Ferrari Logo

Ferrari Logo PNG

The Ferrari logo, an Italian sports car manufacturer, has appeared since 1947 as a tribute to the memory of the Italian ace of the First World War. The emblem symbolizes the brand’s national identity, style, grace, and elitism of products.

Meaning and History

The logo of this company has always been decorated with a rampant horse that has stood on its hind legs. That is how he is known in all countries of the world. Moreover, the image of the emblem arose long before the appearance of the company itself – approximately in 1929, when the entrepreneur Ferrari opened a small enterprise. It was it that served as the basis for the future automotive giant.

As the main sign, the owner used the image of a violent horse – a symbol of power, unbridled strength, and speed. Hidden emotional stress is enhanced by the brand palette – yellow and black.

But first, the Conde Francesco Baracca, a military pilot, hero, and veteran of the First World War, who was the idol of millions of Italians, flaunted on the emblem. His fans included Enzo Ferrari. In the summer of 1923, he met his mother, Countess Paolina. Paolina asked to take as a basis a sign with the image of a rampant horse, which embodies luck and triumph. The future automobile tycoon, for a long time, kept a photo of Baracca with a commemorative inscription of his parents.

A few years later, he used the image of a rearing horse for the logo of his company. At first, the drawing was applied to the hood of vehicles. But then yellow color was added to it – a shade symbolizing the homeland of Enzo Ferrari, the city of Modena, located in the province of Emilia-Romagna.

What is Ferrari?

Ferrari luxury sports cars are known all over the world. The first car under this brand was released in 1947. The brand’s parent company is Ferrari N.V., and the main owner is the Exor N.V. from the Netherlands. He owns about 23% of the shares. Another 10% is in the hands of Piero Ferrari; the rest is freely traded on the market.

1929 – 1931

The debut version immediately gives a link to horsepower, which measures the power of a car engine. That is why the logo depicts a rearing horse: he is restive, physically developed, and ready to dash forward. A black horse with white highlights is depicted on a yellow background.

Moreover, her image has evolved from stocky to sophisticated. This is due to the expansion of the concept: if in the first versions the animal emphasized the meaning of “horsepower of the motor,” then later it was linked to the winged Pegasus. The classic shield has a double edging (black-yellow), triple red-white-black stripes at the top, and italic letters “S,” “F,” at the bottom.

1931 – 1939

The debut logo consists of a solar shield with a black horse, to the right and left of which are the letters “S” and “F.” They are written in thin italic font in uppercase and are decoded as “Scuderia Ferrari.” At the top are three stripes in the color of the Italian flag.

For the first time, this emblem was used in 1932 on the cars participating in the Spa Grand Prix race. Since then, she has always accompanied branded products and was automatically approved as the main symbol of Ferrari. There are several key dates in the history of the logo.

1939 – 1957

This is the only emblem of Ferrari, where the horse is depicted from an unusual angle and looks not to the left but the right. In this interpretation, he is not completely black – the artists added a lot of white highlights to make his silhouette voluminous. The animal also has large wings with detailed bird feathers. They are spread wide, which gives the impression that a rearing horse is about to take off.

The background for the main Ferrari symbol is a yellow-orange circle with a radial gradient radiating from a light center to dark, almost red edges. The circle is enclosed in a yellow ring, edged with thin black lines on both sides. The pegasus’ wingtips extend beyond the frame and bisect the inscription “AUTO-AVIO COSTRUZIONI.” The first two words are located at the top and are arranged in the form of an arch, and the third is at the bottom and curved in the opposite direction, resembling a horseshoe. On the right and the left are three stripes in the colors of the Italian flag.

1947 – 1951

In 1947, the first version of the rectangular Ferrari logo with rounded corners appeared. It replaced the traditional triangular shields. The base is still yellow but has a pale tint. The black horse is turned to the left and enlarged to take up more space. With one foot, he stands on a long strip, which is a continuation of the upper horizontal stroke of the letter “F.” The rest of the glyphs are below this line and are written in bold serif type. Above the head of the animal flaunts the Italian tricolor. All elements are outlined in gold.

1951 – 1981

In 1951 the silhouette of the horse was reduced so that it no longer touches the lower inscription. The base took the form of a classic vertical rectangle and became rich yellow. The colored stripes at the top also turned into rectangles but were horizontally oriented.

1981 – 1994

After the redesign, the horse’s appearance has changed: its body has become visually heavy, and the expressive relief of the muscles has disappeared. The frame around the rectangle has a silver gradient, and the rest of the Ferrari logo colors have been adjusted in intensity and hue.

1994 – 2002

This is the year of the official appearance of the company in a modern format. As a distinctive sign, she took the image of an unstoppable black horse, standing on its hind legs. The central element is located on a bright yellow background.

Above it are three thin lines – green, white and red, which transmit a direct connection with Italy. Below is the name. It is made in the original serif font. The upper part of the capital “F” is elongated in the form of a solid line and passes over the word to the flattened point at “i.” The cursive letters “S” and “F” have disappeared.

2002 – today

This is the second most important period in the history of the brand. It was then that the redesign was carried out. He touched on minor details: color and some lines. So, the sun-yellow field has acquired an intense hue, and the colors in the upper part have become merged – the dividing line has been removed from them.

The horse’s drawing has also changed: now it looks much more powerful. Moreover, the artists painted the right front foot of the horse a little higher than on the original, so the left no longer covers it.

Font and Colors

The main gamut of Ferrari is black (a rearing horse, the distinguishing mark of a Francesco Baracca aircraft) and gold (the palette of the hometown of Enzo, Modena). They were always present on the company logo and never disappeared, and if they underwent any changes, it was only insignificant. After all, the dark silhouette of a horse looks very impressive on a contrasting light background. Permanent are the national colors of Italy, placed at the top of the emblem.

As conceived by the author, such a palette conveys the prestige, power, beauty, and dominant position of the automobile brand in the industry market. The font used for the name is individual in the classic spelling – with upper and lower case letters. Moreover, all three “r” in the word “Ferrari” repeat the features of a horse standing on its hind legs.

In the first versions, the text part is executed in italics: the letters are in upper case and imitate handwriting. In 1947, the developers changed the font, as they introduced the full name of the company. Since then, the word has been written in an individual style: “F” has an elongated top line, and “r” resembles a rearing horse.

The central element of all logos is a black horse, which demonstrates its readiness to rush forward at any moment. Another invariable detail of the emblem is three lines in the Italian flag (red, white, green). The yellow background is used to make a dark horse stand out more effectively. Moreover, this shade personifies the small homeland of Enzo Ferrari – the city of Modena.

Ferrari color codes

Video