Volvo Logo PNG
Brand cars for real men. The Volvo logo appeals to drivers, inviting them to get behind the wheel and experience the pleasure of quality and performance. According to the emblem, cars are the best choice for business and serious people.
Volvo: Brand overview
| Founded: | 1927 |
| Founder: | Assar Gabrielsson and Gustav Larson |
| Headquarters: |
Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Website: | volvogroup.com |
Volvo is a Swedish manufacturer of various transport equipment. It has several names: official – Aktiebolaget Volvo, abbreviated – AB Volvo, legal – Volvo Group, and trademark – VOLVO. There is also a division of Volvo Cars, which previously belonged to the company of the same name. But in 1999, it came under the control of Ford Motor Company, which was bought by the Chinese multinational giant Geely Holding Group in 2010. However, both structures still bear the same name. The founders of the engineering company are Assar Gabrielsson and Gustav Larson. Its location is the city of Gothenburg (Sweden).
The Volvo brand originated much earlier than the officially indicated year (1927th). It was registered in the spring of 1911 and was intended to manufacture ball bearings, which were produced under the direction of SKF. Even the translation of the name from Latin proves this: the word “volvere” means “I roll,” something round and spinning. However, this term fits perfectly into the concept of a restructured enterprise. Therefore, the management did not change it.
The process of moving towards car production began in 1924 when sales manager Assar Gabrielsson and engineer Gustav Larson (both from SKF) did not conceive Swedish cars’ development. Their priority was heavy-duty models – all-terrain vehicles, which do not care about broken roads or severe frosts. But the company itself considers 1927 to be the official time of its appearance because it was then that the first car rolled off the assembly line.
Meaning and History
The Volvo logo is one of the most famous in the automotive world because it looks like a male symbol. Designers specifically gave it such a shape to show the brand’s brutality, charisma, and seriousness. This sign is also known as the “shield and spear of Mars” because it personifies the most warlike planet in the solar system. In alchemy, a circle with an arrow pointing to the upper right corner represents iron. High-strength metal associations are great for commercial and truck manufacturers.
As the Volvo emblem evolved, it changed, acquiring individual features. It became blue, white, and black and sometimes disappeared altogether, giving way to a lonely inscription. In 2021, the arrow retracted into a circle, which made the logo even more memorable despite the monochrome palette.
What is Volvo?
There are two Swedish Volvo companies: one produces trucks and commercial vehicles, and the other produces passenger cars. They used to be a single entity until 1999, when they split up. The first organization is called Volvokoncernen, but in the U.S., it is known as the Volvo Group. The second automaker goes by the name Volvo Personvagnar AB, and on the world market, it is known as Volvo Cars.
1927 – 1930
The debut emblem features the name of the company in printed characters with serifs. The top row (center) reads “Volvo.” The letters in it are either completely merged or are in close contact with the edges. The bottom phrase is “Gothenburg Sweden.” It is located on a long ribbon and is framed in thin print. The text is in a cobalt oval with a golden border.
1930 – 2021
The Volvo wordmark looks impressive thanks to the large rectangular serifs and contrastingly thickened parts of the letters. The lettering font resembles a cross between Newsprint JNL Wide Regular and Decal JNL Regular by Jeff Levine Fonts. All glyphs are in upper case to make the brand name visible on cars.
1930 – 1959
In 1930, a dynamic logo appeared, consisting of a circle, a longitudinal line, and an arrow pointing up and to the right. The word “Volvo” is featured on a wide strip that runs through the ring in the center and has three thin lines on the left.
1959 – 1970
This logo is based on a white circle divided into two parts by a horizontal stripe of light blue. The center line contains the white word “VOLVO” and connects the blue ring’s two sides that serve as a frame. In the upper right corner is a traditional arrow made up of a square and a triangle.
1959 – 1970 (wordmark)
Throughout the 1960s used, wordmarks with unusual for Volvo font. The designers removed all the serifs and aligned the letters but kept the contrast between the major and minor strokes. This typeface is roughly similar to Jeff Levine’s Song Stylist JNL Regular. The light blue color of the logo evokes a feeling of softness and airiness.
1970 – 1999
The graphic is taken from the 1930 logo and looks like an empty circle with an arrow, outlined on both sides by thin lines. In the center, on a separate oval plate, is the name of the company.
1970 – 2020 (wordmark)
The text emblem contains only one word – “Volvo.” The letters are in uppercase. They are clear, even, with large serifs. The main color is dark blue (cobalt).
1999 – 2013
The new emblem is a stylization of the previous version. The designers made it voluminous, metalized, with convex edges. Shadows, highlights, and gradients support the 3D effect. In the middle, on a blue oblong background, there is white lettering “Volvo.”
2013 – 2014
In this version, the developers focused on the texture. Instead of a graphite color, there is now a silver chrome, so the circle looks like part of a rim or other part of the car. This logo has a lot of light highlights and specular highlights. A dark-gray border appears around the text panel.
2014 – 2021
The designers made the arrow more curly and narrowed the round band that forms a ring. They deepened the plate with the inscription, placing it between the right and left sides of the circle. The color in this version is unified – it has become much simpler, without gradients and mirrored surfaces. A slight dark shadow is present only on the inner top of the ring. Everything else is light gray, except for the background for the word “Volvo.”
2020 – today (wordmark)
Since 2020, a text symbol has been used in parallel with the graphic symbol. It consists only of the name of the engineering company. The capital letters are black and spaced far apart.
The evolution of the Volvo personal badge has been mainly in the change of textures and colors. The basic elements have always remained the same. This is a ring with an arrow pointing up and to the right and the company name on the horizontal bar. All details have survived to this day.
2021 – today
The evolution of the Volvo logo has led to the fact that the “shield and spear of Mars” is now difficult to recognize. In the round frame, which was always intact, suddenly, there was an empty gap. And the arrow, which merged with the ring, was separated from it. Now it is recessed down – exactly in the place where the hole is located. Inside the central white circle, the name of the car brand is traditionally written, but the letters do not have the usual quadrangular base. The word and geometric elements are painted black, not the most saturated shade.
Font and Colors
The logo uses the Clarendon Text Bold Font, an elegant serif typeface designed by Robert Besley and released in 1845 by Thorowgood and Co. Of the modern options, Besley and Clarendon Bold from Hermann Eidenbenz are close to it.
The color palette is scarce because the company adheres to the proprietary range, which includes gray with many shades – from dark graphite to mirror chrome. Cobalt blue spectrum is also used. Early versions of the logo featured gold and red.
Volvo color codes
| Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
| CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
| Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |
What Volvo logo means?
The current Volvo logo, adopted in 2020, contains only the brand name in black on a white background. It is formed from the Latin word ‘Volvo,’ which literally means ‘I ride.’ The company still uses its iconic symbol in the form of a ring with an upward pointing arrow, which represents the ancient symbol of iron and is associated with the god Mars in the Roman Pantheon.
Why did Volvo change their logo?
That’s not to say that Volvo replaced its logo in 2020 because it continues to use the old version in parallel. The new minimalist wordmark was added to make it easier to reproduce. It appears in promotional materials, on the wheel hubs, and in the center of the steering wheel.
What’s the symbol for a Volvo?
The symbol for a Volvo is a ring with an upward-pointing arrow coming out of it. It represents the planet Mars, the god of the same name from the myths of Ancient Rome and the chemical element iron.
