The History of The Target Logo

Dayton’s, a luxury department store in downtown Minneapolis, sold goods including jewellery and cashmere sweaters.

The Dayton family wanted to open a suburban discount store to attract a different class of customers.

The Team Behind The Target Logo

The Daytons chose Stewart K. Widdess and his PR team to design a name and logo for their new store.

They brainstormed 200 possibilities before, as mentioned on the Target website, going out on a “red & white whim” deciding on the name “Target.”

The logo and name represented hitting a “Target price.”

Widdess considered filling the bullseye with bullet holes, but decided they were inappropriate for a family store.

They came up with a classic bullseye design with 3 rings and the word “Target” bold and centred.

Widdess said “It’s a marksman’s goal to hit the centre of a bullseye.

The new store would do the same in terms of retail goods, services, commitment to the community, price, value, and overall experience.

Widdess paired the logo with the tagline

“Aim straight for Target discount stores.”

Simplifying The Design

The company simplified their bullseye in 1968 with a white centre, one red circle and one white circle, dropping the bold Target name.

Experts say the Target logo stuck because of 2 traits:

Simplicity and distinction.

A 2003 Target study found 96% of shoppers recognize the Target logo and associate it with the Target brand.