This type of water transportation first appeared in Holland, where small sailing boats were used to guard large merchant ships from pirates. These fast and maneuverable vessels were easy to catch up with pirate ships. Therefore, they were originally called hunting ships, and the word “yacht” presumably comes from the words “catch up” and “hunt”.
All yachts, regardless of size, have four basic elements: hull, sail, keel or centerboard, and rudder. Each element has a role to play in keeping the boat afloat, stable, and moving in the desired direction. All the elements are interrelated and the combination of their different types determines the character of the yacht. The hull is designed to accommodate the crew and provide a rigid structure to support the mast and sail. The shape of the hull should allow the yacht to move easily through the water with or without a roll. Most hulls have a pointed bow and blunt stern, but some types may have both a blunt and pointed bow and stern.
The hull of a yacht is made of a variety of materials – mainly wood, plastic, and metal. Racing yachts should be as light as possible, and their construction is an achieved balance between weight and strength. Family yachts have more strength and are more durable. Sails are the main propulsion system of a yacht, converting airflow into straight-line momentum. They are made by stitching strips of fabric together to form a triangular shape that gives the most thrust with the least drag.
Now that we understand the basic principles of yacht structure, we can move on to something closer to us — more specifically, the logos of the world’s most popular and influential sailboat-building companies.
Beneteau Group is a French manufacturer of sailing and motor yachts. The company was founded in 1884. Benjamin Beneteau, founder of the world’s largest yachting company, began by manufacturing fishing sails and motor boats. The first vessels launched by Beneteau were wooden sailing fishing trawlers. Today, the Beneteau brand produces a huge number of modern sailing yachts that are popular all over the world.
In terms of visual identity, Beneteau is full of elegance and chic, beautifully inscribed into progressive concepts. The logo is composed of an emblem, which depicts a modified image of a seahorse, and a clean uppercase lettering, executed in a geometric sans-serif face with extended contours of the characters.
Jeanneau is another French manufacturer of sailing boats. The company was founded by Henri Jeanneau in 1957, and in 1964 the first Jeanneau sailing yacht was launched. Since 1995 the company has been part of the Beneteau Group but continues to produce yachts under its brands and maintains its technical developments. The company’s yachts form a significant part of the world charter fleet thanks to its cooperation with the largest international charter company Sunsail.
The logo of the Jeanneau brand is bright and sharp. The main element here is the large white and red wind rose symbol, which is drawn on a plain white background and accompanied by a distinctive blue lettering, written in the uppercase of a modern typeface, with the first character taller than the others.
This German company was founded in 1993. Today, Hanse Yachts is the second largest manufacturer of sailing yachts in the world, after the Swedish company Hallberg-Rassy. Ten different models are produced at the production site in Greifswald, Germany. All Hanse models are “A” class and are designed for use on the high seas. Hanse yachts are popular all over the world and account for more than half of the turnover of HanseYachts AG.
The Hanse logo looks very modest, yet has all the elements of successful modern design, such as a unique laconic wordmark, executed in a handwritten cursive font, and a minimalistic emblem, composed of two waving lines. The smooth blue and white color palette of the badge suits the needs of the company better than anything else.
American sailing yacht builder Catalina was founded in California in 1969 by Frank Butler. Today Catalina offers its customers a wide range of excellent and inexpensive yachts. The company produces boats from 8 to 47 meters in length. The sport series includes boats up to 25 meters long, which are ideal for short trips. Cruisers – up to 37 meters – will be a great solution for conquering the sea. And the Ocean series yachts will be the best way to sail around the world and on big water.
The Catalina logo is pretty simple in terms of concept and composition, yet looks very fine and has a sense of motion and speed in it. The badge is composed of clean italicized lettering in two weights of a distinctive sans-serif typeface, and a blue and red narrow ribbon, which has its upper border cut straight, and the bottom one — diagonally.
