Opel Logo PNG
The Opel emblem symbolizes cars that go so fast that you barely have time to notice them. The emblem’s shine and metal prototype the power and speed that distinguish this brand’s cars. The sign hints at modern technologies that help in driving the car.
Adam Opel founded the company on January 21, 1862, in Rüsselsheim, making sewing machines in a cowshed after learning the trade in France. By 1886, Opel had entered the bicycle market and soon became Germany’s largest bicycle maker. After Adam died in 1896, his widow, Sophie, and five sons moved the business into the automobile business. The first Opel car appeared in 1899 through a partnership with Friedrich Lutzmann, but weak demand ended the project. In 1901, Opel signed a licensing agreement with France’s Darracq and then began developing its own designs.
A 1911 fire destroyed much of the factory, leading to a modern rebuild. In 1924, Opel launched the Laubfrosch, Germany’s first mass-produced car, modeled on the Citroën 5CV and sold in bright green. By 1928, Opel was Germany’s largest automaker, while Mercedes-Benz and Wanderer worked in costlier segments. General Motors bought Opel in 1929, bringing American production methods and capital.
The Olympia debuted in 1935 with a unitary steel body and a synchronized gearbox. The Kapitän followed in 1938. During World War II, Opel plants shifted to military production and were later damaged by bombing. GM rebuilt the plants after the war. The 1960s and 1970s saw the introduction of the GT, Kadett, and Manta. In 1970, Opel became Europe’s largest automaker by output.
From the 2000s onward, losses mounted under GM, totaling about $20 billion from 1999 to 2016. In 2017, PSA Group bought Opel and Vauxhall for €2 billion. After restructuring, Opel returned to profitability in 2019 and joined Stellantis in 2021.
Meaning and History
The brand has an incredibly rich history, which began in a barn where the Opel family made sewing machines. At the time, the logo had no connection to transportation. The company made sewing machines until 1886, when it developed a line of bicycles. The company’s first automobile appeared in 1899. Since then, it has been designing, constructing, and assembling automobiles and their accessories. Everyone was involved in the family business: the head of the house, his sons, and his wife, who contracted the locksmith Friedrich Lutzmann, who played a crucial role in shaping the car’s design. In total, Opel has 47 logos.
What is Opel?
Opel is an acronym for the German company Opel Automobile GmbH, part of the Stellantis Group. The company began in 1862, producing sewing machines, hammers, and bicycles, and later expanded into automobile manufacturing. Currently, the manufacturer produces a range of cars, including sedans and minibusses. They are represented by models such as the Mokka, Zafira, Insignia, Astra, Corsa, and others.
1862 – 1866
The debut emblem is a monogram composed of the company’s owner’s first and last names. The elegant letters “O” and “A,” made in the Old English style, create a symbolic composition. To make the letters stand out, the authors painted them in different colors: the “O” in red and the “A” in brown.
1866 – 1899
With the introduction of the first bicycle, the company revised its logo design. The inscriptions “Rüsselsheim,” “Opel,” and “Blitz” remained from the previous version used on sewing machines, to which the word “Victoria” was added. The logo symbolizes victory. It is a vertical oval with a cyclist in the center, above which the goddess Victoria hovers with a laurel wreath.
1899
This emblem existed for a very short time and was proposed by Sophie Opel, the wife of the company’s founder, who took over as CEO. The stylized shield contains several inscriptions arranged in four lines: “Opel Motorwagenfabrik Rüsselheim a.Main.” All words are arranged diagonally. A double outline runs along the edge of the shield.
1899 – 1902
When automobile production began in 1899, the company changed the emblem’s design. It is now richly decorated with swirls, vignettes, and curved symbols in the Old English style. At the top of the coral figure is the word “Opel,” and at the bottom is “Fahrräder.” This logo was never used on passenger cars; it was exclusively used for advertising purposes.
1902 – 1906
The trademark has a strict shape and resembles an eye or an American soccer ball. The brand name is centered in the oval sign with tapering ends. Above it is written “Motorenwagenfabrik”; below it is “Rüsselheim.” The main colors of the logo are red and white.
1906 – 1909
The whimsical logo features an original shape and resembles an ancient Greek engraving, with the monolithic word “Opel” at its center. The colors also began to match the style: the authors chose gold and black.
1909 – 1910
The complex emblem was replaced with a simple, laconic one. It does not have a mass of details, so nothing distracts from the automaker’s name. The linked inscription “Opel” is located diagonally. It is handwritten in italics and colored in dark gold. The lower stroke of the “l” is elongated and turned to the left.
1910 – 1937
This is a repetition of the 1902-1906 variant, but in a more noble form. A rugby ball, lined with laurel wreaths, is featured on the edges of the elongated emblem. In the center of the blue field is the brand name, with double trapezoids to its right and left. The style of this logo is strongly reminiscent of ancient Greek art.
1924 – 1937
At the same time, another emblem variant appeared in yellow and black, with a narrow oval but the same curly letters in the word “Opel.” The symbols are uneven in height: the largest are in the center, and the smaller ones are on the sides.
1928
Temporarily, a beige-and-white square logo with rounded corners was used. Inside, it is divided into four segments, each containing one letter from the brand name: “P” and “E” on a white background, “O” and “L” on a light beige background.
