Ben’s Original Logo
Ben’s Original is a brand known for its parboiled rice. Gordon L. Harwell established the brand, aiming to offer quick-cooking rice options. The brand originated in the United States. Its creation was intended to provide a nutritious, easy-to-prepare staple food to the masses.
Meaning and history
Ben’s Original, previously known as Uncle Ben’s, is a popular brand known for its parboiled rice and other related food products. Founded in 1943 in Houston, Texas, it initially aimed to improve the quality and cooking consistency of rice. The brand was named after a Texas rice farmer, Ben, who was known for producing high-quality rice crops.
The company became famous for its unique parboiling method, which partly cooks the grains and retains nutrients. Over the decades, Ben’s Original expanded its product line to include various flavors and instant rice options, catering to a busy, modern lifestyle.
In 2020, the brand underwent a significant rebranding to Ben’s Original, removing the image of a Black farmer from its packaging. This change was part of a broader initiative to promote racial equality and community outreach.
Ben’s Original is committed to providing “everyone, everywhere” with meals that are not only quick and easy to prepare but also nutritious. The brand also emphasizes its dedication to sourcing sustainably and supporting educational programs for underserved communities worldwide.
What is Ben’s Original?
Ben’s Original is a brand specializing in parboiled rice products. It offers a variety of rice types tailored to reduce cooking time. The brand stands out for its focus on inclusivity and quality in its products.
1943 – 1963
The logo consists of bold, black typography on a plain white background. The text reads “Uncle Ben’s” followed by “RICE” in a smaller font size. The design is straightforward and minimalistic, featuring a classic sans-serif font that conveys clarity and simplicity. This logo’s simplicity makes the brand name immediately recognizable and emphasizes the product’s unpretentious quality.
1963 – 1968
This logo features bold elements and incorporates a portrait, contrasting with the previous, more minimalist design. The name “Uncle Ben’s” appears in large, blue letters against a yellow background, emphasizing visibility and brand recognition. The central visual element is a red circle containing a portrait of an elderly African-American man, symbolizing the brand’s identity. This inclusion adds a personal touch and connects the product to a human element. The color scheme – red, yellow, and blue – makes the logo vibrant and eye-catching.
1968 – 1971
This iteration of the Uncle Ben’s logo refines its visual identity further. The logo keeps the circular motif but introduces “Measure of Quality” as a new slogan within the red circle, emphasizing the brand’s commitment to quality. The initials “UB” in bold, yellow letters stand prominently against the red background. The name “Uncle Ben’s” is now in a larger, yellow font on a brown background, increasing readability and impact. This design shift maintains brand recognition while stressing quality and reliability through the slogan’s addition.
1971 – 1983
In this logo, the design shifts dramatically toward a modern, clean look. It features an orange background with the “Uncle Ben’s” name in bold, navy blue letters. The simplicity is notable, removing earlier motifs except for a small red balloon symbol above the ‘ns’ in “Ben’s”. This balloon subtly suggests lightness and quality. The color contrast between the blue and orange creates a striking visual, ensuring high visibility and a fresh, contemporary aesthetic. This logo design indicates a brand keeping pace with modern tastes and simplicity.
1983 – 1998
This version of the Uncle Ben’s logo reintroduces the portrait of Ben within a red circle, directly adjacent to the brand name in bold navy letters. The word “Converted” is now prominently featured, emphasizing the unique selling point of their parboiled rice process. Below the brand name, “Enriched Parboiled Rice” clarifies the product, catering to consumers seeking nutritional benefits. The overall color scheme remains vibrant with orange and blue, maintaining brand continuity while clearly stating product benefits and brand identity.
1998 – 1999
This logo refines previous elements, keeping the orange background and Ben’s portrait in a red circle. However, the text “Uncle Ben’s” now spans more prominently across, using a larger and darker navy font. This change enhances visibility and brand recognition. The logo excludes additional descriptive text, focusing solely on the brand name, which simplifies the design while maintaining a strong identity connection through the familiar portrait and color scheme. The overall design is more streamlined, reflecting a modern approach to brand presentation.
