Searls — Typography — Post 1

I wanted to compare two competitors that offered nearly identical services and chose FedEx and UPS. FedEx uses capitalization and color to separate “Fed” and “Ex,” while still pulling them together by kerning in and having the “d” and “E” touch. When they add the “company name” (the name of the specific division of FedEx) as it is called in their brand identity info, I feel the wordmark becomes less stable. The purple color of the company name and the FedEx wordmark helps balance it out; however, “Fed” still looks like it’s hanging off a cliff. I don’t know that I would necessarily change this because having the text left justified would result in a similar effect with the “Ex.” What would you suggest to fix this? or does it even need fixing?

FedEx and UPS’s font choices are interesting in that they  are so similar. FedEx, in its Corporate Identity Quick Reference Guide, states “Univers, our primary typeface, sets a confident, contemporary tone for FedEx communications.” And, indeed, the wordmark does look confident and contemporary especially when “Ex” is more colorful. Similarly, UPS’s font sets a confident and contemporary tone; however, it has a slightly more relaxed feel with less sharp edges and right angles (granted this may also be due to the letters used in each brand name). UPS’s font is an original font called UPS Sans, which is very similar to FF Dax. I think the similarity in these two wordmarks/logos shows how closely related the companies are in the brand image they are trying to create.

Contrary to the FedEx wordmark/logo, the UPS logo is more graphic based. However, I think the text they use is effective. The yellow and brown are reminiscent of cardboard boxes, in which most things are shipped. The lowercase letters give it a more laid-back feel, while the cleanness of the sans serif font gives it a feeling of professionalism and promptness. FedEx and UPS differ in capitalization most likely because FedEx is trying to separate the two words Federal Express of their original name, while UPS is an acronym for United Parcel Service. This subtle difference, however, gives the two logos completely different feels. FedEx appears more traditional with the capitalization of the first letters and UPS appears newer and more flexible with the lowercase, rounded letters and the flowing design.