The Indian e-commerce major Flipkart was founded in 2007 by two engineers, Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. The platform offers a wide range of merchandise, such as clothing, accessories, gadgets, consumer electronics, home improvement items, books, and others. Since its founding, the Flipkart logo has undergone several changes. This article explores the thought behind each logo change and traces its journey over the years.
The Genesis of the Flipkart Logo (2007 – 2010)
When Flipkart started in 2007, its founders wanted to establish it as a trustworthy online retail brand. The original Flipkart logo that was designed in 2007 captured this vision well. It displayed the company name in a customised sans-serif font with rounded edges. The lowercase letters had an energetic, bubbly style with the “i” replaced by an exclamation point outline in white and orange.
The first three letters – “f,” “l,” and “p”- were bright orange, while the remaining four letters – “k,” “a,” “r,” and “t” – used a light blue colour that gradually gradated to darker blue. This early logo captured Flipkart’s identity using contrasting colours that were split between the first and second halves of the name. The exclamation point added a touch of visual excitement and innovation.
(2007 – 2011)
In 2007, Flipkart unveiled an updated logo that had the “.com” domain after the company name. The font retained its bubbly, rounded style but made the “Flipkart” portion noticeably bolder than the “.com” to emphasise the brand name. The letters in a classy sans-serif typeface had a dynamic appearance with slanted edges at the top. They also had curved corners to give the logo a fun and casual appearance. Vibrant orange remained the dominant colour, and it helped the logo to stand out. The bold styling on “Flipkart” also showed the brand taking ownership over its name.
(2011 – 2015)
Between 2011 and 2015, Flipkart witnessed massive growth in its user base. This was because of the growing internet penetration across India. And to keep up with its expanding market, Flipkart revamped its logo in 2011. It showed a stylised grocery cart in orange with a handle to the left and two wheels below.
To the right of the cart was mentioned the domain “.com” in orange and in a smaller size. In the middle was mentioned the full brand name in a large size and in bold white lowercase. To give shape to the grocery cart, the letter “f” had its leg bent to create the bottom element where the wheels were attached. All elements of the logo were enclosed within a horizontally oriented rectangle in deep blue. Further, the rectangle had its right corner cut off, which added aesthetics to the logo.
(2015 – Present)
In 2015, the Flipkart logo was revamped to look more modern. The blue rectangular background was removed, and the wordmark and a shopping bag emblem completed the logo. The wordmark “Flipkart” in a title case and a sans-serif typeface was slightly italicised. It was placed in a light blue colour palette with softened edges and thick lines.
The shopping bag to the right of the wordmark is crafted in yellow with a stylised letter “f” in blue lowercase depicted on it with its bottom cut off. The horizontal bar of the letter “f” is extended to the left to create a sense of motion.
The Future of the Flipkart Logo
Flipkart’s financial growth and influence are set to expand further in the coming years. As the company brings within its ambit new product categories or enters into new partnerships, the logo may witness changes in the future. These changes are meant to capture these developments. The logo is likely to retain the signature red colour and shopping cart as the company seeks brand recall. Specific logo changes in the future could reflect business goals. These may include conveying sustainability through green or highlighting innovation through the cart symbol. However, drastic redesigns of the logo seem unlikely since the current red logo is quite popular and holds strong equity among consumers. The logo will remain vital for Flipkart to represent its brand story in the future.
The Elements of the Flipkart Logo
Font
The Flipkart logo has evolved over time but has kept the core elements that are tied to its e-commerce business. The latest logo is called Riona Sans Bold Italic with modified letters like a clipped ‘r,’ a descending ‘l,’ and letters with oval cutouts. In sharp contrast, the original logo used the bold Dundee RR Condensed Extra font.
Colour
The Flipkart logo has a colour palette comprising orange, yellow, and blue. The combination ties the logo back to the original while giving the palette a more vibrant and youthful look.
The History of Flipkart
Flipkart started as an eCommerce player in 2007. It began operating as an online bookstore founded by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. Over the next decade, it grew exponentially to get 54 million users, 100,000+ sellers, and over 261 million product units sold. The founders drove this growth by investing in technology, launching high-profile marketing campaigns, and offering attractive promotions. However, despite the meteoric rise, Flipkart struggled to become profitable, thereby frustrating investors like Tiger Global.
In 2016, Tiger Global brought in Kalyan Krishnamurthy to help steer the future of Flipkart. And a year later, Kalyan became the CEO, replacing Binny, who was promoted to group CEO. This shift in leadership marked the beginning of major changes. In May 2018, the American retail giant Walmart acquired Flipkart for $16 billion. It led one of the founders, Sachin Bansal, to sell his shares for $1 billion and exit the company. Thereafter, in November 2018, Binny too resigned amidst allegations of misconduct. Thus, both the founders were removed from Flipkart’s day-to-day operations.
Amidst such changes, Flipkart emerged from being a startup founded by two engineers into an eCommerce leader owned by Walmart. The company’s evolution shows critical challenges, such as managing rapid growth, appeasing investors, and navigating leadership changes. Ultimately, the Flipkart story stresses how founders can lose control as other stakeholders reshape a company’s identity and direction.
Interesting Facts About Flipkart
- Flipkart was founded in 2007 by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal (both former Amazon employees) as an online bookstore. Over the years, it expanded into various product categories.
- Flipkart launched the Big Billion Days (BBD) sale in 2014, inspired by Amazon’s Prime Day and Alibaba’s Singles’ Day. It became one of India’s biggest online shopping events, with billions in sales every year.
- In 2018, Walmart acquired a 77% stake in Flipkart for $16 billion, which turned out to be one of the biggest e-commerce deals globally.
- Flipkart owns several brands, including Myntra & Jabong (fashion e-commerce), PhonePe (UPI-based digital payments, later spun off as a separate entity), and Ekart (logistics arm of Flipkart).
- Flipkart and Amazon are fierce competitors in the Indian market. Flipkart leads in categories like fashion and mobile phones, while Amazon dominates books and electronics.
- Flipkart introduced Cash on Delivery (COD) as a payment option, which helped drive e-commerce adoption in India, where credit card penetration was low.
- Flipkart has several private-label brands, such as MarQ (electronics), SmartBuy (accessories & essentials), Perfect Homes (furniture), and Flipkart Originals (fashion & lifestyle).
- Flipkart introduced a voice assistant in Hindi and English in 2020 to help customers shop using voice commands.
- Flipkart has invested in several Indian startups, such as BlackBuck (logistics), Shadowfax (supply chain), and Ninjacart (agriculture supply chain), to strengthen its ecosystem.
- Flipkart launched Flipkart Wholesale to support small businesses and local kirana stores by providing bulk products at competitive prices.
Finally
The Flipkart logo evolved from its minimalist origins to the latest striking red design to symbolise the rapid growth of the company over the past 15 years. The logo changes reflect efforts by the company to align with business goals while retaining brand essence. As an icon of a pioneering startup, the logo is quite significant for Flipkart’s customers and the industry. The company is likely to leverage the versatile logo as a strategic asset. It will do so to maintain its edge in the competitive Indian market. By instilling trust and shaping brand perception, the Flipkart logo will help the brand continue its march into the future.