1929 – 1937
The designers returned to the old 1902 emblem and placed it at the center of the orange circle, highlighted with thin yellow strokes. The text style remains the same (as in 1910). It is decorated with figural symbols reminiscent of Greek script.
1936 – 1937
This logo consists of just two elements, the words “Opel” and “Blitz” in capital letters. They are painted white and enclosed in gray diagonal rectangles. This variant was used on heavy cars and maintained a rough style.
1937 – 1947
In 1937, the era of rockets and lightning bolts flying through the ring began. But before that, the designers depicted a gray airship floating through a pale yellow circle on a white background. All lettering from the logo was removed.
1947 – 1954
This is a simplified version of the previous logo. The airship now resembles a rocket crossing horizontally across a large silver circle. The elements have gained sophistication and elegance.
1950 – 1951
Alongside the graphic logo, a textual version of the visual identity was used. It is a vertical oval divided by color into two equal parts: white on the left and gold on the right. It also bears the inscription “Opel”. The capital black letters are highlighted with large serifs.
1954 – 1959
The half-helicopter, half-rocket resembles an airplane in flight. The developers placed the company name outside the ring, at the bottom, with a wide gap between the letters.
1959 – 1963
The circle acquired a semi-oval shape and turned a pale golden hue. The rocket flying in front of it is colored in the same shade. It consists of three geometric elements, two of which mirror each other.
1963 – 1964
The designers made the circle black and added a border of two gray stripes (inside and outside). The rocket resembles a lightning bolt, its short tip pointing left. It is also black with a silver border.
1964 – 1970
At this time, the legendary car company mascot appeared – a lightning bolt resembling an elongated letter “Z.” It appeared not accidentally and was inspired by the logo of 1866. At the beginning of bicycle production, the manufacturer used the emblem “Blitz,” denoting the lightning speed of his two-wheeled transport. It took a graphic form: a horizontal gray zigzag on the background of a thin circle.
1970 – 1987
This complex logo features a square with a circle in the center, through which a wide lightning bolt extends. At the bottom is the inscription “Opel.” Instead of a light gray, the designers used black, depicting all the elements on a rich yellow background.
1987 – 2002
The developers removed excessive brightness, retaining only a pale golden color in the central part of the square. They placed the trademark in a rectangle, with a circle and a lightning bolt. The designers left the brand name at the bottom but changed the font to grotesque.
1991 – 1995
The emblem is a double circle with a wide white lightning bolt.
1995 – 2002
In this version, the colors changed places: everything black became white, and vice versa. The word “Opel” reappeared on the emblem.
2002 – 2007
The changes were made only in color. The inscription turned yellow, and the ring and the lightning bolt faded to a grayish hue.
2007 – 2009
Designers added three-dimensionality to the logo through highlights, shadows, and depth. As a result, the circle and the horizontal zigzag became convex and silver, resembling metallic details.
2009 – 2017
The logo’s authors enhanced the 3D effect and added some shadows. In the upper part of the circle, they engraved the brand name on a solid surface, giving the emblem a very stylish, metallic look.
2017 – 2020
The logo underwent a major change, becoming a flat, monochrome icon. Only two elements are present on it: the ring and the lightning bolt, which are black.
2020 – 2023
The current version contains all the previous parts plus the inscription. The company’s name is located at the bottom. It is written in block letters, spaced far apart.
2023 – today
The new logo is a bright image featuring a zigzag strip that resembles a horizontal lightning bolt. The updated design is a departure from the past, as the connection between the top and bottom has been eliminated. Now, these elements exist independently, without crossing or overlapping. Each part mirrors the other, resembling slightly pinched trapezoids at opposite ends, creating an intriguing mirror effect. The outer protrusions of these trapezoids are pointed, creating a sense of direction and dynamism.
The brand mark is enclosed in a small circle outlined by a thin black ring. A unique design solution separates the ring’s right and left sides, marked by lines emanating from the center of the circle. This purposeful disconnect gives the logo a sense of expansion and openness, indicating a desire to move out from the center.
The lower part of the logo features an inscription. The text is thoughtfully executed in a geometric style, using a bold, raised font that complements the angular design elements. The distance between the symbols is noticeably increased, giving the logo a sense of openness and airiness while maintaining excellent readability.
Overall, the updated logo makes a strong visual impression. Separating the upper and lower parts of mirrored trapezoids and disconnected rings creates an impression of independence, unity, balance, and dynamism. Combined with the bold geometric text, the logo is a modern, forward-looking brand symbol that attracts the eye and leaves a lasting impression.
Font and Colors
The visual identity mark of this automobile company has evolved. It has undergone significant changes at key moments in its history, when it transformed, expanded, or merged with other entities. Additionally, its logos were updated when the next series of cars or heavy trucks was introduced. Additionally, the logo appeared in various forms, including advertising symbols, badges, icons, product labels, and a hood imprint.
Designer Matthias Lamken executed the late typography. The early versions used a variety of serif and sans-serif fonts. They resembled Old English symbols, ancient Greek signs, and elongated, thin, or flattened, wide letters. Opel Next was chosen as the final font. It is characterized by clean lines and sharp angles, which support the logo’s business style.
The corporate palette is also diverse, having undergone numerous changes throughout the company’s existence. There were colors in red, gold, graphite, beige, blue, yellow, orange, and silver. Now, a monochrome gamma is used for black-and-white.