The distinctive feature of the logo used by the Italian luxury brand is the way its second letter is spelled. It has to do with the fact that the company is located in Rome and that the name of its founder was Sotirios Voulgaris.
The first notable logo in the Bvlgari brand history appeared in the early 1920s. It featured the letter “S” (for “Sotirios”) and the word “Bvlgari” in a lapidary type. While the emblem was revisited more than once throughout the decade, the modifications were quite subtle. To begin with, the initial letters were capitalized. Also, the typeface became a bit more elegant and dynamic.
What is Bvlgari?
Bvlgari is a luxury brand renowned for its jewelry, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods. Originating in Rome in 1884, the company has grown into a global symbol of Italian excellence, combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design.
The history of the current Bvlgari logo started in 1934. When the founder passed away in 1932, he left the brand to his two sons. They decided to refresh the company’s design identity, which included not only updating the store interiors, but also modifying the emblem. Now, it consisted of only the word “Bvlgari,” which was given in a new way. To create a link with ancient Rome, they replaced the letter “u” with the letter “v” as that was how “v” was used in the classical Latin alphabet (instead of “u”). By the way, in spite of this update, the way the logo was read didn’t change, so the sound in the first syllable was still “u.”
One more reason why the “v” was used was that this letter was the initial of the company owners’ family name in its original form, Voulgaris.
While the typeface featured on the Bvlgari logo is a serif one, the serifs are so small and elegant that the font looks clean and perfectly legible.
The wordmark is given in black on the white background.