact Has the Panda Express Logo Had?
Panda Express grew into one of the biggest restaurant chains in the United States, with more than 2,400 locations. Its panda became the face of mall-food-court Chinese food for a generation.
That friendly panda made the cuisine feel familiar to diners who might never have walked into a local Chinese restaurant.
Dishes like orange chicken, which a Panda Express chef says he developed in Hawaii in 1987, are now tied to the panda almost as closely as the name itself.
How Does the Panda Express Logo Fit Into the Overall Brand Identity?
The logo anchors a broader visual system. Red dominates the color palette on packaging, signage and the app, and the panda appears on everything from takeout boxes to merchandise.
Restaurant design plays its part too. Newer prototypes lean on red lanterns, fretwork and moon-gate entries that echo the brand’s Chinese roots.
Everything connects back to that central mark. Like most chains, Panda Express keeps internal brand guidelines for this, but they aren’t public.
How Should the Panda Express Logo Be Used?
Panda Express doesn’t publish public logo rules, so this is general advice rather than the brand’s own guidance:
- Trademark: The panda design and the Panda Express name are registered trademarks of Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. Commercial use needs permission.
- Editorial use: News, reviews and commentary can generally show the logo to identify the brand.
- Keep it intact: Don’t stretch, recolor or redraw a trademarked logo.
- File quality: Vector graphics scale cleanly. A JPEG at a few hundred pixels copied from the web will blur when enlarged.
FAQ on the Panda Express Logo
What does the Panda Express logo look like?
It shows a black-and-white panda bear with “Panda Express” in red lettering. In the full badge version, the panda sits inside a circle with “Panda Express” and “Chinese Kitchen” around it. It’s a combination mark, a symbol plus a wordmark.
When was the Panda Express logo created?
The first logo dates to 1983, when the first restaurant opened at the Glendale Galleria. It was used until 2009. The current “Chinese Kitchen” version was filed as a trademark in October 2014.
Who designed the Panda Express logo?
No designer or agency has been publicly credited for any version of the Panda Express logo.
What did the old Panda Express logo look like?
Older versions paired the panda with the name and the descriptor “Gourmet Chinese Food.” Their red was cooler, closer to a dark magenta, and the lettering was narrower than today’s.
What font does Panda Express use?
Panda Express uses custom lettering, not a commercial font. No official typeface name has been published. For a similar look, bold free sans-serifs like Archivo or Montserrat come close.
What colors are in the Panda Express logo?
Red, black and white. BrandColorCode lists the red as #D61927 and the black as #0A1B22. The company doesn’t publish official Pantone or CMYK values. Red’s link to luck in Chinese culture is often cited in color theory discussions of the logo.
Why does Panda Express use a panda in its logo?
Because of the name. The family’s first restaurant, Panda Inn, opened in 1973, and Panda Express kept the animal. The giant panda is a widely recognized symbol of China, and its rounded shape feels friendly, a point the psychology of shapes supports.
What changed in the 2014 Panda Express logo?
The descriptor changed from “Gourmet Chinese Food” to “Chinese Kitchen,” the red became warmer and the lettering got wider. The circular badge version was registered as a trademark in March 2016.
What other companies have a panda logo?
The best-known one besides Panda Express is WWF. Its panda logo was designed by Sir Peter Scott and inspired by Chi Chi, a giant panda who lived at London Zoo.
Can I use the Panda Express logo for my project?
Not for commercial use without permission. The logo is a registered trademark of Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. Editorial use to identify the brand, such as in a news article, is generally fine.
Conclusion
The Panda Express logo shows what smart restaurant branding looks like. A single animal tells you the name, the cuisine and the friendly tone at once.
Four decades of updates changed the red, the lettering and the tagline without losing the panda. That takes discipline, and it’s why no famous graphic designer credit was ever needed for the mark to work.
Strong logo design principles and clear visual hierarchy keep everything cohesive across thousands of locations. The red typography carries the name, and the panda carries the memory.
A consistent brand style guide does the rest. Few fast food chains achieve this level of consistency with a logo this simple.
Good storytelling always wins in corporate identity.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Panda Express – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panda_Express
- Cohn Legal Group, Panda Express trademarks – https://cohnlg.com/trademarks/restaurants/panda-express
- BrandColorCode, Panda Express color codes – https://www.brandcolorcode.com/panda-express
- MaG Designs, What Font Does Panda Express Use? – https://madegooddesigns.com/?p=9130
- ChangeUp, Panda Express – https://changeupinc.com/work/panda-express/
- Wikipedia, World Wide Fund for Nature – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Fund_for_Nature
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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