Lada Logo PNG
The Lada logo is like a majestic speedboat gliding across the sea of automobiles. The brand’s cars are not afraid of storms and obstacles; they confidently occupy their niche and have devoted connoisseurs. The emblem shows that the company controls the entire assembly cycle.
Lada is a Russian automotive brand founded by VAZ (now AvtoVAZ). It specializes in low-cost and commercial vehicles. Its base is Togliatti. The brand was founded in 1973. Since 2016, it has been part of the French concern Groupe Renault. In 2021, it, together with the Romanian brand, was integrated into the Renault Lada-Dacia division.
During the stagnation of the post-Soviet engineering industry, the former state-owned plant sought support from foreign companies. This helped it weather the crisis, avoid wasting production capacity, save face, and expand its range. Although AvtoVAZ produced its first passenger cars with Fiat’s technical assistance (under the Zhiguli brand), in 2008 it turned to Renault, which bought a minority stake. But in 2016, it began to fully control the enterprise’s activities after receiving the rights to the Lada trademark.
Today, these vehicles are widely recognized in most markets worldwide as inexpensive, reliable, and offering an optimal balance of price and quality. They are used in civil defense and government services in the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, and Europe. They are most often used as taxis and police cars.
Meaning and History
The Lada emblem has several modifications based on the image of the original Varangian ship, which denotes power, pressure, swiftness, and a smooth course. However, the very first sign referred to the founding plant and contained its abbreviation. The logo’s history dates back to the 1960s.
The chosen emblem plays an important role in local culture. It symbolizes high speed, smooth operation, excellent aerodynamics, and optimal cabin capacity. Although the allegory of a water vessel does not fit well with the theme of land vehicles, they share a common focus on transport. Therefore, the old boat remains relevant to Lada’s visual identity. In addition, its name echoes this type of boat.
What is Lada?
This is Russia’s largest automaker, operating under the “AvtoVAZ” brand. It designs vehicles with the country’s driving conditions and environmental factors in mind. The company emphasizes durability and ease of maintenance, producing models ranging from compact city cars to robust SUVs. With a large manufacturing facility in Togliatti and a wide dealership network across Russia and neighboring countries, the automaker offers affordable, practical vehicles that make car ownership accessible to many buyers.
1966 – 1970
Vladimir Antipin, a Russian artist, created a trial version of the emblem. It was a vertically elongated rectangle, slightly widened at the top, resembling an irregular trapezoid. Inside, three letters formed an abbreviation for the plant’s full name at the time (Volzhskiy Avtomobil’nyi Zavod). The abbreviation VAZ (VAZ) was thin, high, rounded, and written in Cyrillic. Notably, the crossbar of the letter “A” sat very low.
Two more prototypes of the modern logo date to this period. This graphic image of an ancient river and sea vessel forms the basis of the current name of a car brand: from the word “boat,” “lada.” Varangians, Vikings, Egyptians, and other peoples used them to sail. The boat was oar-propelled, so it glided silently and quickly through the water. And the Russian plant was originally built on the banks of the Volga, one of Russia’s largest rivers. Hence, such a parallel arose.
On the first icon, proposed by the artist A. Dekalenkov, the boat is drawn in a single outline and shaped like the Cyrillic letter “B.” The upper part is the sail; the middle part is the mast; the lower part is the ship. Designer Yuriy Danilov later refined it, maintaining the link to the plant’s name. He encrypted it in sails, a ship, and negative space in black-background gaps. This version later became the official trademark and appeared on car hoods. The artist also added a geometric shape, a trapezoid or bell.
1970 (first version)
Fiat’s first attempt to launch the logo was unsuccessful. The first batch of emblems was defective because foreigners did not distinguish between the Russian “I” and the English “R,” mistaking one for the other. As a result, the inscription “TOGLIATTI” under the rook was incorrect. For the rest, the developers barely interfered with the logo’s structure: they only added a double white-and-black edging.
1970 (second version)
The subsequent emblem featured a revised Cyrillic inscription: “TOGLIATTI.” The boat’s outline and structure have remained the same. It is rendered in short and even strokes, as in the original drawing by Yuriy Danilov.
1970 – 1974
In this version, the designers completely removed the city’s name from the car brand’s location. All other elements have been retained.
1974 – 1985
The front of the rook has been widened, raised, and enlarged to match the actual size ratio. The artists depicted the mast as thinner and made the sail less curved. They also removed the trapezoidal background and replaced it with a regular rectangle, rounding the corners. The ship remains white, and the background remains black.
1985 – 1993
To modernize the logo, the developers added color and volume. They chose blue as the main color because it best matches the river, since the city of Togliatti, where the production plant is located, sits on the riverbank. The logo also has a shadow in the lower-right corner and a glint in the upper-left corner. The designers extended the rectangle further upward and outlined it with a thin edge line. They added gray strokes to the boat and sail, giving the image a sense of volume.
1993 – 2002
The transition to the new millennium required revisiting the old logo concept. Designer Vladislav Pashko proposed his vision, which was approved. The artist removed the angular shapes and added streamlined elements to emphasize the cars’ aerodynamic performance. As a result, a horizontal oval appeared, with a boat and a sail resembling the English letter “V” inscribed inside. The blue shifted into the neon spectrum, and the white remained pure, without chiaroscuro.
2002 – 2007
The changes during this period were minor. The developers darkened the color, reduced the clearance between the mast and the sail, and increased the vessel’s stern, causing it to merge with the sail.
2007 – 2015
Thanks to well-placed highlights and shadows, the emblem has a sense of three-dimensionality: the top and center are light, the bottom and sides are dark.
2015 – 2021
To bring the logo as close as possible to the automotive theme, designer Steve Mattin “metalized” it. To do this, he first removed the blue and then used a wide range of grays. In addition, the author used the image of an old rook, adding short, rough strokes. He also tilted the mast slightly and extended the sail as if a tailwind was blowing it up. This is an allegory for wishes for success, as the friendly phrase reads: “Fair wind in the sails!” In addition, this detail gives the logo a sense of dynamics.
2021 – today
The Lada logo has become simple. The vessel’s detailing and three-dimensionality are a thing of the past; now, the overall outline and two-dimensionality prevail. The flat image consists of the same sailing ship as before, only it looks like a ghost, like the shadow of the previous emblem. The drawing looks like a print, with no detail. All done in negative space inside a white oval with a gray border. The silhouette of a wind-blown sail resembles the letter “D.”
Font and Colors
Russian specialists primarily developed the Lada car brand’s identity; therefore, many Slavic concepts in it are understandable to Russian-speaking consumers. The focus on the foreign market was given only after the transition to the new millennium. Therefore, in early versions of the logo, the sailing boat resembled the Russian “B,” and in later versions, the English “V.”
The emblem featured a full inscription only at its inception in 1970. It was a thin sans-serif typeface.
The corporate palette consists of discreet colors: blue and gray in several shades. Naturally, black and white are present, but not as the background; they are the main ones.