10 Fascinating Facts about the Chevrolet Logo: Unveiling its Symbol, Meaning, and History 

Theories of the origin of Chevrolet logo. The famous Chevrolet bowtie logo was first shown in 1913. People have different ideas about where it came from.

Some say that William C. Durant, one of the company’s founders, saw a similar design on French newspaper and liked it. He decided to use it as the symbol for Chevrolet cars. Another story is that Durant’s daughter, Margery, said her father would draw different logos at the dinner table. One of those doodles was the bowtie we know today. There’s also an old interview with Durant’s wife, Catherine, where she mentioned that they were in Hot Springs, Virginia, and Durant saw a design in a newspaper. He thought it would be a good emblem for Chevrolet .

No matter which story is true, the bowtie logo first appeared in The Washington Post on October 2, 1913. Since then, it has been on 215 million Chevrolet cars, showing how important it is for the brand .

The Paris Theory

Many people think that the Chevrolet bowtie emblem was inspired by a hotel wallpaper in Paris, France. The story goes that William C. Durant, one of the company’s founders, liked the design so much that he tore a piece of the wallpaper and brought it back to the U.S. Later, this design became the symbol for Chevrolet cars.

The Daughter’s Theory

Margery, the daughter of Durant, shared her own story about the Chevrolet logo in her book. She said that the logo was created in their kitchen.

According to her, Durant used to draw different designs while eating dinner. One day, he drew a design that later became the famous Chevrolet logo.

She mentioned in her book, “My Father”, that he came up with this design one night while they were having soup and fried chicken for dinner. This design is still used on Chevrolet cars today.

The Widow’s Theory

Catherine, Durant’s wife, said that Durant made the Chevrolet logo better by using existing designs. She said that he got the idea from a newspaper ad for Coalettes, a product made by the Southern Compressed Coal Company.

The logo for Coalettes was a tilted bowtie that looked really good. A historian from The Chevrolet Review looked at the ad and found that it was similar to the Chevrolet logo.

Note from the Editor: The Chevrolet Company says that Durant first used the Chevy bowtie logo on the 1914 Chevrolet H-2 Royal Mail car in 1913.

There are pictures that show how the Chevy bowtie logo has changed over time. Below are illustrations of the evolution of Chevy bowtie logo.

1911 – 1913

The logo of the Chevrolet brand has changed a lot over time. The first logo didn’t look like the famous cross or bow tie that we know today. William Durant, who started the company, made the first logo. He wrote the company’s name and drew a line under it. The logo was bold and black. It was used on the first car they made, the Classic Six, which was built with Louis Chevrolet.

1913 – 1914

In the mid-1910s, Chevrolet used a logo that was a cross made of a rectangle and a parallelogram. The logo had a white border that looked 3D because of the way many lines were drawn. Inside the logo, the name of the brand was written in white letters. The designers used a bold font with long lines at the ends for the letters.

1914 – 1934

The bow tie logo started in 1914. People think the logo looks like a cross, a plus sign, or even the symbol for infinity. The main color of the logo is light blue. The name of the company is written in bold white letters. The name is in the middle of the cross. There are white lines above and below the name. The bow tie, the name, and the lines have a gold border that makes them look 3D. There’s also a solid white line inside the cross. The logo was made when the H and L series models were released by Chevrolet. The logo hasn’t changed for 20 years and it makes the brand look unique and sophisticated.

1934 – 1940

In 1934, Chevrolet made a big change to their style. They stopped using light blue and started using black instead. The text got bigger, but it was still white. They kept the white lines and the trim inside the logo, but they didn’t use gold anymore. They used extra lines on the outside to make the logo look 3D. The font was updated to a more modern style. This new design looked great in black and white newspapers. People think the logo shows bravery and resolve.

1940 – 1950

After using a black and white logo for six years, the makers went back to using a colored logo. The blue color of the logo became brighter. The style of the letters stayed the same as the old logo. The white line inside the logo was removed, but the gold line around the outside came back. The logo didn’t look 3D anymore, it was flat or 2D. The logo was made brighter to appeal to young people.

1943 – 1950

Chevrolet also used a different logo that was very different from the old one. They got rid of the well-known cross and only used the company’s name. The style of the letters was completely changed, and the color was changed to black. There were small lines at the ends of the letters that made it look fancy. The letter V was bigger than the other letters.

1950 – 1964

Chevrolet decided to change the logo colors and switched from blue to a deep red. The popular cross came back and it was white this time. The letters were bold again with small lines at the ends and an extra touch – red slanted letters. The background of the logo was an oval with a gray “highlight” that looked like a shadow, which made the logo look 3D. The new design of the logo probably represented the company’s fast growth and high productivity.

1964 – 1976

In the 1960s, a new trend called minimalism became popular in the US. This trend also affected the Chevrolet logo. Chevrolet got rid of the bright colors and only used a white cross and black slanted letters. The letters were made bigger and more up-to-date, and they were closer together. The logo was outlined with a thin black line. The logo didn’t look 3D anymore.

1976 – 1988

Chevrolet made 2.8 million Chevette cars from 1976 to 1988. These cars were the top sellers in 1979 and 1980. As the company was doing really well, they decided to change their logo. They went back to using a blue color that gradually changes shade. The style and size of the letters were completely changed. They added a white line and a gray shadow to the logo, which made it look 3D.

1988 – 2002

The logo from that time was simple and colorful. Starting in 1988, the company’s name was placed outside the bow tie logo, and they never went back to the old designs. The cross in the logo is white with a dark blue edge, and the letters are a reddish color. The name of the company is bigger than the well-known bow tie logo.

1994 – 2001

During this time, the company made a new version of the Chevrolet Lumina. This also changed the company’s logo. The logo became brighter and looked more like chrome. They added the words “Genuine Chevrolet” to the logo. The cross in the logo was made with blue, black, and white lines. The border of the logo made it look 3D and shiny.

2001 – 2002

The logo they used for just one year was unlike any they had before. It didn’t have the company’s name, just the well-known cross. The border of the logo was filled with a red color that changed shades, which made it look 3D. The logo looked new and up-to-date.

2002 – 2010

Starting in 2002, the famous golden butterfly logo was introduced. This logo represented the company’s strength and prestige. The logo is bright and gold with a matte finish, and it doesn’t have the company’s name on it. The border of the logo is a gray chrome color, which makes the logo look 3D.

2010 – 2013

In 2011, the company marked its 100th year. The logo was made to show how great the brand is. The idea of the logo stayed the same as before, but some things were different. The name of the company was added back to the logo, and the edges of the logo were made a bit bigger. The letters were bold and black, and each letter was written separately. Inside the cross part of the logo, there was a small checkered pattern on a gold background.

2013 – today

The current logo is gold with a silver edge, and there are no extra designs inside the cross. If you look carefully, you can see that the logo seems to be slanted. The cross is split into two parts: one part is shiny and bright, and the other part is dull and not as bright. The name of the company is written in a new gray style of letters. Some of the letters are connected to each other. This is the logo that the company uses now.