Vauxhall, founded in the early twentieth century, is the oldest automaker in the United Kingdom. The Bedford Vehicles name was the company’s prior niche market of trucks, buses, and passenger vans. Since January 2021, it has been a member of the Stellantis family as a subsidiary of the Opel brand. Chalton is home to both the company’s administrative offices and production facilities (Bedfordshire). Alexander Wilson, a businessman, established the company in 1857.
Overview of the Vauxhall Brand
Founded: 1857
Alexander Wilson, the Founder
Organizational Home: Chalton, Bedfordshire, England
Website: vauxhall.co.uk
connotation and background
The firm started off making pumps and ship engines, but has now evolved into a storied producer of high-end automobiles. Andrew Betts Brown purchased the company in 1863, rebranding it as Vauxhall Iron Works but keeping the same name. The new proprietor first focused on bridge crane assembly before expanding into automobile production. It occurred in 1903.
In 1925, after several years of success, the firm was purchased by American automaker General Motors. In 1930, he established a division inside Bedford Vehicles to manufacture trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles. However, all of the company’s products were pulled off shelves worldwide in the early 1980s of the previous century. Britain was the one exception in this regard. They even made rally and race vehicles under this label. But Groupe PSA acquired Vauxhall in 2017.
The Cavalier, Chevette, Viva, and Victor series are just a few of its more recognisable throwback offerings. This includes the Astra, Corsa, Insignia, Crossland X, Mokka, and Grandland X models. Several high-performance Vauxhall models are available under the GSi sub-brand. Each one is emblazoned with the image of a red gryphon, a legendary monster. The year of the company’s inception is listed as the year of approval. There have been seven distinct redesigns of the logo.
1857 – 1983
The gryphon from Sir Falkes de Breaute’s ancient coat of arms has been the company’s mascot for generations. The 13th-century soldier. The name “Vauxhall” originally referred to his home, but it eventually became widely used for the neighbourhood as a whole. In fact, it’s the same building that gave rise to a company that would eventually become a major player in the auto industry. That’s how some irrelevant insignia helped launch a once-unstoppable business.
The legendary beast had an eagle’s head and a lion’s body. Its two forepaws were resting on a spear-shaped flagpole. A little flag with the letter “V” was displayed on it. Given the family’s military history, “Vauxhall” might refer to either the family’s home or the military’s standard of triumph (Victoria). The griffin’s head turned in a rightward direction. Its eyes were fierce and menacing, and the very tips of its tail and wings were lifted.
1983 – 1989
The logo was given a square shape with a red backdrop, white in the centre, and grey around the edges. The logo is now mathematically even since the tops of the wing and spears were removed. Everything inside is white now. The designers have put the word “Vauxhall” underneath the fabled beast in a serifed capital font.
1989 – 2003
The designers have unveiled a new logo that improves upon its predecessor. It was spherical. Authors restored the griffin’s broken wing and curved the banner into a half-arc to highlight the disc’s spherical form. Once again, his banner featured a single “V,” but this time it was red. The font was clean and simple, without any serifs. The trademark’s name was split off from the emblem and put below it in a black highlight by the designers. All of the letters were capitals, and they were all distorted and ugly.
2003 – 2008
The logo used during this time period was a reimagining of the logo used before. Only in the third dimension did they diverge from one another. The engineers worked to make the sign seem three dimensional by enhancing the shadows along the shape of the legendary creature and the flag in his two paws. The logo was given a chrome finish with the help of subtle accents. A gradation from purplish red to burgundy was applied to the red circle.
2008 – 2009
There had been a moment for vivid hues, but now was the time for sombre monochromatic. Adapting the logo for use on new forms of advertising necessitated updating it so that it would stand out clearly while yet maintaining its current, sleek appearance. The disc was dyed jet black and given an oblique slash around its outer rim to achieve this metallic lustre.
Using just the griffin’s head, neck, right leg, upper wing, flagpole, and V, they made it bigger. The creators used a two-tone colour scheme for each component, one heavy with shades of grey and the other lighter but still metallic. The designers tucked a single flash of light like a reflection into the image’s bottom right corner, and in the image’s top left corner they included the company name, with the letters widely spaced apart to give the impression of movement.
ROLLS-ROYCE LOGO | HISTORY OF LOGOS
2009 – 2011
The designers switched over the black for red but otherwise left everything alone. The lettering was the sole substantial alteration. Like the logo from 1989 to 2003, it has moved downward. There was no change to the font size or style, which remained at a big, bold, sans serif size.
2011 – 2020
Vehicles carrying the name have seen a significantly revised logo since 2011. The writers used the emblem from the preceding era as inspiration, but darkened the shadows inside it. The bird’s neck and wingtips now include graphite and black accents. All around the “metalized” sign were identical shades: broad on the right and left, thin at the bottom like an inverted arch with pointed ends. The designers have used a lot of white to increase the contrast. The colour of the flag’s V was not changed. Initially, the emblem was used in tandem with the Vauxhall brand inscription; however, after General Motors’ sale of the Vauxhall brand to Groupe PSA, the inscription was dropped (since 2017).
2020 – today
The Opel/Vauxhall group as a whole has been rebranded, and hence the logo has been altered to reflect this. It simplified and flattened down, turning into a two-dimensional surface. The designers did away with the dark tones by eradicating greys and blacks. By adding the griffin’s back (right) and covering up the flagpole, they moved the emphasis of the picture (left). The designers also redrew the lettering to make it sleeker, smaller, and straighter.
Emblem Typeface and Color Scheme
The firm has used its founding year’s name, which is tied to its hometown, ever since it was established. To begin, there is the name itself—”Vauxhall”—which originated with the address of the original home where the business was established and eventually came to include the whole neighbourhood. The second issue is that the insignia of the military family Falkes de Breaute, who owned the structure in the 13th century, was stolen.
The logo’s typography is hand-drawn and looks a lot like the bold version of Helvetica Sans Serif. It’s also similar to LCT Picon Extended Black and Radiate Sans Bold Expanded. Still, the inscription hasn’t had any serifs since 1989, so the letters are nice and round now.
The distinctive colour scheme features a blend of bright red and crisp white. There were other instances when various tones of grey and black were utilised, such as graphite and light chrome.
Codes for the colours used by Vauxhall vehicles
| Neon Red | Hex color: | #fb0016 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 251 0 22 | |
| CMYK: | 0 100 91 2 | |
| Pantone: | PMS Bright Red C |
| Blue Black | Hex color: | #000035 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 0 53 | |
| CMYK: | 100 100 0 79 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 2765 C |
