lambretta Logo - History, Design, and Meaning
Company Overview
While the Lambretta logo looks stylish, dynamic, and memorable, it presents an apparent legibility problem.
Key Information
- Founded: 1947
- Founder(s): Ferdinando Innocenti
- Headquarters: Milan, Italy
lambretta Logo Meaning and History
Lambretta is a range of vehicles primarily comprising motor scooters. Originally, these scooters were manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti, an Italian machinery works founded by Ferdinando Innocenti in 1920.
The logo seen on the scooters features the word 'Lambretta' in a decorative custom type. While the shape of most glyphs is somewhat unusual, they remain recognizable and easy to understand.
The main issue lies with the letter 'L.' Its horizontal bar is significantly thinner than the vertical one, and it extends below the other letters. This design can lead some unfamiliar with the brand to mistake it for a decorative horizontal bar, while the initial is actually the 'I' (which can also resemble an 'I'). The same confusion applies to the double 't.' The long horizontal bar may appear to be extraneous, causing the glyphs to be misread as 'l's.
Despite these legibility issues, the logo is quite popular and familiar to many customers, which somewhat mitigates the described problems.
For years, the Lambretta scooter featured the Innocenti logo, which varied greatly in design. The 1947 logo, for instance, showcased three oval-framed 'i's, each representing one of the three branches of the firm. This logo displayed the word 'Innocenti' in block lettering inside a rectangle with rounded corners. The 1963 emblem featured the 'i' inside an oval, while the current version showcases a combination of the 'n' and 'i.'
The Lambretta logo features a refined shade of bright red, making it eye-catching.