Ford Logo

Brand History

The Ford Story

Henry Ford and 12 other investors incorporated Ford Motor Company on June 16, 1903, in Michigan. The Model T, introduced in 1908, combined durability and simple operation with a price that fell as Ford refined mass production. In 1913 the Highland Park plant introduced the integrated moving assembly line for automobiles, eventually cutting Model T chassis assembly from 12.5 hours to about 1.5 hours. Ford later introduced the flathead V8, created the Mustang, built the F-Series into a cornerstone of its truck business and won Le Mans four consecutive times with the GT40 from 1966 through 1969. Lincoln, acquired in 1922, remains Ford Motor Company's luxury brand rather than a Ford model line.

Logo History

Evolution Of The Ford Logo

1. 1903–1907

   Ford's earliest corporate mark was an ornate Art Nouveau border surrounding the words 'Ford Motor Co. Detroit, Mich.' It was a company badge rather than the script-and-oval identity used today.

2. 1907–1912

   Childe Harold Wills designed the familiar Ford script using a stencil style associated with penmanship taught when he and Henry Ford were young. The lettering, not Henry Ford's signature, became the lasting core of the identity.

3. 1912–1927

   Ford experimented with several treatments, including a winged triangle and early oval forms. The script remained recognizable, but an oval was not yet the standard badge on Ford vehicles.

4. 1927–1976

   The 1928 Model A, introduced in 1927, was the first Ford vehicle to carry the famous Blue Oval. Different script and oval treatments continued to appear across products and markets for decades.

5. 1976–present

   Ford standardized the blue oval as its principal corporate identity in 1976. Dimensional and flatter digital treatments have followed, including centennial-era refinements, while the white script inside the blue ellipse has remained the defining mark.

Model Evolution

Ford Through The Years

7 milestone models from 1908 to 2020.

1908

1948

1964

1968

1985

1998

2020