
image via: flickr.com
The casual fast food chain of Chipotle restaurants has been serving up made-to-order Mexican-American fast food since its inception in 1993. In the time since, the Chipotle logo has undergone a few changes, starting with a very simple text design to a more complex and appealing modern medallion-shape. We will examine the Chipotle brand and the revisions made to the Chipotle logo over time.
About The Chipotle Brand
History
No Franchises
McDonald’s: An Investor?
The Menu
The Architecture
Chipotle And Food Safety
Chipotle Logo Design History
The Chipotle logo has seen three incarnations so far in the company’s brief history. The first version was simple white text on a distorted, rounded rectangle shape. The background of the shape was black, and it seemed to mimic something that might have been used in vintage diner signage in the 1950s and 60s. The Chipotle text itself was white with a small, accompanying registered mark. The typeface for the text had a slightly handwritten feel and somewhat resembled a compressed version of the Papyrus font.
The next version of the Chipotle logo was a complete redesign, but it did not last long. It featured a small circle inside of a larger circle with the text on an arch inside the boundary formed between the edges of the two circles. The font changed from what was previously a casual, script-like feel to a hard-edged typeface in all caps. It read “Chipotle” on the top portion of the circle and “Mexican Grill” on the bottom. The font had a sharp, mechanical feel to it.
This logo also featured a Chipotle pepper in a prominent position in the center of the smaller circle. The pepper had a chunky look and was comprised of two shapes, one of the bulky body of the pepper and one for the squiggly stem. The stem overlapped the boundary between the small inside circle and the larger outside circle.
This incarnation of the logo was featured either in black and white or in color. In the color version, the inner circle was red, and the outer circle was black. The pepper and a stroke between the circles were white, and the text was gray.
Chipotle Logo Design Evolution

image source: pexels
The third and current version of the Chipotle logo came about in 2009. While the first two logos were designed in-house, the company hired a design firm for the third. The firm is called Sequence, and it is based in San Francisco. Sequence took the second version of the Chipotle logo and seemed to have made it more professional.
The current Chipotle logo is made up of two circles, following the same format as its predecessor. The inner circle is a deep, burnt red, and the outer circle is a brighter, more medium red color. Each of the circles is outlined in a thin white line although the white line on the inner circle is slightly thicker. The red coloring evokes a sense of heat or spice which ties in with the Chipotle pepper and Mexican theme. The words and the Chipotle pepper graphic are in white.
The pepper looks more modern than the one in the previous Chipotle logo. Its lines are more evenly sized, and the ones in the center of the pepper form an appealing stylized swirl toward its center. The entire pepper fits neatly inside the small inner circle without any overlap of the other logo elements.
The typeface has changed to a more rounded sans-serif font. It appears to be a customized version of the Gotham Bold font. The font was created by Tobias Frere-Jones and published by Hoefler & Co.
The “E” has been altered to feature the middle horizontal bar lower than where it would normally appear. Overall, the newer font choice is more inviting compared to the hard-edged type on the previous Chipotle logo. The change makes the logo seem less industrial and more friendly.
The logo is featured in more than one form. The most recognizable is the medallion form which we just described. However, for the purposes of building signage, sometimes the word “Chipotle” is displayed on its own inside a red, rounded-corner rectangle. The Chipotle pepper sits in its own smaller burnt red square with rounded corners on the left side of the word.
Conclusion
Over the past few years, the Chipotle logo underwent one redesign and then another, with most people not even acknowledging the first revision. Most people seem to remember the original logo with the plain white “Chipotle” text on black, and they also recognize the current red medallion. The step in between that originated the medallion look of the Chipotle logo has mostly been forgotten.We think that the team at Sequence design firm did an excellent job of taking the first Chipotle logo revision and updating it into something more colorful, inviting and modern. The two-tone red softens up the design, and it also evokes the spicy flavor of chili peppers and Mexican seasoning. The rounded sans-serif font is easier on the eyes, clearer to read and makes the chain seem friendlier. The Chipotle pepper in the center has a fun stylized design that doesn’t overpower the rest of the logo.
We find that the updated Chipotle logo is clean and professional while also adding just enough Mexican flavor to the design. It has a very hip, modern sensibility that all patrons of the food chain will be drawn toward. It is a great example of a successful logo design.