Navistar is the name, which was given to the International Harvester Company in 1986. Today the American brand, specialized in the production of buses, trucks, and military vehicles, distributes its products not only in North America but on almost all continents, being one of the most well-known and reputable companies in its segment.
Although the history of Navistar officially dates back to 1985, it all started in the middle of the 19th century, when Cyrus McCormick, a self-taught mechanic, started producing the first mechanical harvesters in the United States back in 1831. Sixty years later, his company merged with a competitor to form the International Harvester Company in 1902.
Initially, the company produced agricultural tools, fertilizer-spreading machines, refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners. But already in ten years International Harvester specialists seriously consider the production of trucks with air and water-cooled engines. Thus, already in 1912, IHC became a developed company producing trucks in this category. Since then, the company has been actively developing and producing newer and more advanced models.
In the first half of the 1980s, U.S. agriculture was experiencing severe economic difficulties, and times were tough for IH. To survive in the new environment, the company began to withdraw from many business sectors, and in the process lost most of its divisions. Thus, there was a need for reorganization, and as a result, in 1985 the company changed its name and became Navistar International Corporation.
The Navistar logo, created in 1986, was executed in the laconic black-and-white color palette and consisted of just one element — a stylized sans-serif wordmark; written in the uppercase of a slanted geometric typeface with modified contours of both “A”s. The characters featured the upper parts of the left diagonal bars cut out, which allowed some air into the stable and brutal composition and made it look quite interesting and progressive.
The official Navistar logo boasts a bold italicized inscription in all capitals of a stylized sans-serif typeface. From the first letter “A” to the second one there is a sharp white line crossing the inscription. It looks like a cut blade, which not only replaces the horizontal bars of both “A”s but also adds sharpness and strength to the character of the logo.
The calm blue color adds a sense of reliability to the energy and motion of the Navistar visual identity, making it softer and fresher. There is also a monochrome version of the brand’s logo, and being darker, it represents the power and masculinity of the American brand.
The Navistar logotype in the uppercase is executed in a custom sans-serif typeface with thick lines and traditional shapes of the letters. This italicized inscription is based on one of the classic fonts, such as Helvetica Black Italic and Integral CF Demi Bold Oblique, but with some modifications.
The blue and white color palette of the Navistar visual identity represents the trustworthy and reliable company, which values the protection and comfort of its customers and aims to implement all the available innovations in the production of its vehicles. Sometimes the logo changes its shade to sea-blue, which looks even more friendly and relaxing than the original color.
As for the International badge, its color scheme consists of orange, black, and silver, colors of masculinity, strength, and energy, which also stand for confidence and progress.