Lancia Takes 5th Place in the Best Car Logos of All Time

Lancia’s logo has changed many times in its lifetime, but it has never moved too far away from its original logo idea. The colour palette has been mostly blue and silver, which represents the quality, loyalty, and reliability of the brand. The company values the comfort and safety of their customers, all of which is shown in their logo.

1906 – 1911

Lancia’s first logo was launched in the first decade of the 20th century, and was of its time – basic and strong in its elegant style. Lancia is displayed in white, bold capital letters on a black, rectangular background. The L stands out more so because it is larger, with its lower part under the A: a style decision that was part of the logo for the next 75 years. The lettering was serif font, clean and the angles were noticeably pointed.

1907 – 1911

The following year, an italic, golden version of the logo was presented, existing together with the initial logo. The curved, chic rendering went perfectly with the refined style of the first cars manufactured by the Turin house, with the creative flavour of those early years influenced by the Art Nouveau style.

1911 – 1929

The great friendship between Vicenzo Lancia and Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia – illustrator, advertiser and devotee of motoring – leads to a lucrative collaboration, resulting in a new logo materialised in 1911. Carlo was the ideal man to have by Vincenzo’s side, bringing his illustration and advertising skills to the table.

Biscaretti sketched five proposals in water colours, each design displaying Lancia in an original way. These ranged from hexagonal to linear profiles, from shields in shape to gold crowns, from blue to orange in colour. It was the design with a steering wheel, spear, hand valve, and flag that was chosen; fitting perfectly with the company’s name. 

The steering wheel was white, with a white background between the wheels four-spokes. The flag was coloured a rich blue, with the tall, gold lettering “Lancia” placed in the middle. This font was the corporate choice and has remained until today. The reason the flagpole is a spear is because Lancia means “spear” in Italian. The logo has changed many times over the years but the steering wheel is the only element that’s survived throughout.

1929 – 1950

Carlo Biscaretti made the decision in 1929 to place the steering wheel on a blue shield. The counters on the shield became bolder and more defined with a gold outline. The shield also had the same lighter gold outline, with the other colours changing hue slightly, making the entire image balanced and clearer.

The definitive colours are navy blue for the shield, lance, and flag. The steering wheel is white, allowing it to stand out from the two shades of gold either side. The Lancia lettering remains gold.

1950 – 1957

In 1950 the Lancia emblem changed slightly, the colour palette becoming bolder and brighter. The blue turned electric and the gold became yellow, making the logo more eye-catching and memorable. White became more prominent; the lettering went from gold to white, and the outline of the wheel and shield used this noncolor too. This helped add lightness and freshness to the emblem, as the company attempted to attract a more youthful client.

1957 – 1974

In 1957 Lancia went through some radical changes: new owners came in and with it a simpler restyling of the Lancia trademark.

This new version was launched purposefully with the release of the Flaminia. The detail from previous logos was removed, leaving space for a cleaner approach, with the steering wheel and shield replaced by simpler, stylised geometric shapes. Along with this plainer design, the use of colour is abandoned too, changing to just silver and blue. However, this transition keeps two of the characterised details the same: the lance still holds the flag, the flag still holds the name Lancia, in capital letters with the lower part of the enlarged L beneath the A.

1972 – 1981

After Lancia was purchased by the Fiat group, the logo was thoroughly restyled. They went back to the first rectangular logo in 1972, as the Lancia Beta was launched, modernising it by changing the background to blue. The ‘Lancia’ inscription remained bold and white, set across the rectangular banner, with a small white square on its right side. The banner’s border was outlined by a thin blue and white frame.

1974 – 1981

It was only two years later that the company decided to bring back a refreshed version of the shield emblem. It was similar to the logo from the 1950s, but much simpler, with refined contours of each element and a smoother colour palette. These cute adjustments to the badge achieved a more delicate and sophisticated look.

1981 – 2001

The blue on the logo changed again in 1981 to a smoother shade, more blue than purple, making the badge look fresher and more professional. It was an evolution bridging the badge to its the past. Massimo Vignelli, the designer, accessed all elements in past logos and brought them up-to-date. Each one was stylised and simplified, with the colours limited to blue and white. The L is resized to match the size of the other letters.

Every other element of the logo remained untouched. It was a design, style, and colour palette that stayed untouched for twenty years. If this design is recognisable, it’s because Lancia rally cars use this logo.

2001 – 2007

In 2001 the Lancia logo had a minimal change that latest for 6 years. The blue became a dark navy and outlines of this colour were thinner. A white border was added to the shield’s frame, which had a slight 3D look, and a shine that glowed at the shield’s base.

2007 – 2022

Maurizio Di Robilant came on board in 2007, and with it came an aesthetic revolution. The shield’s 3D look became more defined, the white border holds more shape, showing shadows within its groove. The shine on the blue shield is broader, with the left side a lighter hue than the right.

The steering wheel has been updated and brought into the 21st century with a complete revision. The four spokes are no more, replaced by two points placed north and south of the word Lancia. Also removed was the lance and flag. Despite this drastic update to the companies’ logo, it still managed to retain its traditional style.

2022 – Present

Today, the Lancia’s badge represents a progressive classic logo, symbolising a new era to mark Lancia’s entry into the electric automobile sector. 

The past meets the future in the updated logo, the historic hallmarks have been revisited and redesigned with a contemporary flair, reflecting its growth and progression, taking the brand into the future. 

The blue came to life with a brighter shade, designed with more gradients and gloss than in any other version. The circle and the flag are more minimalistic, featuring thin silver lines, and the typeface of the lettering has changed to a solid sans-serif with smooth, space-age contours.

This simplification signifies a more balanced, innovative, and premium Italian brand.

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