Henry Ford founded the company in 1903 to build cars for the masses. The first logo was simple—just the name “Ford” in fancy cursive writing. It had sort of a classy, decorative look. A few years later, the Ford letters were made bigger and chunkier. This fitted with the new Model T, which was simple, sturdy, and affordable. The article traces the history of the Ford logo over the years.
The Genesis of the Ford Logo (1903–1907)
The initial logo of the Ford company was designed by Childe Harold Wills, and it featured an ornately decorated badge with leaves, stems, and curls. The black-coloured badge had a white wordmark enclosed within a white frame. The top level of the wordmark had the words “Ford Motor” in capitals and rendered in a wavy style. The second level had the word “Co.”; the third level had the word “Detroit,” and the final level had the word “MICH,” which was a short form for Michigan, the name of the state where the company was located.
(1907-1909)
In 1907, Ford decided to redesign its logo and make it modern from the early retro one. In the redesigned logo, the previous floral pattern comprising stems, leaves, and curls was done away with. This design had the shape of a rugby ball or an eye containing several wordmarks. At the centre, the brand name “FORD” was displayed in bold black, according to the curvature of the central oval. There was additional lettering on the top and bottom of this rugby ball-style logo. The metallic-grey colour palette with black lettering gave the logo a sense of professionalism.
(1909-1911)
The logo variant unveiled in 1909 became the basis for all forthcoming logo iterations. It featured a single handwritten-inspired wordmark, “ford,” in cohesive italics. Enclosed within quotation marks, the lettering had many curls and a long tail extending out of the letter “d” to create a bottom line of sorts.
(1911-1912)
In the 1911 logo iteration, the signature of Henry Ford, the founder, was taken as a base. It was then placed within a horizontally stretched oval with an inner border. The wordmarks “The Famous” and “Motor Cars” were written around the periphery of the oval.
(1912-1917)
The logo iteration of this era had the Ford signature placed within a soaring bird-style blue badge resembling a coat of arms in blue. Besides, the badge had a thin inner border and a few short strokes in white pointing inside. Below the “ford” wordmark was written the tagline “THE UNIVERSAL CAR” in white capitals.
(1917-1927)
The logo redesign of 1917 persisted for a decade. It featured a minimalist emblem comprising an ellipse with a black border and a light lilac colour inside. At the centre of the ellipse was the signature of the founder.
(1927-1957)
In 1957, the previous logo design was continued, but with some subtle differences. For instance, the colour palette inside the ellipse was changed to deep purple, and the framing got thin blue and thick white lines.
(1957–1961)
In the 1960s, the logo evolved to look bolder and more contemporary. The oval became thicker and gained a metallic sheen. Ford began marketing more aggressively and globally, which was reflected in its prominent logo. In the 1957 logo, the elliptical emblem had tapered ends and a protruding centre. The background colour changed to a darker hue of purple, and the strokes of the letters were lengthened.
(1957-1964)
The 1957 logo featured an ellipse with a thin black outline and the brand name rendered in a cursive style in black and set against a white background
(1961-1965)
The 1961 logo had both flattened and elongated styles of lettering. The oval, too, sported a thick white frame with a thin blue outline at the periphery.
(1965-Today)
The badge of 1965 continues to be used even today. This horizontally stretched oval in a blue colour palette had a double white and blue outline. It also had refined lettering in white at the centre and resembled the emblem of 1927.
(1976–2003)
In its 2003 centennial year, Ford introduced a new logo in 3D. It revived the classic deep “Centennial Blue” colour of the 1928 Model A. But it streamlined the design in a 21st-century way by flattening and simplifying the oval and lettering. Small changes have updated the logo over the past 20 years, but it stays true to the core elements Ford is known for.
(2000-2003)
At the dawn of the millennium, Ford began using a text-based logo in cursive style. It featured the brand name in full and was rendered in an ornate typeface. The colour palette used was a bright shade of blue set against a white background.
(2003–2017)
The 2003 variant looked similar to the 1961 variant but had more light and volume. Developed by Pantone Studios, the logo did not have a silver border, a blue gradient, or the metallic texture of the previous logo. However, the letters of the brand name appeared sophisticated and refined.
(2024 – Today)
The latest Ford logo is the refined variant of the previous logo. It features the brand name in a cursive script within a dark blue oval with a white outline. The script used in the logo has been derived from the original signature of Henry Ford to symbolise authenticity and heritage.
The Elements of the Logo
The Ford logo has evolved over time but kept some classic elements. Back in the early 1900s, it went through various stylized script versions. There was fancy cursive, blocky Egyptian-style, and some cool art nouveau lettering. By 1927, the now-famous oval shape had debuted. This refined the oval more in the 50s with a sleeker diamond silhouette for a bit. But the oval made a comeback and remains iconic as of today.
Font
The curvy Ford script lettering is a key ingredient. It was likely inspired by Henry Ford’s own signature. The font looks similar to elegant scripts like FordScript, Fabiola, and Neville. It evokes a sense of style and sophistication.
Colour
The latest Ford logo displays a dark blue and white colour palette. The dark blue colour forms the background of the oval emblem, while white forms the border. The logo connects the brand to its origins and stays fresh at the same time. In another iteration, which features at the rear end of the Ford cars, the logo displays a white colour palette against a dark grey background. The simple image of the logo has come to represent over a century of automotive history.
Finally
The Ford logo shows how companies can thoughtfully evolve their branding without losing their identity. By rolling with the times while keeping elements that tie back to their roots, Ford has built an iconic image known across the globe. The blue oval has remained a symbol of American automotive excellence for ten decades and counting.