22 Corporate Brand Logo Evolution of Automobile Groups

8/6/2019 22 Corporate Brand Logo Evolution of Automobile Groups

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22 Corporate Brand Logo Evolution of Automobile Groups

Did you know that many of the biggest automobile companies started as bicycle

manufacturers? Have you ever wondered why the Audi has four interlocked rings as

its logo? Or why the Alfa Romeo has such a romantic company name?

Logos represent the brand image, traditions and origins of a company. It is not just

a visual badge on the cars bonnet but represents what people think about the

brand and the cars themselves. Somebody driving a Mercedes is perceived as

prosperous, mature and of course rich. On the other hand, somebody with an Aston

Martin is likely to be a more flamboyant personality. All of these perceptions, just

from a small logo of the car manufacturer! So it is not surprising, that the logos
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undergo historic evolution along with the companys products, origins and

customers.

Corporate Brand Logo Evolution Of Automobile Groups

A companys brand is its most important asset. A brand is a leadership tool. A brand

defines your business, products and services you offer. It is a guarantee of quality.

Your brand helps your business establish a relationship with customers and define

your position in the market. The brand makes a promise to customers and key

stakeholders that must be delivered at every touchpoint.

There are a lot of fascinating stories associated with companies logo histories.

Below we share logo stories of some of the biggest automobile companies today. Be

sure to let us know if I have missed anything!

01. Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo, the Italian car manufacturer, traces its beginnings to France. The

company was initially founded as Societ Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) in 1906

by the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq, with some Italian investors.

After the partnership failed, one of the investors, Cavaliere Ugo Stella, moved the

company and renamed it as Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (LombardAutomobile Factory, Public Company) or A.L.F.A.

The first logo of ALFA was designed in 1910 by Romano Cattaneo, and has an

interesting story. He was once waiting for a tram at the Piazza Castello station in

Milan, when he was inspired by the Red Cross on the Milan Flag and the Coat of

Arms of the Noble House of Visconti (the coat of arms featured a grass snake,

biscione, with a man in its jaws, symbolizing [to the] Viscontis enemies that the


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snake [was] always ready to destroy). The words ALFA and MILANO were written

around the two symbols separated by two Savoia Dynasty Knots, to honor the

kingdom of Italy.

In 1916, Neapolitan businessman Nicola Romeo bought the company and converted

its factories to produce munitions and machineries for World War I. In 1918, thebadge was redesigned by Giuseppe Merosi, to include the words ALFA and ROMEO

(after the name of the owner Nicola Romeo). Post war, the company went back to

producing car and was named after its owner as Alfa Romeo.

02. Aston Martin

Aston Martin is a British manufacturer of luxury sports car, which was found by

Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford in 1913. Initially, the duo started to sell sports car

made by Singer but later decided to make their own vehicles. Their first car was

named Aston Martin, after the name of the owner Lionel Martin and the Aston

Clinton Hill Climb Racing Course (one of their Singer cars, they sold earlier had won

a race there).

In 1959 James Bond happened, and frankly the Aston Martin story cannot be told

without Mr. Bond. In 1959, Ian Fleming put the super spy James Bond in an Aston

Martin DB Mark III. When the movie was released in 1964, James Bond drove the

upgraded supersleek silver Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball

(1965) (complete with machine gun, passenger ejector seat, and revolving number

plates!).


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03. Audi

Audi is a German brand which produces cars and is a part of the Volkswagen Group.

The company was founded as A. Horch & Cie by August Horch in 1899, and its origin

has a very interesting story. August Horch, a German Engineer, was forced out of

his own company in 1909, after which he continued to use the old brand name of

Horch. However, his partner sued him for trademark infringement, and Horch was

forced to look for a new name.

During a meeting at his business partner Franz Fikentschers apartment, Franzs son

came up with the name Audi (which is a Latin translation of Hoch, which meanslisten):

During this meeting Franzs son was quietly studying Latin in a corner of the room.

Several times he looked like he was on the verge of saying something but would

just swallow his words and continue working, until he finally blurted out, Father

audiatur et altera pars wouldnt it be a good idea to call it audi instead of horch?.

Horch! in German means Hark! or listen, which is Audi in Latin. The idea


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05. Buick

Buick Motor Company, which would later become the worlds largest auto company

General Motors, was founded in 1903 by David Dunbar Buick, a high school dropout!

