The Staples logo is a red wordmark with an upturned staple to its left. Staples unveiled this version in April 2019, replacing a logo whose letter “L” was drawn as a bent staple for more than 25 years.
Leo Kahn, Thomas Stemberg and Myra Hart founded the office supply retailer in Brighton, Massachusetts, in 1986. Sycamore Partners has owned it since 2017.
What is the Staples Logo?
The Staples logo is a combination mark: a red staple turned upside down, so it reads like a table or a doorway, beside the title-case word “Staples”. It was unveiled on April 10, 2019, during the company’s rebrand as “The Worklife Fulfillment Company”. Staples has not credited a designer or agency.
| Staples logo at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Symbol | An upturned red staple that can also read as a desk |
| Designer/agency | Not publicly credited |
| Current version since | April 2019 |
| Colors (hex) | Red approx. #CC0000 and white #FFFFFF |
| Typeface | Not publicly named; a friendly, rounded-feeling sans-serif |
| Previous major version | Red all-caps wordmark with a staple-shaped “L” (1990s to 2019) |
Staples says the 2019 icon is a more direct way to show the Staples name, and ASI reports the company describes the flipped staple as a sign of flexibility as a solutions provider.
How Has the Staples Logo Evolved Over Time?
Staples has had three main looks. The all-caps wordmark with a staple-shaped “L” lasted from the company’s early years until 2019, and the 2019 redesign replaced it. I could find no change since 2019.
Original Staples Logo (1986-1994)
The first logo was black on white: tall, tightly set capitals spelling STAPLES, with the “L” drawn as a bent staple. Logo history sites date this version to 1986 through about 1994, but I could not find a primary source for the exact year it changed.
Red Staples Logo (1994-2019)
The second version kept the bent-staple “L” and the all-caps lettering, but switched to red and heavier, more spaced letters. This is the logo most people remember from store signs. The red is the color Staples kept in 2019.
Current Staples Logo (2019-Present)
The staple left the wordmark. In April 2019 it became a separate red icon turned upside down, and the all-caps lettering changed to title case, with a rounder, friendlier typeface. The launch also introduced five in-house brands, including TRU RED office supplies, Union and Scale furniture and Coastwide Professional facility supplies.
What Do the Design Elements of the Staples Logo Mean?
The icon is a staple, the product the company is named after, flipped so its legs point down. Wikipedia describes it as an unused staple that also looks like an office desk. ASI reports it can also be read as a table, the ridged base of a light bulb or a Wi-Fi signal bar.
The older “L” was also a staple. The 2019 change moved the staple out of the letter and made it the main symbol. The icon can stand alone in square formats, as in the circular versions above.
What Are the Staples Logo Colors?
The logo is red on white, or white on red. A widely listed value for the red is approx. #CC0000. Staples does not publish its hex or Pantone codes on its public pages, so treat this as approximate. The 1986 logo was black before red became the brand color.
What Font Does the Staples Logo Use?
Staples has not named the typeface. The 2019 wordmark is a bold, title-case sans-serif with rounded forms, and Logo Designer quotes the company describing it as friendly and approachable. Some logo sites call it close to Helvetica Neue Bold, which I could not confirm.
How Does the Staples Logo Fit Into Overall Brand Identity?
The staple icon sits on its own on stationery in the mockup above, with red as the carrying color. The 2019 rebrand also brought The Loop, a product guide, and the new in-house brands such as TRU RED.
How Should the Staples Logo Be Used?
The Staples name and logo are Staples’ trademarks. Editorial references, such as reviews of the brand, are common, but using the logo to sell something or to imply a partnership needs the company’s permission. I could not find a public Staples brand guidelines page.
FAQ on the Staples Logo
Did Staples change its logo?
Yes. In April 2019 Staples replaced the all-caps logo with the bent-staple “L” with a red wordmark and a separate upturned staple icon. I found no later change.
What is the current Staples logo?
A red title-case “Staples” wordmark with a red upturned staple to its left, in use since April 2019.
What was the old Staples logo?
For more than 25 years the logo was an all-caps wordmark with the “L” drawn as a bent staple, first in black and later in red.
Who designed the Staples logo?
No designer or agency has been publicly credited for the 1986 logo or the 2019 version.
What font does Staples use in its logo?
Staples has not named it. The wordmark is a friendly title-case sans-serif, and some sites say it resembles Helvetica Neue Bold.
What colors are in the Staples logo?
Red and white. The red is approx. #CC0000, and the 1986 logo was black on white.
What does the Staples logo mean?
The icon is a staple turned upside down. Wikipedia says it also looks like an office desk, and ASI reports Staples calls it a sign of flexibility as a solutions provider.
Is the Staples logo a paper clip?
No. Earlier descriptions often said paper clip, but Staples’ own symbol is a staple, and the old “L” was a bent staple.
Who owns Staples?
Sycamore Partners has owned Staples since its 2017 acquisition, according to Wikipedia.
Where can I find Staples brand guidelines?
I could not find a public Staples brand guidelines page.
Conclusion
The Staples logo has always been about the staple itself. In 2019 Staples took the staple out of the letter “L”, turned it upside down and made it the symbol, keeping the red that has defined the brand since the 1990s.
Sources
- Logo Designer, Staples Reveals New Logo Design – https://www.logo-designer.co/staples-reveals-new-logo-design/
- ASI Central, Staples Undergoes Massive Rebrand – https://members.asicentral.com/news/newsletters/promogram/may-2019/staples-undergoes-massive-rebrand/
- Wikipedia, Staples Inc. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staples_Inc.
- 1000Logos, Staples logo history – https://1000logos.net/staples-logo/
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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