Bugatti Logo

Bugatti Logo PNG

The streamlining and lightness of the design are conveyed by the simplicity of the Bugatti logo design. These are the main features of the manufacturer’s sports cars. The absence of unnecessary elements and massive parts helps to develop greater speed and be among the first at the finish line.

Meaning and History

All Bugatti cars have one important thing in common – and it’s not powerful engines or impeccable appearance, as you might think. It’s about the company logo. Both classic models that were produced before and modern hypercars are necessarily decorated with the name of the automaker. For a long time, he used the same emblem in different interpretations.

All versions contained a red oval with dots around the perimeter, a white word, and a black monogram. This symbol remained the only one until 2022 – as a tribute to the brand’s historical heritage. But nothing lasts forever: after much thought, the owners of the French company updated the design so that the legendary logo was replaced by a very simple and concise word mark. He represents Bugatti in public space, and the red oval emblem can now only be seen on cars.

What is Bugatti?

This is the name of a private car manufacturer from France and its namesake brand. It is part of the German concern Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft.

1909 – 1963

Bugatti began as a family project where everything was done together. Even the first logo is the result of the joint work of relatives. To create it, a person was required who understood the avant-garde and was able to find the perfect balance of shapes and colors. It turned out to be Carlo Bugatti, the father of the automotive designer Ettore, who started the production of sports cars in the city of Molsheim. Carlo had his own small business, making musical instruments, Art Nouveau furniture, and designing jewelry. As a creative person, he took up the creation of the emblem with enthusiasm.

What exactly Carlo wanted to express in the vertical red oval is not known for certain. Perhaps its color symbolized the passion for driving or the power of cars. The edging of 60 red dots on a white frame also looked ambiguous. On the one hand, these could be precious stones, which hinted at the author’s connection with the emblem’s connection with jewelry. On the other hand, the circles looked like nuts or bolts lined up. The fact is that Bugatti, unlike other luxury car manufacturers, used locking wires to fix the fasteners securely. And he could reflect that in his logo.

The company’s name was written in the center of the oval, for which Carlo chose a bold rectangular sans-serif font. The designer made all the glyphs white, but for contrast, they added black shadows concentrated on the right edge and at the bottom. Above the inscription was a black monogram of the letters “EB” – a reference to the name Ettore Bugatti. “E” was turned backward and connected by a vertical part to “B.”

1963 – 2007

In 1963 Bugatti became the property of Hispano-Suiza. By that time, both Carlo and Ettore and his son Jean had already died. Left without heirs, the legendary family went out of business. However, the new owners decided to keep the brand’s image and show its connection with the founders. Therefore, absolutely all elements have been preserved on the logo, although their proportions have changed. The monogram has slightly increased, and the circles, on the contrary, have decreased. The inscription has become more compact due to the new font with more rounded letters. And the designers highlighted the thin stroke along the edges of the frame in black to visually outline the boundaries of the oval.

2007 – 2022

The original personal identity sign consists of a successful combination of graphics and text. Both parts are harmoniously combined. The base is an ellipse. It is located horizontally and is bordered along the edge by a gray-violet stripe with large dark crimson dots. Then there is an oval, completely colored, too, in a dark crimson color.

There are two text elements inside the geometric shape. The first and most catchy is the brand name. It is made in large white letters with light shadows on the right side. This artistic technique makes them rise above the surface. The word “Bugatti” is written in large, slightly elongated printed characters. The font is simple, grotesque (sans serif), uppercase.

There is a black monogram above the brand name. It is a geometric interweaving of two capital letters taken from the founder’s first and last name. These are “E” and “B” from Ettore Bugatti. Moreover, the signs are turned “backs” to each other. The letters are connected by one common line because the “E” faces the opposite direction.

The developers chose a simple and clear typeface from the chopped category for the logo – this is the Uniform Cond Bold with a slight blackout on the right. The font was written by designer Richard Miller and first published by Miller Type Foundry.

The branded palette includes two basic colors. The first is burgundy # bf002c. It is rich and thick. The second is a gray-purple, close to the light purple #aaacac. There are two more colors on the emblem – classic black (letter shadows, monogram) and white (brand name).

2015 – 2022

In 2015, a three-dimensional version of the logo was presented. Designers have achieved a 3D effect with a gradient. At the same time, they made the frame silver to get a metallic sheen. The central oval has become much brighter because a scarlet hue has begun to be used instead of the dark crimson color (as in the previous version). The thin one-sided outlines made the circles look like perforations inside the frame. All elements of the monogram were outlined in silver lines. The black shadows in the “BUGATTI” lettering also have a light border, making the letters more voluminous.

2022 – today

In 2022, a sports car manufacturer decided that luxury style is more important to it than historical heritage. In addition, he has long lost all ties with the Bugatti family, which was left without direct heirs. Therefore, holding on to the logo created by Carlo no longer made sense. At least, that’s what the brand’s owners thought, and they turned to the consulting company Interbrand for world-class experts to help rethink the outdated concept.

As conceived by the designers, the new visual identity should show the flexibility and variability of Bugatti and the willingness to adapt to fashion trends. Its main idea is the transition from hypercars to luxury cars, that is, the rejection of maximum speed in favor of luxury. Now the logo contains just a black inscription without additional graphic elements, and the monogram of the letters “EB” exists separately as an icon. This shows minimalism, which is now very popular.

The wordmark looks bold and modern. It is expected that it will be used by partner dealers and represent the brand in the public space, including at official events and social networks. And the old logo, as before, will continue to decorate Bugatti cars. That is, no one completely abandoned it – the company’s owners felt that it looked too good on the bumper to change it.

Font and Colors

The automaker’s name uses Bugatti’s custom font, a bold geometric sans serif. It hadn’t changed much since 1963, when designers rounded off some of the “B,” “U,” and “G” parts. But in 2022, Interbrand employees slightly increased the letter space so that the inscription without a base looks clear and proportionate. A similar typeface is the Neusa Next Pro Condensed Medium by The Northern Block.

The color scheme is also very simple: after the rebranding, the red base has disappeared, and the word mark has become black. But the identity now allows the use of a bright blue shade of Bugatti Blue, which reflects its French roots, according to the company’s owners.

Bugatti color codes