Buick had dropped out of school at 15, to work for a plumbing fixture manufacturer.

Buick and his friend took over the business, after the last owner decided to shut

down the failed business. Buick sold his share in the company after an argument

with his partner because he used to spend most of his time tinkering with car

engines.

With this money, Buick founded the Buick Motor Company and within a few years he

ran it to the ground. Around 1904, James H Whiting took over the company and

brought in William Durant to manage his acquisition. Buick was kicked out of the

company by Durant and had to sell his share for just $ 100,000. Buicks share would

be worth more than $ 100 Million today. Later Buick held low paying jobs, and died

penniless as an inspector at the Detroit School of Trades. Ironically, Durant himself


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was kicked out of the company years later and denied him pension. He too died

penniless.

Before 1937, the companys logo was a variation of the cursive word Buick. In

1930s, Ralph Pew, a General Motors Styling Researcher, found the Scottish Buick

familys crest and the company used that as its logo. In 1959, the company logoincorporated three such shields, one each for its three models at that time

(LeSabre, Invicta, and Electra).

In 1975, the company launched its Skyhawk line, and the company logo was

changed to include a hawk named Happy. The familiar tri-shield logo returned in

late 1980s when the company stopped manufacturing the Skyhawk car.

06. Cadillac


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When Henry Ford left Henry Ford Company, the financial backers wanted to sell the

companys assets. Cadillac was found in 1902, when an engineer, Henry M Leland,

convinced the financial backers to hold on to the company assets.

Cadillac was named after a minor aristocrat Antoine de La Mothe, Seigneur deCadillac (Sir of Cadillac), and the family crest of de La Mothe was used as the first

company logo back in 1906. Antoine de La Mothe, born in France, was forced to

move to America, (some say he had committed a crime, others say he had a debt

which he was unable to pay) where he assumed a new identity and formed his

family crest by borrowing from different crests.


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In 1998, the company started redesigning its logo under the design philosophy

called Art & Science. The new logo finally unveiled in 2002, didnt have the six

birds (merlettes), crown and the crest resemblance, and looked like it was made by

Piet Mondrian.

in 2009, As part of the new marketing vice president Bob Lutzs campaign to reviveand spin the GM image around, Cadillacs general manager, Bryan Nesbitt, revealed

the brands new logo, in fact a very minor-tweaked version of the old one.

07. Chrysler

The Company was formed by Walter Percy Chrysler on June 6, 1925, with the

remaining assets of Maxwell Motor Company. The original Chrysler logo, which

vanished after 1954 from all but 1955-1956 Windsors, C300s, and 300Bs with

manual transmissions*, and reappeared in 1994, is a rendition of a wax seal

complete with ribbon affixed at the lower right. The thunderbolts above and below

the name are actually Zs, a tribute to the prototype built before Chrysler took

over Maxwell, which took the name Zeder from chief engineer Fred Zeder. (At the

time, Chrysler was trying to keep development of the new car and his involvement

in it a secret, probably still upset about the loss of the car that was supposed to be

the first Chrysler. This car design was sold to Billy Durant as a liquidated asset in

the Willys-Overland bankruptcy; Durant eventually built this car under the Flint

name.)


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In 1919, Company start production of cars, the first model is Type A, we observed

first logo Citroen, octagonal with arrows logo on a blue background with silver or

gold, on top of the radiator. After been many ups and downs, In 2009, The new

company logo is shown in the time she was born founder, Andr Citron. Belongs

design firm Landor and presents new trends in automotive three-dimensional logos.

Citroen change appearance. Arrows (chevroanele) out in relief, gained strength.Writing Citroen keeps its traditional red color, as a bridge between history and

future. Both, together, represent brand identity, Citroen subliniand restore

confidence in the values and ambitions.

09. Fiat

Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT) was founded in Turin (1899) by a group of

investors including Giovanni Angelli who later became the Managing Director of the

company. At this time a poster was created to celebrate the event, and the

company name in the top left corner of the poster became the companys first logo.


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In 1901, the company changed its logo to a brass plate with the name FIAT in the

centre. The logo had a characteristic A which has remained unchanged till date.

