Maserati logo history: Introducing the trident car logo
Even if you’re not familiar with Maserati logo history, you can probably recognize the famous trident symbol. The Maserati trident is one of the most recognizable images in the automobile landscape.
Today, the Maserati car logo is more than just an emblem for the company, it’s a symbol of high-end car design and innovation. The company, established in 1914 in Italy, has quickly gained attention as one of the world’s top creators of luxury cars.
Owned by the Stellantis Group, Maserati produces a host of highly sought-after car designs, emblazoned with the trident car logo.
Here’s what you need to know about the Maserati logo…
What car has a trident logo?
Maserati history
The Maserati car with trident logo has become a common symbol of the luxury car world. This high-end automobile company found its ideal symbol towards the very beginning of its launch. In fact, the trident car logo has been a part of Maserati’s brand since the 1920s.
The Maserati trident was chosen as a symbol of power and majesty, however it’s also a tribute to the home of the Maserati Company, Bologna, and the famous fountain of Neptune there.
Maserati’s logo features the name of the company in all capital letters, though there are versions with a connected, lower-case wordmark. The Maserati symbol also features the iconic trident, a three-pronged fork with a series of sharp angles and lines.
Maserati: Brand overview
| Founded: | 1914 |
| Founder: | Alfieri Maserati |
| Headquarters: | Modena, Italy |
| Website: | www.maserati.com |
| Logo downloads: |
First launched in 1914, in the Bologna region of Italy, Maserati is a luxury vehicle manufacturer from Italy. The car is best-known for its trident emblem, and its incredible high-performance cars.
Originally associated with Ferrari, Maserati has since evolved into a memorable brand of its own, producing some of the most compelling cars in the world. The company serves customer across the globe, and has recently changed ownership, with Stellantis purchasing the brand in 2021.
Even though the Maserati Company eventually moved away from the sea and Bologna, it retained the trident symbol and the Maserati ethos.
Maserati logo history: The evolving Maserati emblem
The Maserati car logo has maintained many of its elements over the years, primarily the “Maserati trident”, which highlights the strength and history of the brand.
1926
The logo, introduced by the brand in 1926, was composed of a vertical rectangle in silver/grey metal, with an ornate image of a trident, very similar to the one we know today. The lettering for the word “Maserati” was in all capitals, and sans-serif typography.
1937
In 1937, Maserati made some pretty big changes to its logo. The trident was redrawn and appeared within a silver oval, placed atop a red triangle. The wordmark was now placed in the bottom of the oval, which was separated into two segments.
1943
By 1943, the Maserati logo changed drastically again, this time swapping red and silver for blue, white, and gold. The simplistic trident was still a significant feature here. The redesign of 1943 included a blue oval and a much larger word mark in white font.
The wordmark (in sans-serif) featured capital letters only.
1951
Maserati returned to the older version of its logo in 1951, at least in terms of the ornate trident. The Maserati trident, now in red, was placed inside of an oval, horizontally divided into two parts.
The biggest area in white was home to the trident image, while the small blue portion on the bottom featured the Maserati wordmark in white.
This version of the logo got another slight update in 1954, featuring a slightly more pointed oval, and a darker shade of blue. The white and blue outlines around the oval were also a lot more evident here.
1983
An unusual change to the Maserati car emblem emerged in 1983, featuring a simplified trident and fewer colors (just black, white and blue). This version of the Maserati car logo didn’t last long and was quickly replaced by something similar to the old Maserati logo from 1954.
1997
The Maserati logos changed slightly again in 1997, with a longer, more refined oval, appearing slightly more delicate than previous iterations. In this iteration of the Maserati symbol, the various elements of the badge where refined, enlarged, and narrowed.
The wordmark also gained a bolder typeface for better legibility.
2006
In 2006, Maserati refined its badge again, making the white and blue outlines of the oval crisper and smoother. There are versions of this image which include a more textured finish, to make the badge look as though it’s in three dimensions.
2015
For branding and marketing purposes, Maserati also created a version of its logo with just the name and trident, no badge required. This logo featured the Maserati trident, and the wordmark for the brand, written in a serif font, similar to Times New Roman.
In 2020, Maserati updated its typography choice, and made the grey color palette darker and sleeker. The cursive wordmark is a lot more elegant, though you may still occasionally see the serif typography version of this image.
Maserati symbol meaning: The Maserati car symbol
The Maserati symbol, whether you’re looking at the simplistic branding or the Maserati car logo badge, is the memorable trident.
Even on the very first logo created by Maserati, the trident was present. The trident was chosen to pay homage to the home location of Maserati in Italy, where a statue of Neptune is located.
There are also three lines and three prongs to the trident, which apparently symbolize perfection and harmony.
The image of Maserati places the company in close connection with Neptune – the God of the sea and wind. The trident was an instrument of power for Neptune and ensures success for all those who respected the sea.
Over the years, the Maserati car symbol has evolved a few times. The emblem was simplified in some designs but eventually returned back to a more refined and detailed image.
Maserati logo colors
The Maserati logo color choices are primarily white and black, at least for the branding and marketing aspects of the company. However, the badge of Maserati features more colors, namely blue, white and red.
The navy-blue color of the Maserati logo is HEX 0c2340, while the red is C 0 M 252 Y 252 K 6X2. Mostly, however, the company sticks to the white and black options.
You can find a full selection of Maserati guidelines on the company’s website for branding and image creation purposes.
In the branding world, black and white stand for sophistication and power, while dark blue indicates professionalism and trustworthiness. Red is often associated with passion.
What font is the Maserati logo? Maserati logo font
The Maserati logo font is custom typography created specifically for Maserati. The official font today is a cursive-style handwritten font with a lot of unique flourishes. However, you may still see a number of companies using the serif font which is quite similar to Times New Roman
Celebrating the Maserati logo
The Maserati logo today is a symbol of strength and beauty. Associated with Neptune, the Roman God of the sea and wind, the Maserati logo has a lot of meaning behind it. The trident is intended to highlight the dominion of the company over the world of luxury cars.
Maserati also wanted to use the trident in its logo as a way of drawing attention back to its history in Spain, and the city where the company was first born.
Now read these:
—Which car companies own which car brand?
—Famous car brands, their names and logos
—The ultimate list of French car brand logos
—The 50 best-known car logos with wings
—The definitive guide to German car logos
—Famous car logos and emblems with stars
—Top American car brands and their logos
—Your ultimate guide to Italian car brands
—American car companies that went bust
—The conclusive guide to British car logos
—The essential list of Japanese car logos
—A decisive guide to car logos with circles
Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.
As Fabrik’s creative director, Stephen oversees complex branding programmes. He advises our clients on their tone of voice, creates logos and visual identities and crafts names for companies, products and services. Writing for Brand Fabrik Stephen reflects his love for logo design and visual identity.