The first model of this manufacturer was the Sylphe polyester trailer. In the early 1990s, Dufour surprised the market with the concept of fully sea-ready yachts, which was a sensation at the time. The Dufour Classic range of sailing yachts with a high level of comfort and French chic and elegance was born. For a long time Dufour, founded in 1964, remained one of the largest independent sailboat builders in Europe. But globalization was not an option and in 2010 Dufour Yachts was sold to the German yacht builder Bavaria Group.
The Dufour logo can easily be imagined as a luxury fashion or jewelry brand insignia, as it has all the necessary elements for a timeless chic symbol: an interesting yet delicate typeface with sharp ends of the bars, a minimalistic emblem with just straight lines on a solid square, and a noble and “expensive” dark-blue and white color palette.
Bavaria, founded in 1978, was the first company in Germany to mass-produce low-cost sailing cruising yachts. Winfred Hermann, the owner of a plastic window factory, became interested in the idea of producing yachts at more affordable prices and, after refurbishing the factory, began producing 7-8 meter sailing yachts. In 2001, a range of motor yachts was launched, which, like the sailing yachts, quickly gained popularity due to their affordable prices. Bavaria Yachts has gained fame as a real people’s brand in yacht manufacturing.
The three-dimensional silver emblem of the Bavaria Yachts brand looks like a luxury car badge. The narrow and tall diamond shape with two horizontal lines coming out of the side angles and sharpened, is executed in gradient silver and placed on a blue background, with the two-leveled sand-serif lettering accompanying it at the bottom.
The British company Oyster Marine was founded in 1973. During its existence, it has become a leader in the international market of world-class cruising yachts. The original concept of Deck Saloon, developed by the company’s specialists, is a distinctive feature of Oyster yachts. Their quality, comfort, and performance are recognized by all who sail. Today, the Oyster fleet is represented by several generations of model ranges, each building on the experience and success of previous designs.
In terms of visual identity, Oyster Marine is super modern and memorable, due to its simplicity and friendliness. The badge consists of two parts: an emblem, which can be used separately, and a wordmark, which is an essential component of the primary badge version. The emblem depicts a clean circle of the “O” enclosed between the short geometric waves; while the logotype is written in an elegant serif typeface.
Since its foundation in 1943, Hallberg-Rassy has been building comfortable sailing yachts for long sea voyages. The company’s principle has remained unchanged for decades – only impeccable reliability, excellent technical performance, durability, and the highest level of comfort. This Swedish company is the world’s largest sailing yacht manufacturer.
As for the visual identity, Hallberg-Rassy is super minimalistic and confident. The main part of its logo is a stylized uppercase letter “R”, which has its left bar drawn as a tall and narrow triangle, resembling a boat’s sail. The dark blue color of the emblem is supported by the strong and stable sand-serif lettering in a geometric sans-serif font, which is usually placed on the right of the “R”.
Nautor’s Swan shipyard was founded in Finland and was originally called Oy Nautor Ab. In 1966, the founder of the shipyard Pekka Koskenkila built his first 10-meter-long fiberglass yacht, the Swan 36. The yacht was designed by the American company Sparkman & Stephers and became a real hit. Nautor’s Swan Craftsmanship has almost half a century of experience in designing and building impeccable sailing yachts. Nautor’s experienced craftsmen at the shipyard in Pietarsaari, Finland, are the descendants of generations of boatbuilders.
However, the visual identity of the company is quite overweighted with the elements. The “S”, stylized as a swan, and the harpoon, which makes up the top border of the logotype’s frame, is too much for a bold and heavy blue badge.
X-Yachts is a Danish sailboat manufacturer founded in 1979 by the Ieppsen brothers and their friend Birger Hansen in the small town of Haderslev on the shores of the fjord of the same name. During the first ten years of its existence, the X-Yachts shipyard achieved serious success and gained popularity thanks to victories in many prestigious regattas. And already by the middle of the 1990s, the production of sailboats for international racing was established.
As for the visual identity, X-Yachts is super strong and progressive, with its minimalistic logo representing motion and innovations. The badge of the company is a bold slanted lettering in black, executed in a custom typeface with small softened elements on the ends of some of the bars. The black-and-white color palette makes up a timeless and strong composition.