As a symbol of affluence and success, the Ferrari brand has risen to prominence in recent years. All across the globe, people recognise the silhouette of a horse in profile.
Ferrari slogan
- You are the fuel.
- We are the competition.
- Essere Ferrari – Being Ferrari
Meaning and history
Italian automaker Ferrari, a household name throughout the globe, has maintained a strong visual brand identity from its inception. The 1920s-era emblem, created in honour of the company’s namesake, has been a fixture of the automaker’s visual identity ever since.
It’s intriguing that the photograph served as a military souvenir aboard the Barak jet. The aircraft had been shot down by Barakka, and the horse had moved there from another plane. This first aeroplane had a pilot from Stuttgart, Germany (on the coat of arms of this city is represented exactly such a horse, only slightly more fattened). However, another story claims that the Barakka family crest had a black horse.
The SF in the Ferrari emblem stands for what?
Scuderia Ferrari, the stable where the racing horses were housed, is the inspiration for the SF monogram in the famous Ferrari emblem. Scuderia Ferrari is the official name of Ferrari’s racing team.
It’s also interesting that the same emblem, a rearing horse, was used on the very first bikes bearing the Ducati trademark (with reference to the coat of arms of the same Stuttgart). However, when the Ferrari brand became more well-known, the motorbike manufacturer opted to redesign its own emblem.
A Ferrari what?
Whether it’s a red, black, or yellow Ferrari, you know you’re looking at a high-end sports vehicle.
1929 – 1931
Many people are unaware that the distinctive black prancing horse on a yellow flag has its origins in the aviation industry and Italian history, despite having first featured on Ferrari automobiles in 1929.
Francesco Baracca, a national hero, used the prancing horse as an emblem for his aircraft in World War I. However, Ferrari acquired the horse when the famed pilot’s mother inquired about it; she wanted to ensure that the mark honouring her son would continue to be used.
Yellow shield with black, red, and white lines at the top; the initials “S” and “F” (for Scuderia Ferrari) at the bottom; this was the original Ferrari mark. The black horse, shown in profile and moving to the left, was positioned in the exact centre of the insignia.
1931 – 1939
The shield had minor changes in 1931. Its formerly curved top half is now horizontal and coloured in the tricolore of the Italian flag: green, white, and red.
The horse was redesigned with sharper lines and no white highlights; instead, bright yellow was used. After having the heavy black border around the shield cut away, the insignia took on a newfound vibrancy.
1939 – Today
When Ferrari debuted their logo in 1939, it looked somewhat different from their other brand emblems. Furthermore, the key distinction here is the form. The exquisite black “Auto-Avio Construzioni” text sat above a large yellow frame with a thin black accent in the 1930s insignia. The classic black horse was also updated for this logo, now facing right with two lovely spread wings behind it.
1947 – 2002
The brand’s visual identity was updated with the new idea in 1947. A rounded rectangle, positioned vertically, took the place of the shield. The Italian flag had its familiar colour scheme, but now its stripes were delineated by thin black bars.
The horse’s new, more contemporary design has a longer, leaner profile and the return of the white highlights that gave the original design depth and suggested movement.
The wordmark also underwent a major revision. To replace the “SF” letters, a black “Ferrari” logotype was used. The bespoke serif font used to write one of the automobile industry’s most known brand names has an enlarged top horizontal bar of the letter “F.”
2002 – Today
The 2002 revamp didn’t do much to the refined Ferrari emblem. The flag’s sole discernible alteration was the removal of the black lines that formerly divided the green, white, and red stripes, making the whole insignia seem sleeker and more sophisticated.
Symbol
Therefore, a rearing horse serves as the primary logo for the Ferrari brand. This mental picture was conjured up by Enzo Ferrari’s contemporaries because of the word’s connotation with rapidity. However, this racehorse’s posture also represents might and triumph in heraldry.
Emblem
Depending on the current aesthetic in industrial design, the logo might take on a number of different forms. The original symbol resembled a celebratory banner and was displayed in the vertical position from the windows of the Italian palazzo during the major festivities. A banner with the national flag’s colours was displayed on a backdrop of blood red. It features the coat of arms’ traditional triangular layout, onto which is superimposed a heraldic depiction of a horse rearing up on its hind legs. In later iterations, the shape was altered and the colour red was almost entirely removed, but the basic heraldic structure (the figure on the coat of arms) was always maintained.
Font
The brand’s typeface has evolved very little throughout the years. It “shrank,” in the sense that the lines got more refined and sophisticated. Still, the basic style of typeface writing itself hasn’t altered much; in this style, the continuation of the initial letter is also the culmination of the whole text element.
Color
The logo’s prominent black horse image represents strength and luxury via its colour alone. The Italian tricolour, which appeared in all logo iterations, is thus significant.
The background’s sunny hue conveys more than just the joy and celebration connoted by the colour yellow. Modena, where Enzo Ferrari was born, flies a flag with a prominent yellow section. As an aside, the “Ferrari stable” still maintains its headquarters not far from this city.
