Founded 114 years ago in Detroit, Michigan, Cadillac is one of the most respected luxury automakers in the world. A US-based division of General Motors, Cadillac commercializes vehicles in the United States, China, Canada, and 34 other countries. And with its more than a century of existence, the Cadillac logo belongs to one of the oldest automakers on the planet.

Both the Cadillac name and the Cadillac logo are based on Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of Detroit. However, while many praise the French nobleman for his exploits, somewhat recent discoveries portray him to be a liar. And a very bold one, at that. So, let’s not waste any more time, and dig into the specifics of the Cadillac logo.

Cadillac Logo Design Elements

 

The current Cadillac logo features the silver crest split in two with a thick border. The colors that pop up though the silver lines are gold, red, blue and black. Each block color has a subtle gradient pattern.

Changes and Evolution

Over the course of its long existence, the Cadillac logo has changed plenty of times. However, one thing always remained present – the house Cadillac crest. Particularly during the mid-1900s, the company went through several logo changes. And the Cadillac logos which appeared during that time frame were as diverse as they were inventive.

The most recent redesigns are from 1999, 2009, and 2014. Overall, the biggest change suffered by the Cadillac crest was the removal of the martlets. The designers of the time changed other features, such as the wreath and additional adjoined elements, far more often and on a much larger scale.

Shape

Making their first appearance on the original Cadillac logo, the martlets are a huge part of the company’s tradition. They are frequently confused with ducks or merlettes. However, they best resemble swallows or house martins lacking feet.

Several other features have been removed from the Cadillac logo since its first outing. The pearls meant to stand for the royal Toulouse house descendants are gone. Also gone is the crown depicting six counts of France. The laurel wreath standing for victory and leadership has also been removed in 2014.

The current version of the Cadillac logo is a far more simplified, yet modernistic one. Gone are all the embellishments and accessories present in the older Cadillac logos. Most recently, the Cadillac house crest was elongated horizontally and squashed vertically. This allows for a much more streamlined logo to be applied to any number of vehicles and merchandise.

The original Cadillac logo was inspired by the crest of arms belonging to the founder of Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.

Color and Font

The colors in the Cadillac logo are red, silver, yellow/golden, blue, black, and white. They all represent excellence, reliability, nobility, passion, grandeur, and creativity. These are the qualities most associated with the company. And while each of the colors stands for something else on its own, together they form the company’s image.

Silver, for example, is the color designers use for sophistication, elegance, and sleek, industrial modernism. Designers use gold to symbolize wealth, prosperity, and passion. Red is the color of passion and determination, power, and strength. Blue inspires trust and wisdom, as well as calmness and confidence. Meanwhile, black and white represent perfection, power, elegance, and success.

As for the Cadillac logo font, it is an elegant, calligraphic, handwritten typeface. It is a custom typeface very similar to the font called English 157. Designed by Vladimir Yefimov, English 157 is based on pressure point quill calligraphy. The font family contains some 614 glyphs, including Cyrillic. You can test it out and download it here.

Inspiration and Trivia

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the Cadillac logo is its origin story. The inspiration for the Cadillac logo is the house crest of Detroit’s founder. However, some backstory surfaced a couple of years ago, and it mostly disproved the man’s claimed origin.

As it turns out, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac was never a French nobleman. In fact, that wasn’t even his real name. It would seem that the founder of Detroit took on a false name so as to avoid army draft.

It would appear that back then it was nearly impossible to corroborate one’s identity. So, when a supposed nobleman shows up in the New World with the name of an actual French noble family, nobody had any reason to question him. The fact that he used his neighbor’s crest to get along provided even more credibility to his claims.

So, it seems like the Cadillac logo actually drew inspiration from the family crest of Baron Sylvester of Esparbes de Lussan, Lord of Lamothe-Bardigues. Baron Sylvester used to be Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac’s neighbor before he left France. His actual name was Antoine Laumet. It turns out that there was no actual de la Mothe family. The closest one was Baron Sylvester’s name, so it appears that the house crest isn’t the only thing he borrowed from his neighbor.

Conclusion

The Cadillac logo belongs to one of the most esteemed and renowned luxury automakers in the world. It’s rare for a logo to go through so many changes throughout its existence, and for the company to remain the same. But Cadillac pulled it off. And despite recent controversial revelations, the brand is as acclaimed and respected as ever. Read more about luxury car logos in our Rolls Royce symbol article.

