One of Retail's Most Recognizable Logos and the Minneapolis PR Man Who Created It

Target's bull's-eye hasn't changed in almost 50 years

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Stewart K. Widdess probably didn't think he was making history. For the time being, all he had to make was a name and a logo. It was 1961, and Widdess was the publicity man for Dayton's in Minneapolis. A downtown landmark since 1902, Dayton's was a fancy department store that sold things like fine jewelry and cashmere sweaters. But its owners had decided to go into the discount business with a new store for the suburbs—and charged Widdess with naming it.

 

The publicist's staff waded through some 200 possible names before settling on Target.

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