The history of Ford’s logo dates back to more than a century ago. The Ford logo was first designed when the company was established in 1903. We’re going to see how the Ford Motor Company logo through the years has evolved since then.
Despite the changes, the Ford logo remains one of the most memorable logos in the automotive industry. It’s nice to know that it has maintained a lot of the same elements over the years, with only relevant alterations to make it more appealing.
Let’s walk through the Ford logo history to see how it has changed in all these years.
FORD LOGO MEANING
The logo features a flattened oval in shades of blue and white. It also boasts the stylish signature of Henry Ford, the founder of the brand. The colours used in it have a meaning – the blue symbolises strength, excellence, and grace that’s characteristic of the company. The white symbolises brand virtues, i.e. nobility, elegance, and purity.
UNDERSTANDING FORD LOGO THROUGH THE YEARS
It is evident through the Ford logo history that earlier designs were complex and became simple and minimalistic over the years. Although the car brand has been around for a century, the logos didn’t change significantly. Let’s have a deeper look.
FORD LOGO HISTORY
Ford Motor Company is one of the popular American car brands that has a simple and attractive logo design. Here is the extensive history of Ford logos starting from 1903:
IN THE YEAR 1903 – THE MAKING OF THE BRAND
The Ford logo history starts from this brand identity that included too many words.
The old Ford logo had “Ford Motor Co.” and “Detroit Mich” written, which were included to represent where the brand came from. The original design appeared in black with a white frame and text. Designers had kept the letters in a wavy motion, making them feel like they were handwritten.
IN THE YEAR 1907 – A BIG CHANGE
A significant change followed after the launch of the first logo. In it, the brand’s name was capitalised with “Motor Co.” removed. The font text was changed to sans-serif.
The shape was made more oval-shaped and more terms were added. This was in an attempt to demonstrate the company’s trustworthiness such as “every car guaranteed twelve months,” and “for quality, hallmark and economy.” The colours are switched from a black and white palette to a grey scale.
IN THE YEAR 1909 – INTRODUCTION TO HENRY FORD WRITING
It was the first time that an imitation of Henry Ford’s handwriting was used for the logo. All other elements were removed including the oval. Bold and italicised wordmark of Ford was designed in 1909 with an elongated tail of “D.”
IN THE YEAR 1911 – REDESIGNING WITH SIMILAR ELEMENTS
The signature imitation was a success, as it reappeared in the next instalment of the Ford Motor Company logo. Enclosed in a double horizontal oval, the wordmark was maintained with “The Famous Motor Cars” inscription in the perimeter. Ford was designed in bold font and made easily readable.
IN THE YEAR 1912 – CHANGE TO THE SHAPE
Shortly, Ford redesigned the logo to replace the oval badge with a shape similar to a bird. The colours were now switched to shades of blue and white, and the inscription was changed to “The Universal Car”, which was now the new tagline. The details were executed in white and it was the first logo to have lived for 5 years with the company in one of the most unusual shapes.
IN THE YEAR 1917 – BACK TO THE OVAL
The badge was switched from wing/bird-inspired to a simple oval again in the next redesigning of the Ford logo 5 years later. The word “Ford” was written in a much lighter font and the grey oval featured a black outline.
IN THE YEAR 1927 – REMODELLING AFTER 10 YEARS
A good ten years later, the colours were switched to blue and white. The frame was slightly changed too, now featuring a double outline in thick white and thin blue. It was this logo prototype that we all know today.
FROM THE YEAR 1957 TO 1976 – VARIOUS DESIGNS
In a span of 19 years from 1957 to 1976, the company experimented with the the logo design aspects without making significant changes. The minor alterations including weight and slanting of the topography changed in some places, while the borders were also experimented with to produce a shape other than the oval.
IN THE YEAR 1976 – A 3D LOOK TO THE LOGO
Finally, in 1976, a three-dimensional badge of the Ford logo was introduced. The topography as well as the surrounding border changed to a nice silver while the blue background took on gradients to make it appear more royal.
IN THE YEAR 2003 – TILL TODAY
Many years later, in 2003, the brand concluded with a simplified version without the 3D gradients and shading. Unlike the old Ford logo, the company also replaced the previous silver shade with white and flattened the oval to give an alive, sophisticated, and memorable look to the emblem. This logo is completing two decades with the company next year.
As you can see now, the Ford logo has retained many elements of its design over the years. Although it underwent some significant changes, we are glad the company stopped at a version that is simple, minimalist, and very effective. The Ford logo history reveals that the brand has evolved with time, by launching car models with advanced features and has recreated its visual identity with time to keep the brand’s name easily recognisable.
Moreover, the brand has also introduced a unique animal logo for instance, Ford Mustang has an animal car logo with a horse galloping towards the left.
Thus, if you are a Ford brand fan, given it is also one of the popular used American car makes in the UAE then you may have a look at used Ford cars for sale in the UAE. There is an array of Ford models that may fit your requirement and budget.
Stay tuned to UAE’s top auto blog for more information about different car makes, history of models and new launches.
Related Posts