Jaguar is one of the most recognizable car companies on Earth. The British car manufacturer rose to popularity thanks to its fast and sleek vehicles that are known worldwide as a staple of power and luxury. In this article, we are going to talk about the origins of the Jaguar logo, going over its design elements, and how they are at the base of the company’s corporate image.

Jaguar Logo Design Elements

The Jaguar logo is embodied by a silver jaguar depicted in full sprint. The silver letters under the symbol use a non Serif font, slightly stretched out, with a gradient pattern. The same gradient effect is used to add depth and movement to the jaguar.

Changes and Evolution

As is the case with most brands, the Jaguar logo has gone through a number of changes throughout its existence. However, they weren’t nearly as frequent or as large-scale as those of other brands – with one exception. In 1945, the company changed its name as result of the Second World War. With it, they also updated their somewhat controversial logo.

Before 1945, the company went by Swallow Sidecar Company. This was shortened to S. S. Cars, and was featured in the logo of every car produced by the company. Once Germany lost the war, the firm changed its name and logo. From S. S. Cars Limited, the company became Jaguar Cars, and the Jaguar logo was born.

With the exception of a couple of angles and fine details, few things changed in regards to the Jaguar logo over the years. The first version consisted of a jumping jaguar, very similar to the one we have today. The animal’s contour was black, and it had Jaguar written in all caps underneath. Interestingly, the text was written in a somewhat darker shade of teal.

The next version had the Jaguar logo become a bit more streamlined. Some angles were turned into curves, to give the animal a more natural look. Some finer details, like teeth and ears, were also added. The Jaguar font also suffered some changes. For one, it became all-black. Plus, the font completely changed, as the company decided to adopt a new image.

Next came a short time during which the jaguar in the Jaguar logo also became black. Meanwhile, the font turned silver-gray. This only lasted for a short while, before the emblem finally became the one we all know.

Shape

A very elegant animal, the Jaguar is meant to represent power, grace, elegance, speed, relentlessness, performance, and ambition. The fact that the emblem used to be three-dimensional suggested dynamism and motion. This gave the brand a very refined, elegant look. However, because of a number of new regulations and legislations, modern vehicles can no longer sport a bulging marque.

As a consequence, Jaguar returned to one of their older logo versions, viewed as less iconic than the classic jumping feline. The alternate logo consists of a jaguar’s head encircled in a double-rimmed ring. It is viewed from the front, with the jaguar roaring inside its circle. Most emblems also feature the name Jaguar written above the head, in the inner ring.

Color

The only color featured in the Jaguar logo is silver. However, the many shades present in the logo also make it seem like we’re seeing metallic grays, and even white. Silver is one of the colors most frequently used by automotive companies. This is because it suggests industrialism, modernism, and high-tech. Silver also frequently represents grace, elegance, glamor, sophistication, and wealth.

Font

A slightly modified version of the Algera typeface, the Jaguar font is straight and to the point. Non-serif and imposing, the font perfectly encompasses the values previously discussed. Despite being different than the fonts used until its time, many see it as the best one so far.

Inspiration and Trivia

When the company went by Swallow Sidecar Company, their logo used to consist of a circle with feathery wings. The company’s name was featured inside the blue circle, surrounded by a red circle. Keeping with the changes, when the company became Jaguar, the logo was also changed accordingly.

Originally, when going by S. S., Jaguar wasn’t even making vehicles. Instead, they started off by making motorcycle sidecars. Eventually, they graduated to making the vehicles we all know and love today.

The company went through a number of ownership changes and mergers throughout its lifetime. In 1945, the company first became Jaguar. This was despite the company being around since 1922. Next, in 1966 Jaguar merged with BMC, or the British Motor Corporation.

Two years later they merged with British Leyland, only to unmerge sixteen years later. Next, in 1989, what remained of Jaguar was taken over by Ford. Finally, in 2008, the company was sold to Tata Motors.

Conclusion

One of the most instantly recognizable logos in the modern world, the Jaguar logo is unmistakable. Despite not actually being used on new vehicles in a while, because of safety reasons, the three-dimensional jumping jaguar is the logo best known worldwide. For similar articles, check out the Mini Cooper and the Dodge logo histories.

