Every car brand has its own logo and a strong logo can be recognised from afar. People do not even have to see the model to be able to read the brand name from the logo. The origin of the current Renault logo dates back to 1922.
Developing a good logo for a car brand is no easy task. Especially in the early days, all kinds of logo shapes were used by Renault, sometimes next to each other or mixed up. The very first logo, if we can call it that, consisted of two gracefully written letters ‘R’ placed back to back in an oval frame with a gracefully curled banner above it. Clearly the R stands for Renault. It is a logo that Renault used mainly for printed matter and it is not to be found on cars. It was first used in 1900, but only remained in use for a short time.
From 1906, a second logo was introduced, which was one of an internally toothed gear wheel enclosing the front view of a car with the recognisable waterfall bonnet. Here, too, the logo was mainly intended to be used on printed matter. The above-mentioned bonnet better serves to identify the brand than this round logo. Many Renaults from those years carry a copper identification plate just under the bonnet, with the name RENAULT on it.
After the enormous successes achieved in the First World War with Renault’s light FT tank, it was inevitable that this acclaimed vehicle would be included in the logo. Again, it is a round logo enclosing an image of the tank. Immediately, it becomes the company's shortest-lived logo, as the history of the diamond logo was just around the corner.
The 1923 model year starts after the summer holidays of 1922, when two parallel Renault programs were introduced. The existing models have the well-known bonnet with flattened top. In addition, the so-called Sport models were given a more tightly styled bonnet, which flowed neatly into the radiator placed behind the engine. A sharp line runs in the middle, which made the Renaults look considerably more modern for that time.
Alongside the launch of these Sport models, Renault introduced the electric horn, so that drivers no longer had to squeeze a rubber ball connected to a copper horn as a warning device. The most important part of a modern, electric horn is the diaphragm, which creates the warning sound and that sound literally had to come out. The development department opted for a place on top of the engine forthe instrument, so that the front edge of the horn actually touched the inside of the bonnet and a round hole was made in the bonnet itself in order to allow the sound to come out. Therefore, the first logo is purely functional. The hole in the bonnet is embellished with a stylised copper grille with horizontal slats and the name ‘Renault’ across the middle.
In the mid-‘Twenties, car design began to play an increasingly important role and it was no longer just the technology, which determined the appearance of a vehicle. Two years after the launch of the round Renault logo, the company switched to the first diamond shape, in French 'losange', and hence the name of this magazine. The function remains the same, namely a grille to gracefully camouflage the hole for the horn behind the bonnet. But the diamond shape, first used on cars and other Renault products at the end of 1924 (1925 model year), will never be abandoned.
Picture: Logo Renault 4 1961
Picture: The 'forbidden' Kent logo on a Renault 17 at the end of 1971.
When, at the end of the 1920s, the radiator advanced from behind the engine to the front of the car, the logo lost its prominent role and ended up at the top of the grille in a much reduced size. Whereas, nowadays there are strict rules governing the use of the logo, in the past this was all a bit less strict. The use of the logo was quite loose and that is why one regularly comes across a number of variants, including the use of colour. Renault’s typical yellow colour is already apparent before the Second World War, but, even when that big conflict is over and the Société Anonyme des Usines Renault (SAUR) becomes the Régie Nationale des Usines Renault (RNUR), the logo does not change. Variations remain, as a bar under the word ‘Renault’ often shows 'Régie Nationale'.
By 1959, the time had come to adapt the logo to the spirit of the times. A new font was used for the word ‘Renault’ and a wide rim enclosed the horizontal lines, which still simulated the original horn grille. Yellow is used for the background, but this version is used mainly on printed matter. Depending on the model, various silver or aluminium versions appear, but copper or gold versions can also be found on various models. The position of the logo on the cars is also subject to change. On the 4CV it sits neatly in the middle, while on the Dauphine it is completely missing and is replaced with a specific-to-model, plastic creation. When the Renault Eight appears, the logo is placed off cente, whilst the earlier Renault Sixteens do not have a logo on the grille at all, because, during the development phase, the type number ‘Sixteen’ was combined with one on each side towards the back end.
Picture: A Renault 20 TL from 1976 with the Vasarely logo.
Picture: The facelift of the Renault 19 in 1992 had the honour of being the first production model to carry a new logo.
And then the ‘Seventies began, like any other era, with its own trends in design. A thorough study was made of a modernised logo. Many proposals were considered and, in the 1972 model year, even a new logo is tried on the first examples of the Renault 5 and the 15 and 17. It consists of two flat, mirrored halves from which the tip is cut off at the top and at the bottom. In the course of that year, however, this temporary logo had to be abandoned, because it conflicted with the trademark of another international company, so Renault introduced a modified variation, whereby the well-known logo the mirrored halves of the lozenge were slid together and marked with stripes on each quarter. This design was created by Viktor Vasarely.
From this moment on, the use of the logo is controlled much more strictly and on the cars, trucks and other products, there are no further variants. However, the position on the car may vary, for example on the Renault 25 Turbo, where the logo can be found on the grille towards the right side and also on the Renault 4, on which the second type of grille has the logo also moved towards the right. Many millions of Renaults drive around the world with this logo.
Foto: Het huidige logo op de Renault Clio V.
In 1992, with much pomp and ceremony, Renault launched the fourth official variation of the diamond logo, which is still in use today. The shape remains the same, but the stripes have disappeared, thus making the link with the horn grille disappear. Often, one can read in publications that the Renault logo is a diamond, but even though it may give that impression, it is and remains simply the grille disguising the horn, but in a highly stylised form. The first car to display the current logo was the Safrane, which was unveiled at the beginning of 1992. In fact, the honour of carrying this new logo on the first production car, fell to the facelifted Renault 19.
How strictly Renault pays attention to the use of the logo is shown by a nice anecdote. Out of pure enthuiasm,Yves Dubreil, the father of the Twingo, had a pin made from the logo with the name Twingo underneath it. Completely happy with the latest creation of his team, he handed out this pin. But a stop was soon put on this decoration. The logo with a type name attached to it was against all the rules. But at that time, despite the 'ban', he always carried a pair in his jacket pocket to give to enthusiasts.....