Amid the saturated city traffic, the company’s scooters and motorcycles scurry around with ease and confidence. The Aprilia logo promises safety on the road, and the symbols guarantee that any driver can handle the brand’s vehicles.
Aprilia is an Italian company that manufactures motorcycles and scooters. It was founded in 1945, right after World War II, in the city of Noale in the province of Venice. Industrialist Alberto Beggio opened a bicycle assembly business there, eventually becoming a major motorcycle company. It is owned by the Piaggio Corporation, which bought it in 2004 and made it its subsidiary.
At first, the plant produced bicycles, then low-power motorcycles. But twenty-three years later, Ivano Beggio, son of Alberto, reoriented the production strategy and produced a motorcycle with an extensive engine of 50 cubic centimeters. As a result, the company slightly changed its specialization and released several motorcycles with improved characteristics. The first models were called Packi, Daniela, and Colibri. A few years later, the Scarabeo motocross motorcycle was introduced. It was equipped with 50- and 125-cubic-centimeter motors. This series lasted until the late 1970s.
But the firm didn’t just make motorcycles; it tested them. So, in 1977, the Italian racer Ivan Alborghetti won the national motocross championship on the Aprilias. In the 1980s, the company expanded its product range by adding several improved series: TL320, ST 125, STX, and ET 50. These are not only racing but also road, road, and lightweight custom enduro.
In 1985, the company began producing engines for Rotax, an Austrian company. A year later, she had a compact model, the AF1, and a larger model for long-distance races such as the Dakar Rally. Moreover, the plant had an athlete who finished fifth in the trial championship. It was Philippe Berlatier. Another (Loris Reggiani) won sixth place in the World Road Rally Championship. He raced the Aprilia GP 250. In 1987, the driver won the first World Speed Championship, held as part of the San Marino Grand Prix. Then, the athlete competed in Misano on AF1.
The company’s arsenal still includes an incredible set of wins on its motorcycles in various modifications. Aprilia has won the Grand Prix 124 times on motorcycles with large-capacity engines (125 and 250cc) following brilliant victories in the 1992 World Road and Trail Championships. She also holds 15 high-profile titles in the Road Racing World Championship and 16 in European speed rallies. This is why the Aprilia emblem is well-known worldwide; moreover, most world champions performed on her technique. In the 1990s, the brand introduced scooters.
Meaning and History
In 2004, the company became part of Piaggio & C. SpA, which bought it to create its largest motorcycle group. The new owner immediately changed the company’s management, but the name and logo remained the same because they were recognizable in the world of sports. In 2010, this Italian brand became the most successful in motorcycle racing.
The Aprilia brand name is simple. Although it lacks abundant detail, it grabs attention and is well remembered for its bright contrast between dazzling white and deep red. Such minimalism makes it friendly and understandable to the majority. All elements of a purely Italian style are concentrated in its catchy, laconic style.
What is Aprilia?
Aprilia is an Italian brand of scooters and motorcycles owned by Piaggio & Co. SpA. It was founded in 1945 but initially specialized only in bicycles. Its first serial mopeds appeared in 1970. Since then, the company has released numerous high-tech two-wheel transportation models, including sports motorcycles that have repeatedly won races.
The logo’s basis is a horizontal rectangle. Inside, it is just one word, “Aprilia,” in a sans-serif typeface. The letters are lowercase and appear balanced because the designers calibrated their heights and spacing. A narrow space is left between the characters, but they read very well, thanks to the color contrast, and do not merge. The exception is the two “i” s, which have a lot of free space between the vertical line and the top point. By the way, in both cases, it is replaced by a miniature square. The letters “a” and “p” are rounded.
Font and Colors
The developers chose a typeface similar to the logo’s Swiss font, 721 BdOul BT. It’s a simple and sleek grotesque. The corporate palette has never changed and has always consisted of white (inscription) and scarlet (rectangle).