One of the most successful and recognizable sports car brands in the world,  Corvette has had a long and interesting history throughout its 63 years of existence. Currently in its seventh generation, and having a highly profitable revenue, the Chevrolet Corvette logo and brand will most likely be part of our culture for a long time.

Corvette Logo Design Elements

Images featuring Corvette logos everywhere are instantly recognizable due to the crossed flags, a staple of the brand. The main design elements of the Corvette logo are the circle, the Chevrolet cross, and the fleur-de-lis.

Changes and Evolution

Whether it’s the Corvette Stingray logo, the Jake or “Punisher skull” logo, or the regular C1 through Corvette C7 logo, the brand’s emblem has changed quite a lot over the years.

The common elements maintained throughout the many incarnations of the Corvette logo are the crossed flags, the Chevrolet cross, and the fleur-de-lis. Other common elements included the name of vehicle line below the main emblem, as well as a circle which was occasionally present, surrounding the crossing flags.

Shape

The shape of the Chevrolet logo represents two crossed flags, as is traditional for winning a race. Designed by Robert Bartholomew before the first Corvette car was announced, the Corvette logo was pretty similar to what we have today – the crossed flags, one checkered, one sporting the Chevrolet cross and fleur-de-lis, inside a circle. The words “Chevrolet” and “Corvette” were also present inside the circle.

The flags kept their poles up until 2004, when a new company-wide rebranding and a new generation of vehicles also came with a new logo change. Starting with 2004, the Corvette logo lost the flagpoles, leaving just the fabric blowing in the breeze to be represented on the emblem.

However, that isn’t the only major design change. At one point between 1982 and 1984, the flags in the Corvette logo changed places. This was meant to symbolize a new era for the company. There are, however, a few more things to mention about the shape of the Corvette logo.

The two symbols present on the emblem are the Chevrolet cross and the fleur-de-lis logo reported to be part of Louis Chevrolet’s family crest. One of the first examples of heraldry in the work of logo design, it was a bold move for Bartholomew to include the coat of arms in the Corvette logo. It paid off nonetheless.

As for the circle that sometimes surrounded the Corvette logo, it was repeatedly considered to be moot and not really fitting the brand, but it was repeatedly brought back until 2004. While it has been a while since a new Corvette logo featured the circle, a future company rebranding might very well bring it back.

Last, but not least, the Corvette Stingray got its own logo. It features the small Corvette logo to the side of the big “Stingray“ name. To the right side, meanwhile, there is a small, minimalistic stingray whose tail is underlining the AY part of Stingray.

Color

The predominant colors in the Corvette logo, over the years, are red, white, black, and silver. Occasionally, the metallic gold of the Chevrolet logo was also present. And, while all these colors are usually meant to invoke different feelings and reactions when seen individually, they are meant to perfectly describe the brand when viewed together.

First of all, red is the color of fire and energy. Meant to invoke feelings of strength, determination, power, and passion, red is an emotionally intense color. Red can enhance the human metabolism, raise the blood pressure, and increase the respiration rate. For this, it is often used to trick customers into thinking they have “fallen in love” with the product.

Silver, meanwhile, is used to suggest high-tech, sleekness, modernism, elegance, sophistication, and glamor, as well as wealth and riches. It is the perfect color to use for a sports and luxury car brand.

Font

Streamlined, the Corvette logo font is very modern-looking. It is meant to suggest the quality, innovation level, and the efficiency of the brand, as well as to show off its very high-tech nature. It is one of the most recognizable fonts in automobile history.

Inspiration and Trivia

The Corvette logo was originally created by an interior decorator named Robert Bartholomew in the very early ‘50s, as Chevrolet was preparing to launch the Corvette. The Corvette logo featured two different crossed flags. The original design portrayed the other flag, the one crossing the checkered one, as being the American flag.

However, since it was illegal to use the American flag for the commercialization of products back in the 1950s, the logo Corvette logo had to be changed quickly before the launch. This was happening four days before the big unveiling, so it’s understandable why Bartholomew was not too happy with the way Chevrolet handled things.

Conclusion

Perhaps one of the most recognizable logos in the history of automobiles, the Corvette logo has built the company a reputation based on reliability, quality, and force. While they aren’t the cheapest cars out there, nor the most versatile, Corvettes are undoubtedly some of the most reliable and efficient sports cars out there. Read more about car logos significance in our Jaguar logo history article.