Well Known Harley-Davidson® Logos
The text books tell us that a logo is a symbol or a design adopted by an organization toidentify its products as being separate from others. It’s not merely an effort tobrand, it’s an effort to define the identity of a company in its most basicform. A successful logo, when seen, is instantly associated with the company. Hereare three very successful logos that you will instantly recognize.
Because Harley-Davidson® is one of the most widely knownmotorcycle producers in the world, it’s no surprise that its logo is sowell known. It’s also no surprise that the logo is a critical element in themarketing of not only the motorcycles, but for all the ancillary Harley®accessory products we enjoy, like the t-shirts, jackets, items for the home,garden, even watches. In fact, mosteverything you can find in a department store you can also find at aHarley-Davidson dealership. Logoed products, from jackets and jeans to BBQgrills – it’s all there.
I'm not sure where to fit this in, but it must be said: A word of caution concerning counterfeit Harley® logo merchandise. Harley® branded merchandise has become so popular, unscrupulouscounterfeiters are out there trying to make a buck with cheap knockoffs. Just remember that Harley® dealers can guarantee the product you purchase is genuine Harley®. And everything your purchase fromWisconsin Harley-Davidson® is genuine Harley-Davidson®, or licensed by Harley-Davidson®.When your buy Harley® make sure you are buying from a reputable source.
Back to logos. When you shop Harley® you’ll find a variety of logos are emblazoned on the products. There are too many to cover without writing a book, but here are a few of the most popular, along with a brief narrative about them. The most popular and well known is the Bar & Shield®logo. Surprisingly, it has changed very little over the last 117-years. The bar has the words Harley-Davidson,and it sits in front of a shield with the words Motor Cycles. While the companyofficially assembled their first bike in 1903, the first logo was created in1910 – and it was this distinctive Bar and Shield so familiar to us today. It’sthis very logo that is widely regarded as one of the greatest and mostmemorable logos ever created. Experts in the field say it carries a strikingly machofeel, symbolizing strength, grandeur and ruggedness. To me, that sounds like America!
The Bar & Shield® has morphed over the years with theaddition of different colors, but the basic shape, a bar with a shield hasremained. It wasn’t long before the Trademark Bar & Shield® appeared, andthen that was followed by other colorful designs. Orange and black has emergedto be the dominate color, probably because of its cheerful energy.
The Motor Company has also created logos to celebratesignificant milestones, like major anniversaries. Here are four logos celebrating some of thesemilestones. The 1953 logo, celebrating 50-years, was elaborate for thetime. The ‘V’ was included in order tohonor the type of engine so commonly used in the company’s bikes, the V-Twin. A medallion version of this logo went on to appear on the front fenders of the1954 model motorcycles. You’ll notice the ever-present bar and shield is still there. Moveforward to the 100th Anniversary. Anything lasting for 100-years isdeserving of profound respect, and Harley® pulled off a winner when theycommissioned their century logo. The Bar & Shield® is there, between twoimportant dates, 1903 and 2003. Things got more interesting as wings were incorporated,representing freedom, strength. And once the wings appeared, they were here tostay. For the 105th, an up-wing design was used. For the 110th,the company returned to a logo reminiscent of the 100th wing.
This stark white on black version of the classic logo,arguably the most iconic, first appeared in 1965. Through the following years,various and more colorful versions of the Bar & Shield® have appeared. Bythis time, many dealerships began to incorporate the Bar & Shield® in theirdealership logo. Wisconsin Harley-Davidson® incorporates the Bar & Shield®, too.
Moving away from the Bar & Shield®, the #1 logo was created to celebrate the 1969 AMA GrandNational Championship season title. It was later modified to include stars andstripes. In 1971 Willie G had it incorporated into the dashboard of the 1971 FX Super Glide® motorcycle. Within several decades, the #1 logo started appearing on other bikes, clothing and accessories. Here, being number one and being American is a good thing.
If one person could be singled out as having a profound impact on Harley-Davidson®, that would be Willie G. Davidson, grandson of co-founder William Davidson. Known as just Willie G, in 1969 he was promoted to Vice President of Styling, where he shined. He approved motorcycle designs anddeveloped graphics. His most popular graphic was developed for the 2000 DaytonaBike Week. That was the skull with the eerie Harley-Davidson Motorcycles fontsurrounding a skull. Almost overnight, it became and still is a favorite amongHarley® enthusiasts around the world.
Another important logo is the Screamin’ Eagle® logo. Harley-Davidson® is known for itsperformance and the Screamin’ Eagle® logo was developed as a branding effortfor Harley’s® performance parts manufacturing and sales unit. It’s the name sakeof the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), known as the Screaming Eagles. Can’t dobetter than that. In 1999 Harley® introduced the Custom Vehicle Operation (CVO)program to make unique, highly individual and customized motorcycles. Out ofthat came the Screamin’ Eagle performance parts program and the distinctivelogo.
The Harley Owners Group, colloquially known as HOG, uses thefollowing rather impressive logo. Created in 1983 in order to build andmaintain lasting relationships between Harley-Davidson and their customers, youcan find HOG chapters all over the world.
There is a plethora of Harley® logos in existence today. Central to all the logos is the idea that thelogo images have a symbolism that comport with the ideal Harley® image. Motifslike these go back thousands of years. And the eagle has been there all along.Roman Legends carried the Roman Standard, which included an eagle, as their armies marched across Europein the first century AD. Here too, the Harley® bald eagle represents American patriotism,strength, tenacity, and fearlessness. It is no surprise that it is present in many Harley® logos.
It’s difficult to pin down when the Genuine Harley-DavidsonMotor Oil logo was first used, but probably dates back to before WWII. It wasused to brand Harley’s® five gallon container of oil. Today, it is featured on many products. In the early days, Harley® didn't trust alternative sources for their oil, so they formulated their own. They still formulate oils specific for their motorcycles today.
Another logo that has been popularized in recent decades isthe use of only a silhouette of the now famous Bar & Shield. It's sometimes referred to as the "open Bar & Shield." The shape hasbecome so iconic, that words are not needed. Just the outline is enough forunderstanding.
In summary, you will find all the above logos, and many more, on various items for sale at Wisconsin Harley-Davidson®. You’ll find them on coffee cups, t-shirts,sweatshirts, dress shirts, leather jackets, vests, tin signs and other artwork, including décor items for the home,bar, and garage. They are incorporated into jewelry, Bulova® watches, footwear,and men’s and women’s clothing accessories like sunglasses, hats, purses, wallets, etc. The road to everything with a Harley-Davidson®logo goes straight to Wisconsin Harley-Davidson.com. Remember, beware of the counterfeiters.
