The French tyre manufacturing company, Michelin, is officially known as Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin SCA. It was founded in 1889 by the Michelin brothers, Édouard and André Michelin. The company is headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and is one of the largest tyre manufacturers in the world.
The Michelin logo, featuring the iconic mascot Bibendum, has undergone several changes since its inception in the late 19th century. This article explores the history and evolution of the Michelin logo through various design phases that reflect changing branding strategies and cultural contexts.
The Genesis of the Michelin Logo (1889 – 1925)
The initial Michelin logo was quite basic and resembled a rectangular ticket filled with text and imagery. It featured the word “Michelin” prominently in the centre in a Gothic style in French. It was surrounded by palm motifs and other details.
The bottom half of the ticket contained several wordmarks, such as “CLERMONT FERRAND”—the city where the company was established. In the logo, different fonts (both serif and sans-serif) were used to write different wordmarks. This early emblem did not yet embody the playful and friendly image that would later define the brand.
(1936 – 1968)
In 1936, Michelin introduced a more dynamic logo featuring a running Bibendum mascot alongside the brand name on a slight diagonal plane. The mascot was depicted carrying a tyre and waving. Also, the tail of the letter “n” of the wordmark was extended to the left to represent a road and underline the name. This monochrome design conveyed a friendly and approachable image, which aligned with the branding goals of the company at that time.
(1968 – 1997)
The redesign in 1968 marked a significant departure from previous logos. The logo featured the brand name in an all-capital, extra-bold, sans-serif typeface to emphasise stability and seriousness. The individual letters in the brand name were shortened and extended. They had thick lines and straight cuts to their ends to evoke a sense of stability.
While the Bibendum mascot continued to appear in various contexts, he was often omitted from the logo. This reflected a trend towards minimalism in design. This phase aimed to project an assertive corporate identity amid evolving market demands.
(1997 – Present)
In 1997, the official logo of Michelin was represented by a thick and bold uppercase logotype in black italics. The individual letters were stretched horizontally a little and were written using a sans-serif typeface. It showed clean contours, sharp angles, and stable letters.
(1997 – 2017)
In 1997 again, Michelin reintroduced colour into its logo design. It featured a horizontally stretched rectangular blue background and the italicised wordmark “Michelin” in white. Written in a thick, bold, sans-serif typeface, the wordmark was accompanied by a thin yellow underline.
The updated logo featured the Bibendum mascot standing proudly to the left of the wordmark and saluting the customers. This logo iteration combined modern aesthetics with nostalgia for the brand’s heritage. It reinforced the identity of the brand as both innovative and approachable.
(2017 – Present)
The most recent redesign in 2017 retained the previous colour palette but enlarged the image of its mascot, Bibendum, while placing the wordmark directly beneath him. The separation of the two was done by a thick yellow line.
Here, the colour yellow is used for product branding and blue for corporate materials. Both colours conveyed visual clarity and recognition. This version continues to leverage Bibendum’s charm and maintains modern design principles that resonate with contemporary audiences.
The Elements of the Michelin Logo
Font
Michelin used several sans-serif and serif fonts during the course of its logo history. For instance, until 1968, it used a cursive typeface without any serifs. However, after 1997, it introduced the Michelin Black typography, which features an italicised, bold, sans-serif typeface.
Colour
Michelin mostly used a black-and-white colour palette for a long time. However, it introduced blue and yellow colours in 1997.
Finally
The Michelin logo and its various iterations reflect broader trends in branding and design while maintaining continuity through its beloved mascot, Bibendum.