Tesla, Inc. is the American electric vehicle and clean energy company founded in 2003 and named after inventor Nikola Tesla. The company’s visual identity centers on a stylized “T” mark, which CEO Elon Musk confirmed in 2017 represents the cross-section of an electric motor, a direct reference to the technology at the heart of the company’s products. The mark was designed by the New Jersey-based design firm RO Studio, which also created the SpaceX logo. [1]
Design and History
Tesla’s original logo, used from the company’s founding until 2017, featured the stylized “T” inside a metallic shield emblem. The shield design was a more traditional automotive-style badge, and the company was then known as Tesla Motors. [2] [3]
In 2017, Tesla dropped “Motors” from its name, becoming simply Tesla, Inc. At the same time, the company simplified its visual identity by removing the shield, leaving the standalone “T” mark that is used today. [4] [5] The current version of the logo is a further revision of the 2017 design, with a more pronounced curve at the top, a larger indent on the “T,” and a slightly slimmer letterform. [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
In January 2017, Elon Musk confirmed on Twitter that the Tesla “T” is meant to represent the cross-section of an electric motor, just as the SpaceX “X” represents a rocket trajectory. [4] The main body of the “T” represents one of the poles that stick out of a motor’s rotor, while the second line on top represents a section of the stator. [6] Repeating the logo in a circle, with the top of each “T” facing outward, creates a reasonable facsimile of an electric-motor cross-section. [6]
Typography and Design
Tesla’s official brand guidelines, published during the Tesla Motors era, define three variations of the visual identity: The Tesla Wordmark, The Tesla Flag, and The Tesla T. The guidelines specify that the letters have been specially drawn and that the relative size and position of the elements is fixed. [7] The corporate palette consists of Tesla Red (Pantone 186), grays (Pantone Cool Gray 4, 7, and 11), white, and black. [8] The guidelines also specify Helvetica as the primary typeface and Gotham as the secondary typeface for headlines and titles. [8]
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