| Native name | スズキ株式会社 |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Founder | Michio Suzuki |
| Headquarters | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan |
| Official Site | www.suzuki.co.jp |
| Official Facebook Page | www.facebook.com/SuzukiCycles |
Suzuki is one of the oldest Japanese car manufacturers, which was established in 1909, and today operates all over the globe, distributing its passenger and commercial vehicles.
Meaning and History
Suzuki is a Japanese manufacturer of cars, motorcycles, ATVs, and marine engines. It also makes wheelchairs and some other small internal combustion engines.
1909 – 1958
The original Suzuki logo, created for the company in 1909, has stayed with them for almost fifty years, with no changes at all. It was a bold letter “S” with Asian-inspired contours, and a long diagonal bar stylized as an eagle, with the short bars — as its wings. The emblem was crossed by the uppercase sans-serif logotype, also executed in black.
1958 – now
In contrast to many other carmakers, Suzuki has not introduced any changes to its emblem ever since it was designed in 1958. The only exception is color and the place of Suzuki inscription.
Font
The bold blue uppercase logotype from the primary Suzuki badge is executed in a heavy geometric sans-serif typeface with massive stable characters. The closest fonts to the one, used in this insignia, are, probably, Neue Helvetica Std 93 Extended Black, and Europa Grotesk SH Bold Extd.
Description
Simple and minimalistic, yet extremely appealing and recognizable – all these features are characteristic to Suzuki logo. It consists of two parts.
The stylized letter “S,” which is the initial of the automaker’s name, has a peculiar shape. Although the letter itself comes from the Latin alphabet, in this case, it resembles a hieroglyph and associates with Japan. Sharp edges and chopped forms create a distinctive visual sign.
The letter is completed with the carmaker’s name written in customized Helvetica font. This part is often omitted, in car badges, for instance.
What types of vehicles bear the symbol?
In addition to automobiles, the Japanese company manufactures motorcycles and outboard marine motors. The current automobile lineup includes over 12 models, from Celerio, Ignis, and Swift to Baleno, Vitara, and Ciaz. The range of outboard marine motors consists of 4-stroke outboards and 2-stroke outboards, while the motorcycle lineup comprises around 40 models.
Colors
The emblem represents a combination of two distinct colors: “S” is red, while “Suzuki” is written in blue. This choice of colors is not random; there is symbolic and psychological meaning behind both of them:
- A warm and positive color red is energizing, it motivates to take action, boosts our physical energy levels. It is the color of physical movement. Psychological research has shown that red increases our heart rate and blood pressure.
- Blue represents peace and tranquility. It is also associated with loyalty and honesty; it is the color of truth.
This color combination was not used always: originally emblem was designed in black and white. And the badge incorporated into the cars is silver and shiny.
The history of the emblem
In 1955, the first auto Colleda COX 125cc was launched. The company’s name was changed to Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd, and three years later, Suzuki logo was introduced. The design was completed with four strokes, which represented wheels and were to show the company’s connection to the auto industry.
Later black “S” was replaced with the red one – it appeared to be more appealing to the customers. We could also mention the fact that initially, the word “Suzuki” was on the right side, and only several years later it moved below.