1999 – 2000
This version of the Uncle Ben’s logo retains the iconic orange background and the portrait within a blue rimmed circle, but introduces a new slogan. The slogan “Perfect Every Time” is depicted in a blue ribbon under Ben’s image, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to quality and consistency. The text “Uncle Ben’s” appears in a more fluid, rounded font that softens the logo’s overall feel, making it seem more approachable and friendly. This design emphasizes reliability and ease of use, aiming to connect more closely with consumers seeking dependable food products.
2000 – 2003
In this evolution of the Uncle Ben’s logo, the brand name adopts a more stylized, glossy 3D effect, enhancing visual appeal. The lettering is now rendered in a vibrant blue with significant depth, giving a more modern, premium look against the familiar orange background. Ben’s portrait remains encircled and is subtly refined, continuing to feature the “Perfect Every Time” slogan, ensuring brand consistency. This updated design focuses on attracting attention with its polished and contemporary appearance while maintaining the core brand identity elements.
2003 – 2009
This logo returns to a more straightforward design. The font style reverts to a simpler, flatter appearance without the previous 3D gloss effect, emphasizing classic readability. The orange background remains unchanged, ensuring brand continuity. The portrait of Ben still features within the blue-rimmed circle, accompanied by the “Perfect Every Time” slogan on the blue ribbon, maintaining a direct link to the brand’s promise of quality. The overall effect is a cleaner, more traditional look that highlights the brand’s longstanding heritage and reliability.
2006 – 2007
This logo design marks a significant shift, as it completely omits the portrait of Ben, a longtime symbol of the brand. The logo features only the text “Uncle Ben’s” in bold, navy blue letters against an orange background. The typeface is slightly rounded, creating a friendly, approachable look. This simplification focuses purely on the brand name, enhancing its memorability and modernizing its appearance. This minimalist approach reflects a trend towards more streamlined, versatile branding in corporate identities.
2009 – 2012
This version reintroduces the portrait of Ben, now positioned within a small circle adjacent to the text, blending tradition with modern aesthetics. The “Uncle Ben’s” text is rendered in a bold, glossy 3D style in blue, which creates a striking contrast against the orange background. This return of Ben’s image reflects an effort to balance brand heritage with a contemporary look, emphasizing familiarity and trust. The overall design maintains a dynamic and polished appearance, showcasing the brand’s evolution while respecting its roots.
2012 – 2016
The logo enhances the 3D effect on the “Uncle Ben’s” text, now more prominently blue with increased gloss for a striking look. Ben’s portrait is more vivid and larger within a brightly colored circle, positioned closer to the brand name, thus intensifying its visual impact. The refined graphics highlight Ben’s friendly expression, emphasizing the brand’s commitment to quality and trustworthiness. This design seeks to blend traditional elements with a fresh, modern aesthetic to appeal to contemporary consumers.
2014 – 2020
The logo showcases a significant stylistic refinement. The text “Uncle Ben’s” adopts a smoother, matte finish in navy blue, replacing the previous glossy 3D effect. Notably, Ben’s portrait is now more detailed and realistic, set beside the text rather than within a circle. This life-like portrayal is larger, giving a more human and approachable feel to the brand. The background is plain, focusing all attention on the text and the portrait, which enhances the logo’s modernity while maintaining a connection to its heritage.
2020 – Today
The latest iteration of the logo marks a significant rebranding to “Ben’s Original”. It eliminates Ben’s portrait, focusing on the text in a bold, streamlined navy font. This change symbolizes a shift towards inclusivity and modernity. The typeface is rounded, friendlier, and the layout is simple, which underscores the brand’s commitment to simplicity and universality. The absence of any imagery other than the text represents a clear departure from previous designs, highlighting a new era for the brand.
