Make Matters: History and Meaning of Maserati Logo
Established in 1914 in Italy, Maserati is among automobile manufacturers, renowned for producing luxury cars with most sought-after designs. The Maserati logo featuring trident represents the brand’s identity, symbolising their expertise in top-notch car designs as well as innovation.
Those who are not familiar with the Maserati brand logo history can still recognise the trident symbol. The trident in the Maserati car logo with a three-pronged fork has been a constant since the brand’s inception. Today, let’s take a look at the history of the Maserati logo and what it means.
EVOLUTION OF THE MASERATI LOGO
Maserati got its brand identity in the early 1920s and the trident has been a part of the logo since then. Though the Maserati logo over the years has undergone several changes, the trident was never replaced by any other symbol.
Here is a brief history of one of the famous Italian car brands’ logo:
YEAR 1926
The first Maserati car logo was designed and introduced in the year 1926 and appeared first on the Maserati Tipo 26 car model. The logo had a silver grey toned metal in vertical rectangle shape, featuring a detailed symbol of trident. The logo also had black spots that gave it a worn effect. The wordmark Maserati was written in all caps under the trident using a thin sans-serif font that perfectly balanced the sharp symbol and ornate. This logo represented the brand for a good 11 years, until the company came up with a new design in 1937.
YEAR 1937
The Maserati brand logo got a complete makeover in the year 1937. The rectangle in the logo was made red and the trident was given a simpler look in red, as compared to previous design. Also, the trident was placed in a white (as per some sources the colour in the oval was silver) oval within the rectangle. Maserati was written below the trident in white but separated with a line on a red background within the oval.
This Maserati car logo remained the brand’s identity for seven years, until the company went for a new logo design in the year 1943.
YEAR 1943
Another radical change in the Maserati logo was brought in the year 1943, featuring a completely new colour palette. The basic oval shape was kept in the logo with a red trident having sharp edges. A rectangle shape crossed the oval horizontally with wordmark Maserati written in all caps using white colour. The background colour of the entire logo was blue and the edges were given a 3D effect using silver grey colour.
This logo remained with the brand for nine years until another drastically different logo design was introduced in 1951.
YEAR 1951
The trident took the shape that was introduced in the very first Maserati logo and was placed in a vertical oval against a white background. Beneath the trident was the wordmark Maserati in all caps written in white on a blue background. The logo was outlined in blue.
YEAR 1954
The Maserati brand logo introduced in 1951 was revised. The oval appeared sharp and the trident in the oval became compact. The wordmark was slightly moved up, still placed on a blue background. The bottom part of the oval was enlarged as well as the wordmark. Also, a darker shade of blue was added in the logo.
This logo represented the brand for almost 29 years and was replaced by a new version in the year 1983.
YEAR 1983
In the year 1983, a very simple version of the logo was introduced that represented the brand for two years only. The logo had a light blue trident with thick outlines, placed on a white background. The wordmark was written in black in all caps below the trident. The oval was outlined in black.
YEAR 1985
The logo introduced in 1954 was used again to represent the brand. However, this time the logo featured clean lines and contours. The wordmark was written using a light sans-serif font that gave it a more elegant look. The 1985 logo represented Maserati for 12 years.
YEAR 1997
In 1997, some elements of the 1985 logo were refined and enlarged. The pointed ends of the oval were rounded, the blue space behind the wordmark was widened. The wordmark became bold that balanced the entire logo design.
YEAR 2006
The 1997 Maserati logo continued to be the brand’s identity with a few changes made in the year 2006. The wordmark ‘Maserati’ was in all caps but the font was changed to serif typeface. The trident appeared sharper and the outline of the oval became thin.
YEAR 2015
The Maserati car logo was completely changed in the year 2015. The design well complimented the luxury modern car designs produced by the brand. The logo was simplified featuring a small size trident and the wordmark was enlarged written in serif typeface. The entire logo was painted in dark grey.
YEAR 2020
A sleek Maserati brand logo was introduced in the year 2020 featuring cursive wordmark ‘Maserati.’ The colour palette was changed from dark grey to black. The trident was also modified, as the contours and lines of the trident appeared sharper and longer in the new logo. This Maserati logo represents the brand’s identity till date.
Besides, the trident appears in silver on the car’s body and appears as a badge on the front grille of modern Maserati car models. Also, the trident symbol appears independently on Maserati’s merchandise.
The current Maserati logo which is used for marketing and branding on different platforms is also painted in white. For instance, the official Maserati website features the white logo. But the Maserati badge appears in more colours that includes, blue, red and white.
It is worthwhile to note that the 2006 logo appears as a badge on various Maserati cars till date.
MASERATI LOGO MEANING EXPLAINED
Like other famous car brand’s logos, the Maserati logo also holds a significant meaning attached to the symbols in it. The trident symbol in the logo signifies power. Also, trident pays a tribute to the city Bologna as well as to the popular Fountain of Neptune. The fountain has the God of the sea statue that stands with a trident. Besides, the trident is used to represent the domination of Maserati luxury cars over other brands.
MASERATI LOGO COLOURS
The colours in the logo also hold a significant meaning. The black and white colours represent power and sophistication. The red signifies passion, whereas the dark blue colour is associated with trust and professionalism.
Here we conclude the evolution of the Maserati logo and the meaning behind it. Throughout history you must have observed one of the interesting facts about Maserati that the trident in the logo was never replaced. If the history of Maserati car logos impresses you and you wish to own one of their luxury cars, you can check these used Maserati cars for sale in the UAE.
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