pontiac Logo - History, Design, and Meaning
Company Overview
Pontiac was a brand of automobiles manufactured and sold by General Motors (GM); though production ended in 2010, Pontiac remains a registered and active trademark of GM. The Pontiac automobile brand was established in 1926 as a companion make for GM's more expensive line of Oakland automobiles.
Key Information
- Founded: 1926
- Founder(s): General Motors
- Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan,
pontiac Logo Meaning and History
Both the brand and the city it was created and located in were named after the Native American rebellion leader, Chief Pontiac. The brand's visual identity was always based on his legacy.
What is Pontiac?
Pontiac is the name of a discontinued American car manufacturer; which was established in the middle of the 1920s and has been a part of General Motors Company until 2010. The cars of the brand were mainly sold in North and South America.
After the brand got its name, the first Pontiac logo was designed. For a few years, the company used a red and blue shield in a gold frame with the 'Oakland' wordmark, celebrating its location. It was very colorful and bright, but lacked individuality, so the next logo was a breakthrough for the company.
The Pontiac logo from 1926 featured a detailed profile of a Native American man, executed in white with a gold contour, placed on a bright red shield. The nameplate was located above the picture and was executed in a traditional typeface using white capital letters.
In the 1930s, the brand modified its visual identity and the image of the Native American. It became more stylized and modern, with bolder and wider lines.
There are two color palettes the brand switches between: scarlet red and silver. Silver is used for a car emblem, while red is the main company color for printed documents and advertising.
The completely different geometric logo was designed in 1956. The emblem, known as the Dart, features an arrow pointing south. The arrowhead was red with a thin black frame and an elegant white star on its top.
The previous logo version got the brand name added at the bottom. It had a very elegant, sans-serif font with smooth, fluent strokes. The font resembled Nulshock Regular, only with 'P' and 'A' having the horizontal strokes not reach the vertical ones on one side. The inscription was done in black to go with the black border of the emblem and give the logo a sophisticated, expensive look.
In 2002, the Pontiac logo became three-dimensional. The frame is thicker now and its color was changed to silver.
The latest Pontiac logo redesign featured an emblem's refinement and a new wordmark. The emblem is more balanced and glossy now. The wordmark in all capital letters is executed in a modern sans-serif font with open 'P' and 'A' letters.
The Pontiac logo is iconic. A perfect example of how historical legacy can be shown in a modern and even futuristic way. The brand stayed loyal to its roots and heritage until the very end of its existence.
The silver, red, and white color scheme with black lettering is a traditional and timeless reflection of elegance, passion, and power, and that is what the brand was giving to their customers with every vehicle produced.
The bold uppercase lettering from the last Pontiac logo was set in a modern sans-serif typeface with clean contours and straight cuts of the lines. The closest fonts to the one used in the Pontiac insignia are, probably, Vast XXL Medium and Doublewide Medium, but with slight modifications in the 'P' and 'A' — their horizontal bars were a bit shortened, to make up stencils.
As for the color palette of the Pontiac visual identity, it is based on a classy traditional combination of red, silver, and black, a scheme evoking a sense of professionalism and excellence.
What does the Pontiac symbol mean?
The sleek and modern symbol from the last Pontiac logo is a vertically stretched triangular crest, which resembles an arrowhead, with a delicate four-pointed Star drawn on its top part. This symbol reflects the name of the brand, which was given to it as a tribute to the Native American tribe.
What does the Pontiac symbol look like?
The latest Pontiac symbol, used by the company from 2004 to 2010, was based on the logo version, designed for the automaker in 1959. It is a vertically stretched triangular crest with a dark red background, a small silver four-pointed star on top of the crest, and a voluminous silver frame. The top border of the crest has a triangular cut-out, which repeats the direction of the crest, pointing down, adding motion, and making the triangle look more like an arrowhead.
Why was Pontiac discontinued?
Pontiac was established in 1926, and stayed independent for only five years — it was acquired by the General Motors Corporation in 1931 and stayed its subsidiary until the brand's discontinuation in 2010. The corporation decided to close the production of Pontiac cars because of the financial difficulties and lack of demand for the brand's vehicles in the market.
What is the Firebird logo called?
Pontiac Firebird is the most popular model of the American car manufacturer, which was produced from 1967 up to 2002. The legendary car had its logo, which was known also as the Firebird.
