Sukhoi Logo PNG
The Sukhoi logo is too standardized and indistinguishable from other aviation brands. The emblem does not adequately reflect the advanced technologies and engineering solutions that are crucial to the aircraft manufacturer.
Sukhoi was founded on 29 July 1939, when the Soviet People’s Commissariat of Aviation Industry established an experimental design bureau under Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi. Its first major aircraft was the Su-2 bomber, which entered production in 1940 and served during the early phase of the Second World War.
In the postwar years, the bureau moved into jet aviation. In 1949, it introduced the Su-17, which the source history describes as the first Soviet aircraft with a swept-wing layout. During the early 1950s, Sukhoi worked on experimental aircraft. It then developed the supersonic Su-7, which laid the foundation for a new line of Soviet combat aircraft.
In the 1960s, the bureau created the Su-17 fighter-bomber with variable-sweep wings. The 1970s brought the Su-25 attack aircraft and the Su-27 air-superiority fighter, which later became a core aircraft of the Soviet and Russian air forces. After Pavel Sukhoi died in 1975, Yevgeny Ivanov and Mikhail Simonov took over leadership. In 1983, the bureau received the Order of Lenin for its role in aviation engineering.
After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Sukhoi faced reduced defense orders but kept its aircraft programs active. In 2000, it launched the Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional aircraft project. In 2006, the company joined the United Aircraft Corporation. The Superjet first flew in 2008 and entered commercial service in 2011. The Su-35 was delivered in 2010, while the fifth-generation Su-57 made its first flight in 2019.
Meaning and History
What is Sukhoi?
This Russian aerospace company is known for its innovative developments in military and civil aviation. It is best known for the legendary Su series fighters, a symbol of Russian military strength exported to countries worldwide. The company is also known for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 project, Russia’s first next-generation passenger aircraft.
Old
Sukhoi, the company that produces all Russian military aircraft under the Su brand, lacks originality in its emblem choices. Its old logo resembles an arrow pointing to the upper right corner. It is supposed to be a stylized fighter jet, but the designers failed to convey the intended idea. What should look like an aircraft appears exactly like a mouse cursor. This creates inappropriate associations with computer technology and the IT sector.
Behind the cursor is a white circle with a blue outline. The creators intended it to symbolize the globe, but they failed to convey that idea. Instead, they created a chaotic jumble of geometric shapes that visually weighed down the emblem, making it look as if it were being pulled down. This does not accurately represent the company’s field of activity.
Another misstep was the attempt to combine the arrow with the inscription “Су”, the name of Sukhoi’s main line of military aircraft. The monogram is centered in the circle and more closely resembles the English letter “G,” which is unrelated to the brand. The lower part of the “у” merges with the arrow, creating an awkward, pointed shape. The abundance of sharp angles conveys the aggressiveness of a fighter-jet manufacturer.
Old
This Sukhoi logo illustrates unsuccessful branding. The designers aimed to depict an aircraft in flight and, for some reason, combined it with a split circle. This makes it look like the famous Japanese character Pac-Man is eating a boomerang, or, more precisely, a stylized fighter jet. This arrangement gives the brand a poor impression and subconsciously hints at the aircraft’s imperfections. This is an unfortunate choice for a manufacturer targeting the international market.
The designers added text to the drawing to link the emblem to the brand it represents. They placed the phrase “AVIATION CORPORATION SUKHOI” in two levels and combined completely dissimilar fonts: a standard thin grotesque and a geometric, rectangular-shaped font. This visual contrast enhances the logo’s chaotic nature.
The chosen style doesn’t align with the aviation industry, as it appears poorly thought out and disorganized. The color scheme poorly reflects Sukhoi’s concept. Sky blue usually suggests calmness, healing, and peace, while white suggests purity and harmony. These qualities don’t fit a manufacturer of Su-brand military aircraft.
1939 – today
The company’s best-known logo features its name in large, dark blue letters on a white background. The word appears unbalanced for two reasons:
- The uneven spacing between letters: the gap between “U” and “K” is wider than between “O” and “I”;
- The glyphs’ disharmonious shapes make the inscription’s lower part look visually heavy.
The designers used a contrasting font to draw attention to the inscription. Usually, varying stroke thickness creates a sense of lightness and flight, but not here. Because of this imbalance, the brand name reads as unclear and inconsistent.
The Sukhoi symbol, a small white mouse cursor, creates a completely different impression. Unlike the wordmark, it doesn’t feel heavy. Instead, it feels empty, creating a sense of incompleteness, as if the emblem is missing an important detail. The arrow is meant to represent a Russian fighter jet, but the designers failed to convey that idea clearly.
The cursor is placed within a white circle with a gray outline. This color scheme evokes boredom and monotony, which negatively impacts the company’s image. The arrow shape fits Sukhoi’s field of activity perfectly. The sharp angles emphasize the danger and aggression associated with military aircraft.