Explore the iconic Subway logo – its design, history, and visual identity.
Key information about Subway: origin, designer, industry, and logo introduction year.
| Website | subway.com |
| Designer | Landor |
| Agency | Landor |
| Country | United States |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Logo Introduced | 2016 |
Explore the Subway brand, discover Subway colors, and download the Subway vector logo in SVG or PNG formats. Browse related logos and logos with similar colors.
The Subway logo features the brand name in bold letters with distinctive arrow elements pointing left and right, rendered in the signature green and yellow color scheme that signals freshness and value.
The 2016 Landor redesign refined the classic Subway identity while preserving core equity built over decades. The wordmark employs a custom sans-serif typeface with substantial weight and confident proportions. The arrows flanking the “S” and “Y” create directional energy that references subway transit systems, suggesting speed and convenience while reinforcing the brand name’s transportation metaphor. These geometric elements transform ordinary letters into distinctive brand assets that work independently or together.
The green and yellow palette immediately communicates freshness and wholesome ingredients, differentiating Subway from competitors using red and yellow combinations that emphasize indulgence and speed. Green signals vegetables, health-conscious choices, and natural ingredients, supporting Subway’s historical positioning around freshness and customization. Yellow adds warmth and approachability while maintaining visibility in competitive retail environments. The color pairing creates instant recognition for the world’s largest single-brand restaurant chain.
Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck founded Subway in 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, as Pete’s Super Submarines, opening the first location with a $1,000 loan. The concept focused on made-to-order submarine sandwiches prepared in front of customers, offering customization and perceived freshness that differentiated the brand from pre-assembled burger chains. The name changed to Subway in 1968, establishing the transit metaphor that would define the brand.
The green and yellow color scheme emerged early in Subway’s development, likely chosen to communicate freshness and wholesomeness during an era when fast food meant burgers and fries. As health consciousness grew in the 1980s and 1990s, Subway leaned into positioning around fresh vegetables, customization, and lower-calorie options, with spokesperson Jared Fogle’s weight loss story becoming central to marketing from 1998 to 2015.
Landor’s 2016 redesign modernized the logo without abandoning recognition. The arrows became more integrated with the letterforms, the typography gained slightly more refinement, and color values were adjusted for better digital reproduction. Despite challenges including changing consumer preferences and controversies, the logo maintains global consistency across approximately 42,000 locations in over 100 countries, making it one of the most frequently encountered brand marks in the world.
The Subway wordmark employs a custom sans-serif typeface with bold, even stroke weight and slightly condensed proportions that maximize horizontal efficiency. The letters feature geometric construction with rounded terminals that soften the overall impression while maintaining clarity. The typography balances strength with approachability, avoiding both the aggressive styling of burger chains and the refined delicacy of fast-casual brands. The integration of arrows into the “S” and “Y” transforms functional letters into distinctive brand elements.
Q: Why are there arrows in the Subway logo? A: The arrows pointing in opposite directions reference subway transit systems, reinforcing the brand name while suggesting speed, convenience, and the ability to go in multiple directions. They also imply customer choice and customization, core differentiators for Subway’s made-to-order model.
Q: When did Subway redesign its logo? A: Landor redesigned the Subway logo in 2016, refining the classic mark with cleaner typography, better-integrated arrows, and optimized colors while preserving the green and yellow palette and overall structure that had built decades of global recognition.
Q: Why does Subway use green when most fast food chains use red? A: Green communicates freshness, vegetables, and health-conscious positioning, differentiating Subway from burger-focused competitors. The color choice supports Subway’s historical marketing around fresh ingredients, customization, and lower-calorie options compared to traditional fast food.
The Subway logo represents a restaurants brand from United States, designed in 2016 by Landor at Landor. Learn more on the official Subway website.
