Make Matters: Kia Logo History, Meaning and Design
Logos of various brands hold a great importance and tell the entire story of the company. Designers pay special attention when creating logos as they are important for branding, too. One of the interesting facts about KIA motors is its starting as bicycle parts manufacturers. The first KIA logo retrospected their story of bicycle parts and motorcycle manufacturing.
The KIA logo kept revising over the years to make it more refined and look good on their vehicles. Let’s walk through the evolution of the logo over the years.
KIA LOGO MEANING
The latest KIA logo has three main elements:
- Red coloured text of company name “KIA” representing the energy and passion of the auto brand.
- White background represents the purity and loyalty of the brand towards its consumers.
- The oval shape around the text exhibits the global presence of the company.
KIA LOGO HISTORY
The South Korean auto company, KIA motors is one of the largest vehicle manufacturers of South Korea but it firstly started as bicycle manufacturers in 1944. It is well-known for its non-luxury pre-owned cars in the UAE and particularly, its design methodology. Let’s give a read on how the KIA brand logo has gone through changes to what it is today.
1944- THE FIRST KIA LOGO
The first logo came out in 1944 when the company started manufacturing bicycle parts. This old KIA logo consisted of three diamonds placed to make a triangle with a gear in the middle. In the gear, there was another diamond with the company name inside it.
This KIA logo marked the start of the company with a strong design. The logo had a monochrome colour palette representing authority and professionalism.
1964- CHANGE OF KIA LOGO WITH NEW COMPANY PROFILE
In the 1960’s, KIA changed its company profile and started manufacturing cars. Alongside, the logo was changed into a completely different one. Back then, the KIA logo had a green coloured circle with a slanted line coming out from top. This logo looked like an inverted ‘Q’.
1986- EVOLUTION OF KIA LOGO
The logo went through another change in 1980’s. This time the logo was a bold and stylised word mark. The upper line of ‘K’ was curved one and elongated on the top of other letters too.
1994- A MODERN KIA LOGO
In 1994, a base for the new logo was set. This logo had a simple colour palette of red and white. The name of the company was written inside an oval shape. The modern logo gave a strong message of the company’s passion to serve consumers all over the world. This KIA logo had a customised typeface but it was still simple with an ‘A’ letter without a horizontal line.
2004- NEW REFINED KIA LOGO
The new KIA logo launched in 2004 with a few refinements such as bold and clear lines with a slightly darker colour. Moreover, the logo was an example of minimalist design that offered a simple and stylish essence to KIA motors’ representation around the globe.
2020- A NEW DESIGN
The latest logo design possesses a stylish and futuristic look. All the letters connect to each other such as ‘K’ merges with ‘I’ which merges with ‘A’. This new KIA motors logo seems enlarged as the designers have trimmed the upper and lower corners diagonally. The colour palette remains the same of red and white colour.
KIA LOGO IN THEIR HOMELAND
The KIA motors company has kept a difference in their logos for South Korea and other countries. The logo for South Korea is quite different with a black outline and the company’s symbol inside. The symbol looks like the letter ‘K’ with another white oval-shaped line. The logo used in South Korea is an elegant and sophisticated one. The reason for difference in logos of the local vehicles and ones in the other countries is that the people are more attracted to the “KIA” logo. Therefore, helping the KIA motors in getting higher recognition and sales.
Moreover, the emblem on all the vehicles is made up of silver coloured metal with a black background. This was all about the KIA logo which is one of the top South Korean auto manufacturers. If you are a car enthusiast, you can have a look at a collection of used cars for sale in the UAE of different makes and models. Moreover, you can buy new and preowned cars from the KIA showrooms in the UAE.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s favourite cars blog for more information on automotive makes and models.