Honda Civic was introduced in 1972 as a small passenger car designed for the global economy car market, the result of years of work by Honda engineers, and instantly accepted by customers around the world.
The history of the model, which was destined to become a legend, began back in 1972. Thanks to its compact size and quality, the Honda Civic managed to enter the European market and gain a strong foothold there. The car was equipped with a 1.2-liter power unit with 50 horses. And Civic weighed only 650 kilograms. Plus, the car had a very competitive price.
A new generation of Honda Civic saw the light in 1979. But the changes were not large-scale, but pinpoint. The model was in good demand in the world, and the creators were afraid to overcomplicate it. Therefore, the Civic has slightly increased in size and got a new engine.
Production of the 3rd generation began in 1983. In addition to the traditional versions – sedan and hatchback – a Civic Shuttle version appeared. And in 1987, the fourth generation of cars came out.
The fifth generation was already very different in appearance from the “original”, it became more sleek and streamlined, and the traditional angularity began to gradually become a thing of the past. There was a coupe version, which was supplied to car markets in other countries.
The sixth generation Honda Civic began production in 1995. The new Honda Civic was offered in five versions: 3 and 5-door hatchback, coupe, sedan, and Aero Deck station wagon. At the same time, the production of cars took place in Japan, England, and the United States.
The seventh generation, which debuted in 2000, lost the front multilever suspension. It was replaced by the MacPherson-type suspension. The eighth generation Honda Civic, introduced in 2005, created a furor and revolution, above all, with its futuristic appearance.
At the end of 2010, a new generation of legendary cars appeared. And the official demonstration already took place in January 2011 at the International Auto Show in Detroit. Changes have taken place insignificantly.
The tenth-generation Honda Civic was released in 2015. Its production is set up in the U.S., Canada, China, Turkey, Thailand, and the UK. The Civic entered the world with sedan and hatchback bodies, only America got the opportunity to buy a coupe model.
What is Honda Civic?
Honda Civic is the name of a legendary automobile model from Honda, which was first introduced in 1972, and by today has become an iconic sedan, distributed all over the globe, and one of the most famous models from Asian automakers.
In terms of visual identity, the iconic model of the Japanese automaker has been pretty consistent throughout the years, with just the original emblem different in colors and style from all the following badges, and there were a lot.
The original Honda Civic badge was introduced in 1972 and stayed with the model for more than ten years. It was a voluminous silver logotype with thick red lines coming through all the letters, repeating their contours. The “V” was vertically stretched, creating a powerful sharp emphasis in the center of the logotype, while both letters “I” were the shortest in line.
The redesign of 1983 introduced a more laconic and balanced Honda Civic badge, executed in a plain black color, with all the characters featuring one size. The inscription was executed in a modern and bold sans-serif font with the top ends of the “C”s cut diagonally, which created a sense of motion and speed.
In 1987 the Honda Civic logo was redesigned again. The lettering became straighter and bolder, and the “V” was stylized as a solid black triangle pointing down, with a white diagonal line cutting a smaller triangle in its upper right part. This version of the badge only stayed active for four years.
At the beginning of the 1990s, the Japanese automaker was choosing a bold and elegant cursive logotype for its Civic model. The title case lettering looked very elegant, yet was at the same time stable and evoked a sense of professionalism and confidence.
The redesign of 1995 has brought back a bold uppercase sans-serif logotype, but with the characters slightly slanted to the right, resting a feeling of motion and dynamics. The letter “V” was slaughter enlarged compared to other characters of the wordmark, resembling the style of the original version of the Honda Civic badge.
In 2000 the Honda Civic logo faced another redesign. The heavy uppercase characters got straightened, and now all of them were set in one size, however, the “V” was still different from others, as had its right bar elongated and stretched a bit more to the right.
The Honda Civic badge, introduced by the company in 2005, followed the idea of the logo from 1995, but with the contours of the characters refined and sharpened. Another visible change was in the spacing: now the letters were placed pretty far from each other, making up a lighter and more stylish emblem for the iconic car.
In 2011 the Honda Civic logo was redesigned again, with the lines of the characters slightly elongated and the sharp cuts and angles softened and smoothened. The new concept looked more chic and futuristic, and brilliantly represented the new generation of the Civic cars.
The redesign of 2015 brought back balance and minimalism to the Honda Civic’s visual identity, writing all characters in one size, and using slightly thinner lines with clean soft contours. The new badge looked extremely progressive and confident.
In 2021 the Honda Civic logotype was rewritten in a smoother and cleaner sans-serif font with the full-shaped capital letters set straight and at a significant distance from each other. The logo looks professional and modern, brilliantly reflecting the essence of the brand and its confidence.
The bold yet smooth lettering from the Honda Civic’s visual identity is set in a modern sans-serif typeface with medium-thick lines and softened angles. The closest fonts to the one, used in this insignia, are, probably, Silver Streak Extended Light or FP Head Pro Medium, but with some noticeable modifications of the contours.
As for the color palette of the Honda Civic’s visual identity, it is based on a plain black shade, set against a transparent background, and accompanied by red elements depending on the model of the car.