Lada Logo

Lada is a Russian brand of passenger cars produced by VAZ (Volzhsky Avtomobilnyj Zawod). It was established in 1966 under an agreement between the USSR government and the Fiat concern.

Meaning and history

The history of the Lada logo began on April 19, 1970. The creator of the first logo was Alexander Dekalenkov, an employee of the Moscow directorate of VAZ, who made a sketch of the Cyrillic letter “V” (B), stylized as an Old Russian boat. The word “Tolyatti” was written under the image. Soon the text was removed, leaving only the graphic component of the emblem. The choice of such an idea can be associated with antiquity and the location of the city where the plant is located, with traffic, water and land roads.

1966 – 1970

Initially, it was just the name of an automobile factory that produced cars. The designer V. Antipin repeated the proportions of the Fiat emblem and the lettering, only instead of four Latin letters there were three Russian ones.

1970 (unused)

Then the image of the future logo was just being born. He resembled a rook. There were only outlines, a contour. There were no colors yet.

1970 (unused)

For the logo, we see a design that is striking in its bold use of color and form. A commanding, upright serif character is central to the logo. This character is white, set against a vivid red backdrop that occupies the entire shield-like figure, which is outlined by a thin white border. The red of the logo is rich and vibrant, suggesting energy and passion, while the white character stands out starkly, symbolizing clarity and focus. This simple yet powerful contrast makes for a logo that is both memorable and distinctive, representing a brand with a strong identity and presence.

1970

It was a rook stylized as the letter “V” (VAZ) and placed into a red pentagon. The designer-body builder Alexander Dekalenkov came up with that logo. As it is known, he draw it in an ordinary school notebook. The rook was placed on a red background and there  was the name of the city of Togliatti under it. At that time, designers tried to give volume to the logo.

1970

In the logo, there is a continuation of the theme from the first but with added complexity and depth. The shield shape is maintained but is now layered over a vertical red striping pattern, which adds texture and visual interest. A metallic outline borders the shield, and below the character, the word “ТОЛЬЯТТИ”, referencing the city associated with the brand, is inverted and displayed in a reflective silver type. This logo conveys a sense of prestige and quality, indicating a brand that is proud of its heritage and committed to excellence.

1970 – 1974

The emblem became two-dimensional. The shade of red changed. The logo received a black outline on top of the white frame. The name of the city of Togliatti disappeared from the logo.

1974 – 1985

In 1974, the pentagon was simplified to a quadrilateral, later the red color disappeared as well.

1985 – 1993

In 1985, the rook on the emblem changed its shape. Its sail became more convex, and the composition became even more similar to the Russian letter “B”.

1993 – 2002

In 1993, the shape of the logo completely changed. The rectangle gave way to an oval stretched horizontally.

2002 – 2007

The year 2002 was marked by experiments with color. The logo began to appear more often in blue, while the LADA inscription in Latin was often located along with the image. The logo had a 3D effect. The logo was in white and blue.

2007 (unused)

Designers tried to completely change the concept of the logo by removing the rook, leaving only geometric shapes. Everything vaguely resembled the Renault logo.

2007 – 2015

It was still the same logo in an oval, only the image was flat.

2015 – 2021

In 2015, LADA was carrying out a serious rebranding in accordance with global trends. The logo turned silver again, and the rook was depicted as more massive and larger. It was developed by a team led by former chief designer Steve Mattin.

2021 – now

We have everything deployed and running in the Amazon cloud. AVTOVAZ followed the path of the parent company Renault, which also recently changed the logo, and made a “flat” two-dimensional version of its logo. The proportions of the rook have changed slightly, the thickness of the oval edging has been reduced, and an animated version and even a branded audio installation has been developed for videos. The updated logo has already appeared on the official Lada website and continues to be used on all digital platforms of the brand.

2024 – now

The logo presented in the image is a stylized emblem that is emblematic of modern design sensibilities, characterized by its sleek and symmetrical form. The emblem has an elliptical shape that is horizontally oriented, giving it a stable and grounded appearance. Within this ellipse, there is a pattern of alternating dark and light sections arranged in a manner that gives the impression of overlapping chevron shapes. These chevrons are rendered in contrasting shades of silver and black, creating a sense of depth and dimensionality. The silver sections have a metallic finish and are highlighted with a subtle sheen, suggesting sophistication and high-tech quality. The black sections appear matte, providing a visual anchor that adds to the overall impact of the design. The entire logo is encapsulated by a silver border, which frames the design and enhances its sleek, aerodynamic look. This logo signify a brand that is focused on precision engineering, innovation, and modernity.

Emblem and symbol

The emblem of the car manufacturer Lada depicts a boat – an ancient sea and river vessel, depicted in the shape of the letter B. Over time, the boat has changed and the original letter “B” was less and less visible.

The Legends

The Lada 110

It is a middle-class low-class passenger car debuted in 1995 as the successor of the famous Samara.

The Lada 2101 (1200)

It is a legendary model for Russian, or actually Soviet, history of motorization. It was the first model from the “big” 2100 family, whose number of units produced over almost 50 years was surpassed only by the famous Volkswagen Beetle.