Fiat's Brand History

The history of a company's logo not only reflects the changes of the company, but most of all that of time. Particular in Fiat's history is the change of color.

Brown.

The first logo of Fiat still marks the time in which the automotive company introduced the first "horseless carriages." The logo of 1899 looks like a leather parch where the company details were written on. The brown leather-like logo is a reflection of the time.

Blue.

Only two years later, the first real logo appeared. In 1901 Fiat decided to apply a proper logo on its cars: "a small enameled brass plate in the centre of which the name Fiat appeared." (1) The characteristic A, remained practically unchanged (expect of the Logo of 1968 in which the A is common again) up to the present day. With some help, the form of the logo resembles the front of a car. Three years later the form is changed to oval.

Red.

In 1925, the circular form got introduced with the Fiat name in red on a white background. "The stylized laurel wreath around the outside was intended to celebrate Fiat's victorious participation in the first competitive motor races."

In 1932 the logo is transformed into a rectangular shape formed like a shield resembling the "radiator grilles" on the new models.

Blue.

In 1968 the logo featured four blue "rhombuses." The idea was to identify the main element of the entire Fiat group.

The brand's 100th anniversary in 1999 saw a return to the style of the logo from the 1920s. The version chosen had a blue background, a chrome-plated logo, with the characteristic A, and again a (more) stylized laurel wreath.

Red.

Eight awards as Car-of-the-Year later the Fiat logo has been changed again in 2007. "... the new logo retains the ... shield shape typical of Fiat cars up until the Sixties, and ... it features formal, three-dimensional characteristics, in terms of form and color, that suggest advanced technology, Italian design, dynamism and individualism." (1)

Right, Red is the color of Dynamism... The brown is explained, but what about the more rational blue contrasting with the emotive and dynamic red? Did it mean something in the history of the carmaker, or was the change of color accidental. Both colors blue and red dominate on the current website. The emphasis on eco (environment and economy) may influence the future logo, perhaps it will be green.

(1) - http://www.fiat.com/cgi-bin/pbrand.dll/FIAT_COM/news/news.jsp?contentOID=1074093165