In 1925, the FIAT logo became circular, from an oval shape in 1904. The laurel

wreath around the circle was to celebrate the companys victory in first competitive

car races. The shape of the logo kept changing from square to shield, and returnedto a circular logo in 1999, with the characteristic A and a modern stylish laurel

wreath around the circle.

The current FIAT logo was launched in 2006, and was first seen on Bravo.

10. Ford

Henry Ford used to work for Thomas Edison. He founded two companies before

settling on Ford. His first company went bankrupt after just two years, and he left

the second company after just one year. However, the second company became

Cadillac later on. His third company, founded in 1902, was called Ford &

Malcomson, Ltd.

He was unable to pay the bills for parts in his third company, but some investors

agreed to put money in the company, and it was renamed as Ford Motor Co. This is

the company name in the first logo of 1903. The 1909 logo, which has a similar font

as todays logo was borrowed from Childe Harold Wills, who had made this font for

his business card.


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In 1912, the Ford logo was given a complete makeover, as compared to the earlier

simplistic design. When a car was launched in 1927, called Model A, the famous

blue oval was introduced in the logo. This was the shape and color, on which all

future Ford logos have been made.

The Company has experimented with different shape going from ellipse to circle,and even a diamond like shape in 1957. The 1976 logo was essentially, the last

major change in the symbol, and is very similar to their current logo. Finally, in

2003, the company released a new logo, which came to be known as Centennial

Blue Oval.

11. Mazda

The company derives its name from a West Asian God named Ahura Mazda, the God

of wisdom, intelligence and harmony. The company was setup in 1920 as Toyo Cork

Kogyo Co. in Hiroshima, Japan. The company was setup to produce a cork substitute

because there was a shortage of real cork in Japan during World War I. However,

after the war when real cork was again available, the company failed.

In 1927, Jujiro Matsuda joined the company, and it started manufacturing tools,

three-wheeled trucks and finally cars. After World War II, the company registered its

trademark under the Mazda brand, and the first logo was launched. The curved M

in the logo was inspired from the Hiroshima city emblem. The 1936 logo had a


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combination of the curved M from the city emblem, and wings that represented the

companys agility, speed and capability to soar to new heights.

The current company logo was designed by Rei Yoshimara in 1997, and was

nicknamed as the owl logo. According to the company, the new logo has the

following significance :

Capturing the spirit of Mazda, the stylised M evokes an image of wings in flight

and symbolises the Mazdas flight toward the future. The V in the centre of the

M spreads out like an opening fan, representing the creativity, vitalty, flexibilty

and passion that is Mazda. The symbol as a whole expresses the sharp, solid feeling

that Mazda will be seeking in all of its products. The dynamic circle symbolises our

readiness to spread our wings as we enter the 21st century.

Some people saw a stylized Tulip instead of the stretched wings.

12. Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes-Benz was formed by the merger of two car companies DMG

(Daimler-Motored-Gesellschaft, founded by Gottlieb Daimler) and Benz & Cie,

founded by Karl Benz. Both the companies were similar in their work and were

situated in close proximity.


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It was after the World War I, when the German economy was shattered, that both

these companies decided to from a syndicate in 1924, and then finally merge in

1926, called Diamler-Benz.

In 1902, the logo for Mercedes was nothing more than the simple company name.

However, it was changed to a 3 pointed star in 1909. The origin of this star camefrom a postcard by Diamler, where he had drawn a 3 pointed star which

represented making vehicles in land water and sky.

After 1926, a new symbol for Mercedes-Benz came into picture, where the original

logo of both the companies was merged into one. It combined the 3 pointed star of

Mercedes and the laurel wreath of Benz.

Over the years, the symbol has been improved vastly in design and simplicity. It has

been recognized as a symbol representing luxury and top tier cars.

13. Mitsubishi

The Iwasaki family, who started the Mitsubishi brand, lived in 1854 feudal Japan,

and had to go through very tough times. When Yataro Iwasaki was in school he was

called home one day because his father was injured during a dispute with the

village leader. He asked a local magistrate to hear his fathers case, and when the

magistrate refused, he accused the man of corruption. Yataro was promptly jailed

for 7 months.

After abolition of Japans feudal clan system, Yataro, acquired Tosa Clans shippingbusiness in 1873 and named his shipping business as Mitsubishi. Later, a fourth

generation Iwasaki, Kayota, turned this company into a giant corporate group, with

an automobile manufacturing company called Mitsubishi Motors.

