The Mechanics Of How Car Logos Are Made
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Designing brand identities in the automotive industry requires a lot of creativity and attention to detail. Now, this is true for every logo design, but with graphics for a car you need to put in a little more effort into creating something unique and memorable.
If you have an appealing logo for your brand, you can create your marketing and branding strategy around it. Think of luxury car companies like BMW and Mercedes. Their logos are recognized around the world and have been designed to stand out everywhere.
In order to understand automotive logos, you have to become familiar with the mechanics of how they are made.
Research
Just like with everything else, car logos also cannot be created without proper research. Both designers and brand owners begin researching before starting the design process. It is actually one of the most important steps that can make or break the logo.
By doing all your research, you can improve your brand identity design in so many ways. Firstly, you find out what the target market wants and likes. Then, by looking through the logos of your competitors you also make sure that you don’t up with a similar design or copying something from them. Other than that, researching past and current logo trends can also give you a good idea of what works in the industry.
Those who do their research well end up with an eye-catching logo graphic that is unique to their brand.
Both these auto companies are known for their cars and machinery.
Image Source: carlogos.org
Honda’s logo has the iconic H which can be recognized on cars, motorcycles and parts as well.
Image Source: Pinterest
The legendary wings in Aston Martin’s brand design have been a part of it since 1926.
Logo styles
What do you think of when you see Nike or Coca-Cola? Most probably, the hugely popular swoosh of the sports brand and the writing style or script of the soft drink company’s wordmark. These are actually logo styles which have been used effectively by these companies to attract consumers.
With car logos, you will likely see emblems or combination logos being used instead of only wordmarks as Coca-Cola has or a lettermark that has been made famous by McDonald’s. Now, this is where businesses have to really think about their choice of logo styles. As a car business owner, you cannot have a logo doesn’t represent your brand values and sends the right message.
Image Source: Toyota Blog
Take a look at these iconic car brand designs. They are all emblems for some of the biggest auto companies in the world.
Image Source: Logo Lynx
The Toyota logo has circular lines and ovals while the Ford logo is the name of the company highlighted in a blue background.
Image Source: Moto 1
Volkswagen launched this new brand design recently with its trademark V and W linked together in a circle. When you see these symbols anywhere, you know what they stand for instantly: quality, elegance and trust.
Icons Or Symbols
Now, these can have a strong impact and can really bring all the elements of design together. Abstract shapes like signs, icons, and symbols representing mundane objects and animals can really go a long way in making an impression and it’s why they are important in the automotive industry.
In car logos, you might have seen emblems with shields, diagonal, circular or pointed lines, or animals such as bulls, horses and a jaguar. Mostly, these represent speed, power and strength. In the designing of car logos, designers and brand owners have to pick out the right automotive icons and symbols that will represent the brand well.
Image Source: Pinterest
The logo of Jaguar Cars is an animal jumping up in the air. It represents the company’s promise of high performance and success.
Image Source: Freebie Supply
The Shelby cobra and Impala’s antelope have been symbols of force, energy and quality.
Image Source: Pinterest
Otherwise, icons and symbols are also a good choice for auto businesses involved in car services or production and distribution of car parts. Wrenches, gear or speed signs like fire and abstract lines can help attract consumers and also tell them about the services you might be offering.
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Car wash services and company logos can also stand out with their designs and make it easy for people to recognize them with symbols such as bubbles or waves.
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: Behance
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: Behance
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: Behance
Color Schemes Or Palette
When it comes to automobile logos, the use of colors in designing them is not only important for the branding but also for engaging the target audience.
Image Source: Top Speed
Colors such as blue, silver, black, white and red are commonly used by car companies. Each color has a meaning like silver represents sophistication and elegance, where else black shows control and power.
Image Source: Motor Authority
The iconic brand design of Mercedes-Benz. Globally, this has been recognized as a symbol of luxury and style. Every consumer knows that the logo stands for being the best in business.
Image Source: Car Logos
Similarly, Mitsubishi Motors’ crimson logo represents confidence and achievement. On the other hand, the second logo has been designed for a smaller company but the black and red colors immediately make a powerful impact.
Image Source: Mitsubishi
Colors in logo designs of auto dealers or car related services are can also make them look appealing.
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: Behance
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Bright colors and contrasts such as black and white have been used in the brand designs below to engage the audience with a unique appearance.
Fonts
There is a lot that has to be considered when picking a font or font style of a logo. A huge part of the brand identity design’s success depends on the typography and how well the font goes with it.
Now, there is a whole science behind choosing a font for a business or company logo. Car brand owners and designers who are working with them have to make sure that the font style looks suitable with the design elements in the logo. It cannot stand apart from the colors, icons, symbols or emblems. You might have noticed that automobile businesses usually have logos in clear-cut and bold font. While many companies choose to stay with the sleek Sans Serif font, others also pick Serif to further attract the consumer.
Image Source: Underconsideration
Image Source: Motor 1
One or two big car companies have also picked unique cursive fonts that represent the company’s history and tradition like the calligraphic script of Cadillac.
Image Source: Wikipedia
Font styles are also important for car dealers and detailing services logos. It’s how the businesses manage to catch the eye of the consumer in a competitive market.
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Adaptability
With time, car companies can upgrade and make changes to their logo designs. The logo has to be created in a way that it’s adaptable and does not turn into something else either. There are quite a few car companies that moved from chrome and three-dimensional logos to flat designs. Otherwise, the brand identity design should have the adaptability factor as it has to be used for branding and marketing. This means that it should look appealing on merchandise such as clothes and bags, and also print and digital media.
Image Source: ZillionDesigns
Image Source: Behance
Image Source: Brand New
Otherwise, the brand identity design should have the adaptability factor as it has to be used for branding and marketing. This means that it should look appealing on merchandise such as clothes and bags, and also print and digital media.
Image Source: Brand New
Both these logos are of Audi, with the first being the earlier logo of the company and the second being the redesign. The four rings before were in a metal design which the company changed to make it more adaptable to digital platforms and user-friendly.
History
The biggest and oldest car companies in the world have taken to representing their company’s rich histories in their logo designs. As a business owner, you can find ways to include something about the creation of your business or family traditions in the brand symbol. Other than that, there are any companies which also have famous stories behind their brand symbols.
Image Source: Design Stormes
The dancing horse in the Ferrari logo and the colors represent the founder’s hometown, time in the military and experiences before starting the company.
Image Source: Alfa Romeo
The Alfa Romeo logo symbols show a man being eaten by a snake and right next to it is the Christian cross!
Sum Up
Car logos are very interesting and their designs have a lot going for them. If you are looking to get an car logo design for your business, get started now!
