KTM Logo PNG
The emblem invites the user to get behind the wheel of a modern, powerful iron horse. The KTM emblem exudes stability and strength. The emblem represents a large company with an important position in transportation.
The history of KTM began in 1934 in Mattighofen, when Hans Trunkenpolz opened a repair workshop. By 1937, it became a dealer for DKW, and in 1938, it added Opel.
After World War II, the business shifted to production. In 1951, the prototype R100 with a Rotax engine appeared. Serial output began in 1953, the same year Ernst Kronreif joined, and the company became Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen.
In 1954, KTM delivered its 1000th motorcycle and won the Austrian 125 cc championship. In 1956, Egon Dornauer took gold at Six Days. The 1957 Trophy 125cc marked its first sports model.
After the deaths of Kronreif in 1960 and Trunkenpolz in 1962, leadership passed to Erich Trunkenpolz. Market decline forced a shift to mopeds and bicycles in 1964. In 1970, KTM began producing its own engines.
In 1972, exports to the US started with John Penton. In 1974, Gennady Moiseyev won the 250 cc world championship, KTM’s first global title.
Financial pressure led to bankruptcy in 1991. In 1992, investors reorganized the company as KTM Sportmotorcycle AG, focusing on off-road racing. KTM entered Dakar in 1994 and won it 18 times подряд from 2001 to 2019, until Honda ended the streak in 2020.
Road racing expanded in the 2000s. With Red Bull support, KTM entered 125 cc racing in 2003. In 2016, Brad Binder won Moto3, and in 2020 Miguel Oliveira secured the first MotoGP victory.
In 2013, Bajaj Auto acquired около 48 percent of Pierer Mobility, enabling production in India. KTM later added Husqvarna Motorcycles and Gas Gas to its portfolio.
Meaning and History
The emblem of the automobile and motorcycle company was developed in 1953, simultaneously with the expansion of the model range. The trademark is based on the company’s abbreviated name, KTM, from the German Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen (Kronreif Trunkenpolz Mattighofen). From its inception until today, it has changed nine times, but it has always been an abbreviation.
What is KTM?
KTM (short for Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen) is an Austrian company that manufactures motorcycles, sports cars, and bicycles. It was founded in 1934 and re-launched in 1992. The factory is owned by Pierer Mobility AG and Bajaj Auto of India.
1953 – 1954
The debut logo featured a tiger passing through a ring with the letters “KTM.” Although this variant was not officially approved, it played an important role in the history of the company’s emblems. It explained how the abbreviation and the circle correlate in other variants. The ring is a polysemantic symbol denoting the inside, the wheel, and movement. The tiger symbolizes strength and energy.
1954 – 1958
The official logo was approved in the year the workshop was reborn as a major company. The brand name is an orange oval with dark blue lettering in the middle and a semicircle denoting a steep turn.
1958 – 1962
In 1958, the designers offered another minimalist variant. It has only black letters on a white background, encircled by a thin dark line. The abbreviation is slightly italicized and slanted, but the writing style is strictly geometric, with a highly protruding letter “T.” This variant served as the model for all subsequent changes to the brand’s visual identity.
1962 – 1978
The color appeared in the emblem of this period. Moreover, these are new colors that were not on the first emblems: blue and white. The sign’s oval shape remained unchanged, but the letters were adjusted. They became thicker, clearer, and connected at the bottom.
1978 – 1989
In 1978, a slight redesign was carried out. As a result, a squat inscription appeared on the emblem, set against a dark blue background, in the form of an elongated oval with a double border. In style, this variant looks more strict than the previous ones.
1989 – 1992
The year 1989 brought radical changes. The developers removed the frame and oval, leaving the abbreviation open. The letters are now blue, and the head “T” is lengthened and covers the neighboring “K” and “M” up to the middle. The slogan “Fun in Motion” appears below the company name, written in red. To the left of the abbreviation is a graphic sign of a semicircle mottled with many thin blue-red stripes.
The emblem was a semicircle dissected by many thin lines and was two-colored, reflecting the style of the inscription, with blue at the top and red at the bottom.
1992 – 1996
Only the motto was changed: it was replaced by the word “Motorcycles.” This was done to indicate the range of products.
1996 – 1999
In 1996, the brand received the logo in its debut color, orange. This version was again minimalistic, as the slogan and graphic mark disappeared. Now, it is a simple abbreviation on a white background. According to the designers, it expresses the manufacturer’s energy and dynamism.
1999 – 2003
Another color change occurred: the letters became black. And the orange color moved to the lower part, which consists of the word “Sportmotorcycles.”
2003 – today
The current logo is a repeat of the previous one, with no additional lettering.
Font and Colors
The main element of the brand’s visual identity is the font, which is not used much in the graphics. It represents an oval or a semicircle, depending on the logo’s year.
In all but the first two variants, the inscriptions are in a strict individual font of capital letters, smooth, without serifs, with sharp corners. The emblems reflect the company’s corporate colors: orange, blue, black, red, and white.