Evolution of Car Logos

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Ever wonder what those nifty shapes emblazoned on the front and back of your automobile are supposed to mean?  I mean really, what do two over-lapping ovals have to do with the Japanese auto maker Toyota?  The wonky ‘h’ used by Hyundai sort of makes sense to me and the masculine blocky ‘H’ of Honda is also logical because both auto makers used the first letter of their company name to create an easily recognized logo.

Really, a logo is supposed to create brand recognition in sort of a short hand, visual way. It is the advertising equivalent of making an ‘x’ for your mark instead of a full signature.  Logos are very effective. Not many people would want to run around with a tire or windshield wiper on their baseball cap, but plenty of folks are keeping the sun off their heads beneath a fancily drawn f-o-r-d on a blue oval or sport a VW on their T-shirt encouraging farfignugan.

It makes sense to have a logo, but who decided what the logo should be and why it should work?  Some logos are more chance than anything else. One of the most universally recognized logos on the planet is the Chevy logo.  It was designed in 1913 appearing for the first time in an advertisement in the Washington post and is said to have been copied from a wallpaper design.

Other auto makers put a little more thought into their logos.  Toyota is one such example. The loopy over-lapping oblong O’s are deceptively simple. These loops not only hide the letters in the name ‘Toyota’ but they also tie in the roots of the car maker’s beginnings as a fabric maker. Looking closely, you can see the thread passing through the eye of a needle. To see how the ‘t-o-y-o-t-a’ is hidden, click the graphic to the left.

BMW is another thoughtful logo and has changed very little in the last 100 years.  BMW started as an airplane maker at the time of World War ll.  Due to it’s aviation roots, the blue and white quartered circle represents a propeller in motion.

To explore other auto makers and their logos, see the graphic on the left and become enlightened.