Legendary companies are known by their logos. Their logos
are a distillation of the entire brand. depending on the quality of a brand’s
offerings, the logo can be a shield of reassurance for consumers. Car companies are no exception. In a 2018
article, Forbes ranked the top 100 brands in the world by value. The list
included 12 members of the automotive industry, trailing only the technology
and finance sectors. A terrific logo can resonate with consumers and even have a
cultural impact. here are some of our favorites and the stories of how they
came to be.
Ferrari
The “Prancing Horse” (Cavallino Rampante in Italian) against
a yellow shield was in use well before Enzo Ferrari adorned his supercars with
it. during world war I, Italian ace fighter pilot Francesco Baracca had the
logo painted on the fuselage of his plane. Enzo saw the logo for the first time
when he met Baracca’s parents after his death. The pilot’s mother encouraged
Ferrari to use the logo proposing that it would bring him good luck. As usual,
mom was right.
Jaguar
Originally known as swallow Sidecars, Jaguar was formed in
1922. The original logo was a winged hexagon reading “SS”. After WWII the
company felt the need to change the logo and ultimately the name considering
the negative political connotations with the double-S. The company pivoted to the
name of a model they’d produced in 1935 — the Jaguar. considering that then, the pouncing
jaguar of silver has been a British icon.
(We need to admit, it was disappointing to see the classic hood ornament
swapped out for the grill badge of today’s models.)
Lamborghini
Shields, Cloven-hoof animals, black-and-yellow colorways and
Italian supercars are a can’t-miss combination. Ferruccio Lamborghini used this
logo formula to terrific success in the branding of his company. The raging bull
of Lamborghini is said to represent consistency, fortitude and power, it’s also
synonymous with Taurus, the founder’s zodiac sign. Ferruccio Lamborghini was
also intensely interested in Spanish bull-fighting. According to a 2015
Road and Track article, he paid homage to popular bulls with model names such
as Aventador, Murciélago and Huracan.
BMW
There are two famous theories on the creation of the German
car maker’s logo. One claims the alternating blue-and-white quadrants of the BMW
Roundel illustrate a spinning airplane propeller against a clear sky. The case isn’t entirely baseless as the notion
sprung from a terrific Depression-era advertisement announcing BMW’s acquisition
of the rights to build Pratt & Whitney plane engines. According to a 2010
blog by Stephen Williams of the new York Times, a excursion guide at the BMW
Museum in Munich set the story straight. She explained that the logo was not a
depiction a spinning airplane propeller but was indicated to show the flag of the
Free state of Bavaria.
Mercedes-Benz
“The best or
Nothing.” The global slogan of the German luxury automobile maker is basic but
powerful. The same can be said for the companies famous three-point star logo. The
three points of the star are said to represent air, land and sea – a nod to the
capability of his machines and their ability to dominate all three spaces. The
laureate wreath encompassing the star was added after Gottlieb Daimler’s
Mercedes merged with Carl Benz’s operation.
Rolls-Royce
There aren’t lots of logos or brands that exude excellence, luxury and quality quite like Rolls-Royce. The double-R logo is timeless, but the star of the Rolls-Royce brand is the Spirit of Ecstasy. Rolls-Royce produced top-shelf automobiles from the outset, but the absence of a hood ornament left customers asking wanting for more. as with any good service owner, they not only fulfilled the request, they over-delivered. Claude Johnson, the company’s managing director, commissioned sculptor Charles Robinson Skye to produce an ornament that displayed, “speed with silence, absence of vibration – the mysterious harnessing of terrific energy and a living organism of outstanding grace.” It was then that the Spirit of Ecstasy was created that showed a goddess relishing the experience of a glamorous Rolls-Royce.
Audi
The four rings of the Audi logo tell the story of a union with a sleek and basic design. Audi was a result of a merger to between itself and German automobile makers DKW, Horch and Wanderer to form a conglomerate known as automobile Union. With lots of German factories ceasing regular production during WWII, the automobile Union became all but extinct. 40 years later, Audi was the only member to emerge and still uses the four-ring logo.
Toyota
Today, Toyota is regarded as an automotive industry titan
and even ranked ninth on Forbes list of a lot of useful brands in the world. The
industry and the success the company has took pleasure in have not always been the same.
In 1989, Toyota unveiled its current logo in celebration of its 50th
anniversary. According
to the company , “the two perpendicular ovals inside the larger oval
represent the heart of the customer and the heart of the company” while “the
two perpendicular ovals inside the outer oval symbolize ‘T’ for Toyota, as well
as a steering wheel, representing the automobile itself.” The sentiment is nice,
but the alternative theories are much a lot more fun. Some speculate that the
perpendicular ovals represent thread passing through the eye of a needle, a tribute
to the company’s early days as a loom manufacturer.
Cadillac
The Cadillac company is named after famed French explorer
and founder of Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. The logo shows the Cadillac
family’s coat of arms. The three colors in the logo show boldness, virtue and
valor. Moreover, a crown, a wreath and some ducks were part of the logo. The
first big change was the removal of the ducks (or martins) form the crest logo.
More recently, the company has opted to ditch the laureate wreath.
A company’s logo
serves as its face to the world is its face to the world. It only needs a quick
glance to tell the story of a company or express its values.
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