The American truck manufacturing company Mack went through a series of logos before it returned to the design looking very much like its original emblem.
The company was established in 1900 under the name of the Mack Brothers Company. The first truck was made in 1907, while the current name, Mack Trucks, Inc., was adopted in 1922. Since 2000, it has been a subsidiary of AB Volvo.
The earliest Mack logo featured the word “Mack” in a rather heavy, solid sans serif type. The letters looked flat as their width was larger than their height. The glyphs were white with black trim.
The company opted for a more creative and dynamic wordmark and introduced the bulldog, which has been an essential part of its visual brand identity ever since.
The wordmark now featured a script inspired by handwriting. While it still looked somewhat heavy (creating a link with the vehicles the brand made), you could also perceive the implied motion – an essential thing for a company manufacturing something that moves.
The wordmark could be given on its own or paired with the word “Trucks” and the bulldog. In this case, there was also an elliptical outline. The full-color version of this logo featured a rather realistic bulldog, red and black writing, and a green ellipse.
The handwritten and dynamic effect grew even more pronounced due to the elongated end of the “k” and the more dramatic variations in the thickness of the strokes. The bulldog was now facing to the right. This is considered to symbolize the openness to the future.
The company unveiled a heavy sans serif wordmark resembling the one from 1900. Now, the letters are solid black.
While the wordmark can be given on its own, it is also often paired with a stylized bulldog. In this case, the animal can be seen in the top right corner. It looks different, more stylish and abstract than in the previous Mack logo.
We should also add that the vehicles equipped with a Maxidyne engine bear a gold-plated bulldog, while all the other vehicles bear a chrome emblem.