Datsun Logo PNG
Datsun is a Japanese car-brand, established in 1931 and owned by Nissan Group. The brand is focused on the manufacturing of low-budget vehicles and is highly-recognizable across the globe.
Meaning and history
1935 – 1951
The very first Datsun logo featured a very elegant and powerful composition of a solid red circle (The main symbol of Japan), and a bright blue horizontally stretched rectangle with white lettering, placed over the circle. The white “Datsun” wordmark was set in the uppercase of a bold serif typeface, which was balanced by a thin white framing of the blue rectangle.
1951 – 1963
The redesign of 1951 introduced a new concept for the Datsun visual identity. It was a Ted and white badge in a geometric shape — the horizontally stretched rectangle with rounded corners, was divided into two parts — the upper one in red, which was wider, and the bottom and thin one in white. The whole badge was outlined in thin red. The upper part of the emblem contained a bold stylized “Datsun” inscription in white. The custom sans-serif typeface looked sleek and progressive.
1963 – 1965
In 1963 the Datsun logo was changed again. This time it was a fine and elegant blue cursive inscription in the title case, with the letters placed far from each other and connected by a thin blue horizontal line coming from the middle point of one letter to the middle point of the other.
1965 – 1970
The logo, used by the Japanese brand in the 1960s featured a bold uppercase logotype in the gold-yellow shade. The typeface used for this version of the Datsun visual identity boasted sleek smooth medium-weight lines, softened corners, and wide full-shaped contours.
1970 – 1972
In 1970 the brand adopted a new color palette and a new style of the emblem. It was a light gradient gray horizontal over with red and black contours repeating the shape of the main badge in the middle part and a white ExtraBold wordmark set horizontally over the badge. The thick and massive serif letters of the inscription were outlined in light gray.
1972 – 1976
The redesign of 1972 brought back the minimalist approach to the Datsun logo and introduced a new monochrome logotype in a fancy and progressive serif typeface. The solid black capitals of the inscription were executed in thick clean lines with the enlarged sharpened serifs in the ends. The logo looked stable, professional, and really strong.
1976 – 1986
The iconic Datsun logo was composed of a red circle, symbolizing the sun, with a royal blue rectangular and a white bold wordmark on it. It was bright, stylish and meaningful. The all-caps of the wordmark was perfectly balanced in its simple sans-serif typeface.
2013 – Today
The redesign of 2014 was meant to celebrate the brand’s revival and its come-back to the market. Datsun kept the original shape of the logo but enclosed it into a massive silver frame, which made it look less elegant but more masculine and brutal.
The red color left the Datsun emblem, being changed to gradient blue, which makes the emblem three-dimensional and dynamic.
The wordmark was also completely changed. Its typeface now features thinner lines and black shadow. The color palette was switched to gradient silver, balancing the framing.
The Datsun logo from 2014 looks like many other car logos, it lost its bright individuality but gained universality and confidence. It represents a strong and stable brand, which is focused on quality and aims to evoke a sense of trust and reliability.
What is Datsun?
Datsun is the name of the Japanese car marque, owned by the Nissan group. The brand is known for the production of sedans and traditional city cars, along with lightweight trucks. The brand was inactive for several decades and revived only in 2013.