The Mitsubishi logo was a combination of the Iwasaki family crest, the Tosa Clan

three-leaf crest (see origin of shipping business above), and three stacked

diamonds. The official translation of the logo itself is three diamonds.


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14. Opel

Opel is a so important historically and currently, to a large class of people,

representing the quality for a mid-price category. We thought so to present to those

who still not a history facts in a circle logo used by the company of great

importance in Europe.

The founder of the Opel factory sewing machines, Adam Opel died in 1895. His sons

bought Lutzmann company and produced the first Opel car in 1898. On the right

you see first company logo Adam Opel, a manufacturer of sewing machines.

In 1900 they began to import and Renault cars and Darracq, which purchased and a

production license. During the company has adapted a logo Art Deco since 1906.

After 1906, there are many version of opal logo introduced and from 2002 to today

is just a bit modernized version of 1987, complying with the 3D design style of this

era. With the introduction in 2008 of the Insignia which reached the 2009 Car of the

Year worldwide, the company introduced a new logo to strengthen brand image.The new logo received in addition to the previous logo, OPEL inscription in the upper

part of the circle.

15. Peugeot


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Peugeot, a major French car brand was started by two brothers Jean-Pierre and

Jean-Frdric Peugeot in 1812. The company was a steel mill for decades, making

different products like machine tools, crinoline dresses, umbrellas, wire wheels,

irons, sewing machines, kitchen gadgets. In 1855, the company started making

bicycles and was one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in France.

The company entered the automobile industry due to its bicycle manufacturing

business. In 1889, Armand Peugeot created the companys first car which was run

by a steam powered engine. After meeting Gottlieb Daimler, the company replacedthe steam engine with a gas powered internal combustion engine.

The Peugeot lion logo was based on the flag of the Rgion Franche-Comt,

designed by a jeweler Justin Blazer in 1847. Earlier, the logo was used on the

companys kitchen gadgets, to denote the signature quality of their steel, and was

introduced on cars only after Armand could convince his family, that cars could be a

profitable business.

16. Porsche


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Porsche, a German manufacturer of luxury high performance automobiles, was

started as a company called Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH by Ferdinand Porsche.

Initially the company didnt build any cars under its own name and offered

consultancy for motor vehicle development. This company is known for designing

the first Volkswagen car, Volkswagen Beetle. Ferdinand turned this company into

Porsche in 1931, but the first Porsche car wasnt introduced till 1939.

In 1950s Dr. Ferdinand, set about developing a company logo to denote their

location in Stuttgart and a dynamic, powerful image. After several draft versions, a

logo created by Porsche engineer Franz Xaver Reimspiess was decided as the

company emblem and has become the trademark of the company. The rampant

house in the centre was derived from the city seal of Stuttgart, and was a symbol of

forward thrusting power.

Unfortunately, Ferdinand died in 1951, before the company shield first appeared on

the Porsche 356 model in 1952. The logo first appeared in the centre of the

steering, and started appearing on the bonnet of 356 from 1955. In 1959, the shieldappeared on the wheel-caps too, allowing the sports car to be recognized from the

sides to. The Porsche shield has remain unchanged over the years, and still appears

on the steering, bonnet and the wheel-caps.

17. Renault


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Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce founded the Rolls Royce Limited in Britain(1906). The company manufactured automobiles and aircraft engines. In 1973, the

Rolls Royce Motor Company was separated from the parent company, which was

nationalized following a huge crisis in 1971.

In 1884, Henry Royce, One of the founders of Rolls Royce, started an electrical and

mechanical business. He made his first car, a two-cylinder Royce 10, in his

Manchester factory in 1904, and was introduced to Charles Rolls at the Midland

Hotel in Manchester on 4 May of that year. They both agreed to create a company

that would later go on to manufacture the best car in the world. The name of the

company Rolls Royce derives from the surnames of the company founders, Henry

Royce and Charles Rolls.

In 1971, the company and subsequently the brand were split. Rolls-Royce plc, the

owner of the famous Rolls-Royce trademarks, initially granted permission for use to

a newly formed entity, Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors Ltd. In 1998, this license was

withdrawn when the motorcar trademarks were sold by Rolls-Royce plc to a BMW

company, now known as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. This company today

manufactures luxury automobiles and accessories in the name of Rolls-Royce from

its headquarters in Goodwood, England. Its identity system and brand are

consistent with the original principles of the company founded over 100 years ago.

