The History of and Story Behind the Petco Logo
Petco is a company that has a storied history that goes back over fifty years. To fully appreciate the logo and its evolution we must first understand the history of the franchise and the intention behind the images that have been chosen to represent the company and its mission to help animals. We looked into the story of Petco and this is what we discovered.
Petco history
Petco shares its interesting story on the official company website. The pet care retailer first opened its doors for business in 1965. It was founded originally under the name UPCO. It started in San Diego, California as a business that sold veterinary supplies via mail order through the 1980s. In 1991, the company expanded and it includes two official log mascots. These were Red Ruff and Blue Mews. The company was bought out by Texas Pacific Group and Leonard Green Partners. It was marketed as Peto from the year 2000 forward. In 2010, the company launched a charitable division that was established by Petco and the Petco Foundation in a partnership. The first National Pet Food Bank opened its doors to help families who encounter financial difficulties, to help them keep and feed and care for their pets. Petco has been in business for more than 55 years providing the necessary supplies and equipment for pet care.
Petco Logos
Petco Logos provides a downloadable logo for the use of its customers and affiliates. The main loco is simple in its design. The name of the franchise is printed in all lowercase lettering for the name petco. The wordmark is bolded in a deep blue color against a plain white background with a thin rectangular lined border. Under the name of the company, the words THE HEALTH + WELLNESS CO. is printed in all caps and a smaller font in the same color. Interestingly, Petco maintains a family of logos to represent each branch of the company and the various services that it provides.
Petco Foundation
The Petco Foundation logo is used for all activities that are represented in the fundraising efforts to provide assistance programs for pet owners who are struggling to make ends meet. The logo is patterned after the original Petco logo with a few changes. The wordmark is also all lowercase with the words Petco foundation in a light blue color. A heart with a kitten and a puppy face is placed to the left side of the wordmark. The heart and animal faces are in red outline against a white background.
Unleashed
The Unleashed program by Petco is also represented by a logo. Unleashed’s logo is placed against a white background in a simple lowercase wordmark. The word unleashed makes up the entirety of the logo with the words by petco written vertically at the end of the letter d. the first 2 letters are printed in an earthy green with the word leashed in a soft warm tone.
Vetco logo
Vetco is another logo under the Petco family. This division features a white background with the wordmark in large lowercase letters. The word vet is written in a bold light blue with the last 2 letters, co, in red.
PupBox
PupBox is another company that is held by Petco. The logo is a bit different. It features the shape of a pup with just the two-dot eyes, nose, and a smiling mouth to the left of the wordmark. The words PupBox are printed with the P and B in capitals. The words are printed in purple with a white background and outlined letters. The two colors used in this alternate logo are purple and white.
Pet Insurance Quotes.com
This is yet another company that falls under the Petco umbrella. Images of a dog and cat are outlined in gray against a white background. The wordmark is set beneath the images. It reads Pet (in gray), Insurance (in gold), and Quotes.com (in gray). A bubble that indicates a quote or saying near the cat is outlined in gray with a gold pawprint inside where words would normally be placed.
Pet Coach
The final logo under the Petco umbrella is Pet Coach. This logo is much like the Petco logo with a few exceptions. The font is simple but in bold letters. It is made up of just a plain white background and the name of the business in a dark blue color. The wordmark reads Pet at the top and Coach at the bottom.
The evolution of the Petco logo
The Petco logo looks a lot different today than it did when it was first introduced. Images for the first logo introduced are not available. It’s assumed that this is a period when the logo was under development. From 1965 through 1978, little is known about the logo. In 1979, the Petco logo emerged in a different form. A light gray background resembling parchment paper was used with the wordmark displayed in red letters. The name Petco appeared in all capital letters with a smaller capital E giving the image an offset look. In 1988, an updated version appeared. The wordmark features PETCO in red letters that were all uniform in size. an image of a blue cat and a red dog appear at the bottom right with the words “Where the pets go.” The latter was in black print with a capital W and the rest lowercase, followed by a period for punctuation. This logo was used until 2011. In 2011 the logo was modified slightly. The word Petco still appears in red, but the words are all lowercase with the blue cat and red dog to the right. This version of the logo is still in use today. Another version that is considered a variant, contains a slogan. It reads “where the healthy pets go. The bottom line is all in black lettering with the word healthy printed in a light blue color. This variant was created in 2020 and it is still in use today, along with the dark blue lowercase version.