This company was founded by Frederick W. Smith in 1971 with the name of Federal Express at the time. He chose “Federal” in the name in emphasize that his company delivered nationwide. It began only using airplanes out of Memphis International Airport, and continued to do so for many years. The first logo was all caps “Federal Express” using the colors red, purple, and white placed diagonally in a rectangle. In 1994, the company had a chance to rebrand and decided to adopt the name FedEx since that was what people had nicknamed the company. They strategically placed a hidden arrow in between the “E” and “x” hinting that they were moving in the “right” direction. Around 1998, the company was able to branch out in logistics after acquiring the Caliber System Inc. forming the FDX Corporation. From here they kept the same logo design, but added a different color “Ex” depending on the business unit. Express (purple), Ground (green), Freight (red), Custom Critical (blue)… etc. The only difference from 2000 to 2006 is the font used for their business units.
AuthorMy name is Erin and I am currently a student at Virginia Commonwealth University Archives
November 2015
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