The brand we love to represent so much every day here at Chuck Hutton Chevy of Memphis has seen its roots as a founding pillar of the American Automobile Revolution and has fiercely made its way up the ladder to become the most well-known household manufacturer in the nation. It is not surprising at all to see an automaker with the years we have under our belt have lots of interesting stories that have seen their way through the decades just like some of the rivalries that are hard to avoid with the turf!
There are three different theories as to how exactly the origins of the bowtie logo began, and it is hard to be certain which one is 100% accurate. The first bowtie logo was introduced in 1913, and the story with connections to Paris is the most heavily-believed one to date. William C. Durant was a seasoned traveler on a visit to France, and a design on the hotel wallpaper drastically caught his attention. The story claims that he tore off a piece and brought it back to the States, and was then inspired to create Chevy's bowtie logo.
The story about the city that is host to the Louvre and Eiffel Tower was the most famous theory, but Mr. Durant's daughter had a very different version of her own. She claimed that the inspiration was not drawn from a trip overseas but right in the confines of their very own kitchen. It was thought that she had a habit of drawing on the dinner table and happened to create a design that he thought was representative of our iconic brand.
Another interesting theory was offered up by Durant's widow, who claims that he suddenly drew inspiration for the bowtie logo while looking at a newspaper ad for the "Coalettes". This was a product made by the Southern Compressed Coal company, and he thought something very similar would be ideal for our auto brand while vacationing in Hot Springs, Virginia in 1912. Both emblems had a dark background with white borders and white letters, and the Chevy logo used a more formal Roman typeface squared off the center bow.
Here are some important dates regarding the Chevy logo and its illustrated history from beginning to present day:
1911: The first logo was not exactly a bowtie, and was derived from the signature of company founder Louis Chevrolet and presented in a bold blacked-out handwritten format. It was officially in use from 1911 until 1914.
1913: This was the year that the famous bowtie logo was created and also was instrumental in many origin tales currently told. This first logo was a bit more subtle, as it was made up of light blue and white with gold borders. The Chevrolet logo was written along the horizontal line and it was in use until 1934.
1934: This year Chevy did away with the lighter-colored theme and went with a monochrome layout with "Chevrolet" now appearing in a more modern font. The letters were also bigger. This emblem with larger letters and a business-like appearance was in use until 1940.
1940: Our legendary car brand now decided to return once again to the blue-gold combination, with an overall flatter design. The colors gave off a bit more of a youthful feel, and this very recognizable logo was in use until 1957.
1957: A fairly short-lived logo with a much different appearance, this emblem bore a huge red oval layer inside with a bowtie that brandished white highlights. The lettering was also red, and some auto history experts claim that it used red to highlight high performance.
1960: Here designers went for the minimal effect and decided to take the monochrome route. This black and white bowtie was made up of thinner lines, and the words were italic and finished on black while holding tight for a long emblem run from 1960 until 1977.
1977: In the year after America's Bicentennial, the Chevy logo went "back to blue", but this time drew inspiration from the last logo and included a very thin white border just inside of the bowtie. The lettering was now much smaller and placed at the dead-center of the logo running in both directions.
1985: The year after huge hits like "The Breakfast Club" and "the Karate Kid" graced the big screens, the bowtie logo saw its first appearance similar to what we know now. It was also the pinnacle moment of the most dramatic change, with the logo seeing massive recognition through early TV spots. There was no lettering at all inside, and this logo went on for 15 years.
2000: Chevy chose to "go red" again here but this time the design was a bit more subtle and was composed of just one emblem. A 3D layout replaced the flatter version from the past, and it closely resembled the modern minimal version of the monochrome that claimed the visible spot for so long during the 60s.
2004: 2004 was when Chevy began to use gold as the hue for the bowtie emblem. It was definitely a very different take on the company's approach of using predominantly bright colors. It now plays a very important role in our global identity and remained as the flagship corporate logo until 2011.
2011: The very well-liked golden bowtie design here saw some tweaks and a patterned look for Chevy's 100th Anniversary. This logo remains official to this date, and is seen on thousands of reliable and feature-rich cars and trucks worldwide as they proudly roll off the assembly line!
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