Piaggio Logo

Piaggio Logo PNG

Piaggio’s emblem pairs a hexagon with a white figure formed from two mirrored Ps. The figure can read as an insect with outstretched wings, while the surrounding hexagon gives the mark a compact, badge-like outline. Across the logo’s documented history, the design shifted from a divided shield to this geometric emblem, with changes to its lettering and finish.

Meaning and history

Piaggio was founded in 1884 by Rinaldo Piaggio in Sestri Ponente, Genoa. The Vespa scooter appeared in 1946, bringing an insect association into the broader story of the Piaggio emblem. Piaggio Group’s profile identifies Piaggio and Vespa among its brands, while the Vespa heritage timeline records the scooter’s 1946 arrival and the origin of its name (Piaggio Group profile; Vespa heritage timeline).

1946 – 1964

The early badge is a shield divided diagonally into two blue fields. A large P fills the darker area, while PIAGGIO appears in smaller lettering on the lighter field. The contrast and diagonal division give this version a different character from the later hexagonal emblem. Research on the marque describes the lettering as a mix of sans-serif and serif forms, including Bodoni for part of the wordmark (Alberto Prearo’s research).

1964 – 1966

This monogram belongs to I.A.M. Rinaldo Piaggio, the aeronautical company separated from Piaggio & C. in the 1964 reorganisation. Its overlapping RP initials and stylised bird distinguish it from the scooter and vehicle company’s logo. Piaggio Group’s reorganisation prospectus describes the separation, and logo-history accounts identify the initials-and-bird design with the aviation offshoot (Piaggio Group reorganisation prospectus; logo-history account).

1966 – 1993

Piaggio held a public logo contest in June 1966. The contest received 509 entries, and Franco Grignani was declared its winner on 2 November. His proposal was not the design ultimately adopted: accounts of the emblem’s history credit the selected hexagonal mark to an architect identified as de Silva. It combines two mirrored Ps with a figure that has been read as an insect, set inside a hexagon associated with a hive cell (contest and emblem history; Grignani biography).

The contest and adoption are often associated with 1966, while academic research dates the emblem’s official introduction to 1 October 1967. In this version, the blue hexagon and white emblem sit beside the PIAGGIO wordmark. The hexagon-and-insect readings are interpretations of the design; the account of its origins also connects the mark to Piaggio’s two flagship products (academic research on the marque; design-history account).

1993 – 1999

The 1993 version separates the wordmark from the emblem, placing PIAGGIO beneath the hexagon. A secondary history of the mark credits Giovanni Brunazzi with the restyle and describes lighter lettering and frames. The simpler arrangement lets the symbol and company name read as distinct parts of the identity (history of the Piaggio mark).

1999 – 2015

This version gives the hexagon and mirrored-P figure a dimensional, shaded finish, with the wordmark below. A secondary history describes the 1999 treatment as chiaroscuro and notes the pairing with sans-serif lettering (history of the Piaggio mark).

2015 – Today

The image at this stage shows a blue hexagon with a pale border and a white mirrored-P figure, positioned above a black PIAGGIO wordmark. The arrangement recalls the emblem-and-wordmark layout of the previous stage, while using a flatter appearance. Piaggio Group’s profile lists Piaggio among its brands, but it does not establish this archive label as a documented redesign date (Piaggio Group profile).

Reading the emblem

The hexagon has been associated with a hive cell, and the mirrored figure has been read as an insect with spread wings. Some accounts connect that reading with the wasp in Vespa’s name or with Ape, but these are interpretations of the emblem rather than claims needed to identify its visible forms. Blue and white are also described in the design-history account as colours Umberto Agnelli favoured for the mark (account of the emblem’s history).