studebaker Logo - History, Design, and Meaning

Studebaker is one of the companies that had the most influence on the American automotive industry. During its more than a century-long history, the brand had four emblems, each reflecting the epoch and showcasing the growth and development of Studebaker.

The logo created for Studebaker in 1902 featured a monochrome script nameplate with fancy curved tails of the letters and a sharpened end of the underline coming out from the last 'R'. It was an elegant and simple inscription, well-balanced and stylish.

In 1912, another logo was designed for the famous company, featuring a colorful circular badge that depicted the essence and purpose of the brand. The circle was colored blue and outlined in white and black. In the center, there was a smaller white circle with a white and yellow wheel image and a diagonal banner with red lettering. The inscription was set in the same typeface and style as in the 1902 version, but colored red.

The circular Studebaker badge was refreshed in 1935, gaining a sleek and modern look with a professional touch. The new emblem was scarlet-red, with additional elements, including framing and lettering, in white. The main accent was a stylized letter 'S', placed on the left part of the badge and vertically extended.

The main inscription was set in uppercase and executed in a modern square sans-serif typeface with thick lines and straight edges. Under the nameplate, there was a 'Cars – Trucks' tagline, written in a more elegant font, smaller in size, also in white.

The redesign of 1963 simplified the Studebaker logo and placed the lettering under the badge. The color palette was switched to feature two parts—red and blue—separated by a three-dimensional silver 'S', which repeated the contours of the letter from the previous version but was bolder and sharper. The nameplate was set in a title case of a full-shaped sans-serif typeface with all letters connected.

The lettering from the last Studebaker emblem was written in a modern and bold sans-serif typeface, similar to Europa Grotesk and Neue Plak fonts. Despite the lack of spaces and air in the wordmark, it still looked balanced and clean, complementing the minimalist emblem of the company.

The blue, red, and silver color palette of the Studebaker visual identity is a fresh and bright combination, symbolizing professionalism, passion, and loyalty, along with qualities such as responsibility and authority. This color scheme makes the badge modern and appealing.