Alfa Romeo Automobiles is an Italian car maker known for releasing some high-end, high-performance models over the years. The car manufacturer is a subsidiary of the Stellantis, and is popular for premium quality sports cars that flaunt style and speed.
Today we will take a brief look at the history of the Alfa Romeo logo, its meaning and evolution over a period of more than 100 years.
THE ALFA ROMEO LOGO TODAY
The Alfa Romeo logo is a circular emblem design that was first introduced in the year 1910. One of the interesting facts about Alfa Romeo is that some major elements in the logo design remain the same since its inception.
The Alfa Romeo car logo today is composed of several elements, beginning from the Visconti serpent known as Biscione. The logo design has municipality’s cross, a crown over the serpent and a human figure that looks like being devoured by the serpent and the Alfa Romeo wordmark.
The logo, as we know it now, is quite stylish and full of elegance and grace. You get to see heraldically significant and ancient elements on a closer inspection, meaning there is deep historical content in the modern form.
THE ALFA ROMEO LOGO HISTORY
One thing has been consistent in Alfa Romeo’s trademark history; the logo has always been a circular badge with heraldic elements at its centre. On the left side of the badge is a flag with a red cross on a white background whereas on the right side is a crowned green snake eating a human.
YEAR 1910
The brand Alfa was founded on June 24th, 1910 in Milan, Italy. Thus, two traditional symbols of Milan were chosen to make up the badge, meaning the cross of the municipality and Visconti serpent were included in the design elements. There was a disc lettered “ALFA-MILANO ” at the edge of the badge, divided by two ropes that some say were Savoy-dynasty knots.
YEAR 1915
Five years later, the engineer Nicola Romeo took over the company and added his surname to the brand’s logo. Thus, the badge was changed to read “Alfa-Romeo Milano” while the rest of the design remained unchanged. Apart from this, the colours of the badge were enhanced and the wordmark was elongated. The contours of the cross and serpent within Alfa Romeo logo were cleaned, making them more confident and modern. Blue shades on the badge became sleeker and more intense, along with the man in the snake’s mouth becoming more visible.
YEAR 1925
The next change in the logo came after 10 years. The Alfa Romeo logo design became a bit complex. Another outline with a silver leaf-based wreath was added to the logo around the dark blue circle featuring a wordmark ‘Alfa – Romeo Milano. Also, the ropes appearing between Milana and Alfa Romeo were simplified.
YEAR 1933
After seven years, another version of the Alfa Romeo car logo was introduced. The silver wreath was changed to gold, the wordmark was enlarged and the cross became more visible.
YEAR 1946
The complex elements of the badge were further simplified from the year 1946 to 1947. The silver wreath was replaced with a silver circle border in mid-level thickness. The Savory-dynasty knots were removed and replaced by simple two wavy lines, all the while elements within the badge becoming more defined.
YEAR 1947
A magnificent change took over the entire badge in 1947, with not just one but all elements moving towards a new colour palette. The iconic circular Alfa Romeo car logo took on a red and yellow combination were all yellow details and elements were put on a solid red circle in thing golden frame.
YEAR 1948
The next year immediately, the company returned to its original concept and colour palette. The 1948 version of the Alfa Romeo logo got rid of the dash between the wordmark and instead took up small spaces. The green serpent gained a thick black outline and the man in its mouth changed to a red colour. The cross, on the other hand, also took a thick outline that essentially added balance to the image.
The wordmark gained white lettering around an electric-blue frame that became cleaner and neater in sans-serif typeface.
YEAR 1950
In the year 1950, the serpent became much rounder and bigger than before, and the man in the mouth took on a geometric silhouette, moving closer towards the red cross. The “Alfa Romeo” part of the wordmark got enlarged than the “Milano,” taking most of the frame. The letters were written in delicate lightweight font and this logo represented the brand for nearly 20 years.
YEAR 1971
Some 20 years later in 1971, many earlier elements of the original Alfa Romeo logo returned with greater simplifications. The wordmark lost the “Milano” part of the badge, while the outline of the snake, banner, and circular emblem took on a golden tone.
YEAR 1972
In 1972, the logo changed in colour hues yet again. What previously were golden metallic in colour became brighter yellow, with “Alfa Romeo” taking on the same shade. Additionally, the blue colour of the disc became darker, working brilliantly in contrast with yellow shades, and the outlines of the viper and cross gained the same shade – even the man in the snake’s mouth!
YEAR 2000
With the start of the 2000s, the Alfa Romeo logo became clearer, more explicit, and bolder than before. Some more gradient shades were added to make it dynamic and vivid. The background of the cross and the snake became light blue and white with the crown at the top of the serpent getting more refined.
YEAR 2015 – PRESENT
The last update to the logo was in the year 2015 where all gold details of the badge were replaced by silver ones. Importantly, the biggest change was to the elements in the centre – they are no longer divided into two segments. They feature a common silver background with the red cross and green snake deliberately touching each other.
ALFA ROMEO LOGO MEANING
Like other popular auto brands’ logos, the Alfa Romeo brand logo also holds a significant meaning. Each element in the logo represents a distinct concept. The cross in the logo is basically the municipality cross, which is linked with the Milanese soldiers often. As per another interpretation, the cross is often associated with St Ambrose or St George’s cross.
The other element, green snake, is also called a “grass snake” and has stuck with the company’s logo since the very beginning. Biscione represents or, rather preserves, the brand’s connection with Milan. As per several stories, the grass snake devoured humans as is shown in the logo. Furthermore, the man in the logo is referred to as Saracen or Moor, defeated in the Christian crusades.
The Visconti serpent in the logo is also referred to as Biscione. This snake was the Visconti family’s symbol in the 11th century, which was an influential group in Milan. Besides, the Biscoine can still be seen on different monuments in the city.
This was all about the evolution of one of the renowned Italian car brands’ logo and meaning. Besides, if the history of the logo has convinced you to own their car model, then you may check these used Alfa Romeo cars in the UAE.
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