The Dodge logo

The Dodge logo with the head of a ram is well known. It is associated with reliable American cars. Under the logo are trucks, mid-range cars, and performance vehicles, including sports vehicles.

Dodge is one of the oldest American automobile brands, founded in 1900 as Dodge Brothers Company. At the first Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge supplied auto parts to the many Detroit automakers but they developed in an independent manufacturer in 1915. However, a sudden twist of fate changed everything when the two brothers died of pneumonia in 1920 and the company struggled to run the business effectively.

In 1928, it was sold to Chrysler and has been part of the giant manufacturer ever since. For most of its history, Dodge has been associated with trucks, utility vehicles, and passenger cars. The company survived the 1973 oil crisis and continued to produce trucks, vans, high-performance vehicles, and family cars, sharing platforms with Chrysler. In 2011, after Chrysler went bankrupt and was sold to FIAT, Dodge went through a major reorganization and was separated from the Ram division and the SRT performance studio.

Thanks to its long history, Dodge used different logos that had very little in common. In addition, Dodge used different logos depending on the purpose of the model and vehicle. Trucks, cars, and high-performance vehicles generally had different logos on the grids. The first logos were also the letters D and B that overlapped for the Dodge Brothers. Earlier versions saw the letters painted in gold and incorporated into what appeared to be a rolling or simple circle with a black background.

In 1932, Dodge used a jumping ram as a hood ornament for the first time. However, it did not become the company’s logo at the time as Dodge moved on to use a three-point deltoid on the brown background, embedded in a silver circle with the words «Dodge Division» carved into it. 1955 Dodge adopted two overlapping arrows, painted in red and blue, and having different shapes, like a logo. Since the early 1960s, Dodge has used Chrysler’s Pentastar, but he painted it in red to avoid any confusion with the parent company that had a blue badge. The manufacturer has been using a ram as a company symbol on trucks for many years, but has only a common logo in 1993.

Since the takeover by FIAT Dodge which happened through a major restructuring and in 2011 was divided into several brands. RAM used the ram’s head as a symbol, while marketers came up with another Dodge logo, a simple Dodge word matched with two red stripes yet imposing respect, symbolizing the line-up of the company’s performance-oriented.

The inscription of Dodge is restored in the custom-made types that reflect the powerful character of the brand. The letters are flattened and stretched horizontally to give this solid appearance. The two red stripes on the right side of the logo overlap the letter “E” and are sloped from the lower left to the upper right corner.