Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Noale, in the province of Venice. The company was founded by Alberto Beggio immediately after World War II as a bicycle factory, and it shifted to motorcycle production in 1968 under his son Ivano Beggio.[1] Aprilia has been part of the Piaggio Group since 2004.[2]
The company’s visual identity has historically centered on the Aprilia wordmark, which has appeared in various stylizations and colors over the decades. The current official logo is a white lowercase wordmark on a red rectangular background.[3] The wordmark has also been used in black or graphite versions depending on the application surface.[4]
Design and History
Aprilia’s corporate identity work has been associated with the Italian design studio Giacometti Associati Design Consultants, founded by Franco Giacometti. The studio, based in the Treviso area, developed corporate identities for several major Italian companies, including Aprilia, Benetton, Sisley, Fiat, and Nordica.[5] Giacometti’s archive, donated to the Iuav University of Venice in 2023, documents his work on corporate identity projects for Aprilia beginning in the late 1960s.[6]
Beyond the wordmark, Aprilia has used a lion emblem in its branding since the 1980s. The lion, inspired by the historic symbol of Venice near Aprilia’s hometown of Noale, has appeared in various forms in the company’s branding over the decades.[7] The lion motif was notably reintroduced on the Aprilia Racing RS-GP26 MotoGP livery for the 2026 season, where it was described in the company’s official communications as “a noble symbol from our history” and “part of Aprilia Racing’s DNA.”[8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The winged lion, known in Italian as the Leone Alato, is the symbol of Venice, located just a few kilometers from Aprilia Racing’s headquarters in Noale. According to Aprilia’s official description of the 2026 RS-GP26 livery, the winged lion “embodies values which fully reflect the identity of the team and its riders: power, strength, determination, and courage.” The company described it as “the emblem of a team that never gives up, capable of stubbornly tackling difficulties and re-emerging even stronger and more steadfast.”[8] The winged lion also represents the strong bond between Aprilia and its local territory in the Veneto region.[9]
Earlier Aprilia racing liveries had featured the lion emblem more than 20 years before its 2026 return, though never on a black background as in the current design.[10]
Typography and Design
The Aprilia wordmark is set in lowercase letters using a sans-serif typeface with clean, bold lines.[4] The lettering is typically rendered in white against a red rectangular background, though it can appear in graphite, black, or white when applied directly to motorcycle bodywork.[4] The wordmark has also been applied diagonally along the side fairings and central tunnel of Aprilia production models such as the SR GT Replica, which features graphics echoing the factory racing team’s RS-GP.[11]
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