At the very beginning, the company used the patriotic name Slavia for its products – bicycles. In the decorative logo and on the simplified metal label, they were complemented by the surnames of the founders of the Laurin & Klement company.
The same was the case with motorcycles produced from 1899. With the start of automobile production (in 1905), a circular logo with the initials L&K was established, along the perimeter with a rendition of a laurel wreath. The latter reflected success in motor sports.
Until the end of the 20s of the 20th century, the Laurin & Klement inscription reflecting the art nouveau trend was also used in communication and on car radiators.
In 1925, the Mladá Boleslav manufacturer was bought by the Pilsen joint-stock company Škodovy závody in Pilsen, and this transaction also brought about a change in the car company’s name and logo. At that time, the winged arrow was added to the cars, which still decorates Škoda cars today.
The trademark in the form of a flying arrow, imaginary carried by three feathers, was officially registered to the Škoda engineering company already on December 15, 1923. By the way, the company also had a later unused alternative with five feathers and an integrated Škoda inscription protected by patent.
The 1923 logo was the result of more than a year-long search for a trademark launched by a public tender. Among approximately three hundred proposals, the variant resembling the head of an Indian chief with a headdress of feathers won. The name of the author of the logo design will probably remain shrouded in mystery forever, perhaps it was a collective work, gradually edited by different workplaces of the company.
The reduction from five pens that supposedly keep the arrows in flight to three was related to the fact that the new trademark used on a wide range of products had to be clear even after a significant reduction and in a three-dimensional design of a molding or casting. For these reasons, the supplementary word mark Škoda was finally withdrawn.
Photo: Škoda Auto
The winged arrow as a logo was patented by Škoda in 1923.
And as we already know, in 1925 the emblem was also applied to the cars of the Mladá Boleslav manufacturer. They still use it today, although the logo has changed several times.
When the Škoda car company came under the wing of the Volkswagen concern in the early 1990s, the graphic concept of the logo also changed. In December 1992, the trademark was modified in the sense that the blue color was replaced by green and the Škoda Auto sign with a new typeface appeared in the ring.
The original blue-and-white logo was used for company printed materials until the turn of 1992 and 1993, as an emblem on cars until 1995. It was not until the Felicia model got a modernized look. Part of the emblem used on the cars was also a laurel wreath referring to sporting traditions and historical variants of the Laurin & Klement logo.
Photo: Škoda Auto
In the nineties, the color green made its way into the logo.
Of course, development did not stop there. At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the Škoda Vision D study was presented to the public, the first example of the brand’s then new design language. And the car company immediately revealed an innovative logo. The green shade of the winged arrow changed to a lighter one called Škoda Green, flanked by a finer chrome (previously black) circle. Even thanks to the use of a 3D element, the logo looked significantly more plastic.
Since 2012, the new logo has also appeared on cars – on their wheels, front fascia and steering wheel.
In addition to the circular logo with a winged arrow in the form of 2011, the word Škoda also began to be used seven years later, and it began to be asserted, for example, on the rear of cars.
In the summer of 2022, it even became the main communication tool. In order to give the inscription a new look with an integrated hook, he also works with symmetry and a combination of curves and edges. The typical hook in the opening letter Š is integrated and blends into the symmetry of the logo.
Photo: Škoda Auto
The winged arrow symbol underwent a less fundamental change. The logo has been simplified, it is now drawn in a flat form, and the car company can work more prominently with colors. The new identity also includes two new shades of green, emerald and electric green. According to the car company, these preserve the connection with history, at the same time bring refreshment and refer more to electromobility as a fundamental pillar of the brand’s future.
And one more note – for many years it was true that the winged arrow was also used as a logo by the successors of Pilsen engineering plants. But last year Škoda Group sold the rights to the Škoda brand to Škoda Auto. Part of the transaction is an agreement that Škoda Group can use the name Škoda and the traditional emblem until 2029.
2023-12-13 19:14:09
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