ARO is the name of an automaking brand from Romania, whose name was derived from the first letters of “Auto Romania”. The brand was established in 1957 and has been producing off-road vehicles for almost fifty years, until its closing in 2006. Some models of ARO are still being produced in the Czech.
The Letea paper mill in Champulung Muchel manufactured the first Romanian motorcycles in 1953 and off-road vehicles for the Romanian National Army and the Hungarian Armed Forces. It also produced firearms and aircraft propellers during World War II. The first car of the company called the IMS-57, was introduced in 1957. Letea was later transformed into IAR Brasov. In 1966, mass production of a completely new ARO 240 model began. In the same year, the car manufacturer was named ARO (Automobil Romanesc). The sudden economic crisis in Romania in 2006 forced the company to declare bankruptcy. The plant was purchased by the French concern Renault.
The visual identity of the ARO was pretty modest and laconic. Its simple two-colored crest has been with the brand throughout the whole time of its existence, being created in 1957, and never redesigned till 2006.
The ARO logo was composed of a classy crest with a slightly rounded bottom part and a straight horizontal top line. The crest was all white and had a medium-thick frame with a rich and intense shade.
The lettering was the main element of the ARO visual identity, even though it was pretty simple — a lowercase inscription with narrowed contours of the elegant letters. The elongated tail of the “R” was linking to the bottom point of the crest’s contour, making the whole emblem complete and full-fledged.
The lettering on the ARO badge was executed in a custom sans-serif typeface with thick clean lines and softened contours. The narrowed symbols on the logo looked very fine yet evoke a feeling of style and beauty, and the official blue and white color palette, elevated a feeling of reliability and security to the top.
The white badge with blue details was mainly used by the company for its official documents and printable advertising materials, and when placed on the ARO cars, the badge changed its palette to monochrome or silver and black, where the body of the crest was plain black, and the framing and lettering — white or silver, depending on the vehicle design.
In this sting and brutal color palette, the shield looked more masculine and confident, reflecting the purpose of the ARO off-road cars and their stable quality and serious approach.