19. Saab


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Saab, the automobile manufacturer, started as an aircraft company back in 1937. In

1937, to meet the needs of the Swedish Air Force, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget

(Swedish Aeroplane Limited or simply SAAB) was created.

After the Second World War, SAAB company started manufacturing automobiles to

diversify its business. In 1947, the SAAB Automobile Company was incorporated,

and the first manufactured car was named as SAAB 92 (because it was the

companys 92nd design, all previous designs were aircrafts). The griffen logo,

featuring the head of a mythological beast that had a body of a lion and head andwings of an eagle, came from Vadis-Scania, a truck manufacturer that merged with

SAAB (airplane) company. The griffen was a coat of arms of the province Scania.

In 2000, SAAB Automobile Company was acquired by General Motors (100% stake)

and just a week ago (Feb 23, 2010) GM announced that it has completed the sale of

Saab to Spyker Cars NV. Simply put, from the of announcement, Saab is part of

Spyker and the new life for the troubled Swedish brand begins. To make things even

clearer, GM announced the wind down of Saab operations has ended.

20. Skoda
http://www.spykercars.nl/http://www.spykercars.nl/


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Skoda, is an automobile manufacturer based in Czech Republic. It became a

subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in 1991. The company was started as a bicycle

manufacturing company back in 1890s. Vaclav Laurin and Vclav Klement started a

bicycle repair shop in Mlad Boleslav (1895), and later they started a bicycle and

motorcycle manufacturing factory in 1898. The companys first logo was based on

the Slavia brand, with lime leaves, to represent the Slav nations. The logo alsoincluded the owners names which later became the main foundation for future

logos.

In 1905, L&K logo (initials of the owners) was designed and was influenced by Art

Nouveau, an artistic style at the beginning of the 20th century. From 1926, the cars

were produced under the brand name Skoda, which is reflected in the oval shaped

logo of the company. The laurels enclosing the brand name were retained in the

new logo as well.

The famous winged arrow logo was first introduced in 1926, but its origin and

designer is unknown. This was merged with the Skoda brand logo and the new logowas used on cars from 1994. The black and green logo, gives the Skoda brand a

great degree of originality. The black color symbolizes the companys 100 years

tradition, and green color signifies the environment friendly production of Skoda

cars.

21. Volkswagen


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Volkswagen means Peoples car in German. The history of the company is tied with

Adolf Hitler.

Before the rise of Hitler, the German economy was in a very bad shape; as a result

people couldnt afford to buy cars. In 1933, Hitler raised the idea of an inexpensive

car in the Auto show.

In 1934, Ferdinand Porsche met with Hitler to design the car. Hitler gave him all the

specifications of the car and Porsche promised to deliver the design. In 1937, the

Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH was created (it

became simply Volkswagenwerk GmbH a year later). In 1938, Hitler opened a state

funded Volkswagen factory in Walburg. It was suppose to produce commercial cars,

but it was used to churn out military cars. It was only later found that Hitler had

intended to use the Porsche car as a military vehicle only, which could carry 3 men

and a machine gun.

After the WWII, Britishers took over the company. They renamed the car as Beetle.Surprisingly all the car makers like Fiat and Ford declined to take free control of

the Volkswagen factory. So, it was returned to the German government, and went

on to become one of the worlds bestselling cars ever.

The first logo was designed by Franz Xavier Reimspiess, a Porsche employee during

an office logo design competition. The main part of the logo hasnt changed much,

but understandably after the WWII, they got rid of the design around the circle

which seems to be inspired from the Nazi flag. I love the colors that were added in

2000, to the logo which was built after WWII, it depicts a positive change in the

company and the ability to adapt to the new millennium.

22. Yamaha


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forks contained within a circle. And an M with a middle column shorter than the

outer legs, and features YAMAHA printed in an asymmetric font. The logo of

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is printed in a symmetrical font and uses red as its

corporate color, while Yamaha Corporation uses violet. There are many talking

about why Yamaha changed its color from blue to red. The one which we believes

that Yamaha motors want to match the logo color with Yamaha Japans corporatecolor.
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22 Corporate Brand Logo Evolution of Automobile Groups

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