Pizza Hut

About the Pizza Hut Logo

About Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is one of the most recognized pizza chains on the planet. It was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, by brothers Dan and Frank Carney, who opened their first restaurant with just $600 borrowed from their mother. The name came from the small sign that only had room for nine characters. Pizza Hut grew into an international giant, now part of Yum! Brands, and became famous for its dine-in restaurants with distinctive red roofs, stuffed-crust pizza, and a beloved place in family celebrations.

Logo Meaning and History

The centerpiece of the Pizza Hut logo is the red roof, a stylized hut that doubles as a hat-like silhouette. The roof directly references the chain’s iconic restaurant architecture, designed by architect Richard D. Burke, which became a landmark in towns everywhere. The bold red color evokes tomatoes and appetite, while the wordmark beneath the roof anchors the brand name. Few restaurant logos have ever been so literally tied to the physical buildings of the chain.

Evolution

• 1958: The first logo featured a cartoon mascot called Pete the Pizza Man in script lettering.
• 1967: The first red roof logo debuted, directly mirroring the restaurant buildings.
• 1974: Lippincott & Margulies refined the mark with a sharper roof and bold black wordmark.
• 1999: Landor Associates modernized the logo with an organic, tilted roof and yellow and green accents.
• 2014: A radical redesign placed a white roof and wordmark inside a solid red circle resembling a pizza.
• 2019: The company brought back the classic 1974-style red roof logo, riding a wave of nostalgia.

Colors and Font

Red and white dominate the Pizza Hut identity, with black used for the classic wordmark. Red signals appetite and energy, while white keeps the mark clean and legible. The wordmark uses a custom italic serif-style typeface with swashes on the letters, giving it a warm, retro feel.

Download the Pizza Hut logo for free in vector (SVG) or PNG format.