Petit Bateau began as a knitwear business in Troyes in 1893; the brand name was deposited in 1920, according to Groupe Rocher’s historical key dates. The name comes from the French children’s rhyme “Maman les p’tits bateaux,” as Petit Bateau’s brand history explains. The small sailing boat in the mark makes that name connection immediately visible.
Petit Bateau Logo PNG
Meaning and History
The images below present a sequence of boat marks, from finely drawn illustrations to a reduced, stylised emblem. The date labels belong to this visual sequence; they are not independently confirmed design dates. The clearest documented change is the mid-2010s restyling: trade publication The Spin-Off quoted Petit Bateau Italia managing director Giorgia Seriello describing a more stylised version of the sailing-ship logo.
1920s – 1930s
This version uses a fine, detailed drawing of a sailboat above two lines of lettering. The rigging, hull and waves are all outlined, giving the mark the feel of a small illustration rather than a compact symbol.
1930s
A circular border now gathers the boat, waves and name into a badge. The drawing remains detailed, but the enclosing circle gives the composition a stronger, more contained shape.
1930s – 1940s
Here the sails become bold white shapes against a dark field, with a circular outline around the boat and lettering. The contrast makes the central vessel easier to distinguish than in the finer line drawing.
1940s – 2000s
This simpler version reduces the boat to a few broad shapes within a circle. The name sits beneath it in a straight line, replacing the curved lettering seen in later marks.
2000s – 2010s
The boat returns in colour, with pale sails, a blue hull and a blue circular frame. The lettering curves beneath the emblem, bringing the name and symbol into one compact composition. A French figurative trademark filing dated 2005 is recorded in the INPI register; that filing date does not by itself establish the artwork shown here.
2010s – Today
The current mark shown here is a more stylised navy boat inside a circular outline, with PETIT BATEAU set in capitals along the lower curve. The Spin-Off reported the restyling in the mid-2010s, quoting Seriello on the move to a more stylised sailing-ship image. The INPI register also records a wordless figurative mark filed in 2015; the register entry does not establish that its artwork is identical to this image.
Color
The modern emblem uses a single dark navy tone in this image. Earlier examples in the sequence vary: some use monochrome line work, while another has pale sails and blue surrounding shapes. These are visible differences in the supplied marks, not evidence of a colour symbolism.
Font
The modern wordmark uses uppercase letters arranged along a curve beneath the boat. The image-only emblem can also stand without the name, while this version combines both elements. No particular typeface is identified here.
Disclaimer
This article is part of the educational resources provided by Logo Index, an independent archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. Petit Bateau and associated trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective rights holders where applicable.
