Cefla is an Italian multi-business industrial group founded in Imola in 1932, operating across engineering, finishing technologies, medical equipment and LED solutions. Its visual identity has evolved from a symbol created in 1961 to a contemporary mark that references the company’s industrial heritage.
Design and History
Cefla was founded on 4 May 1932 in Imola as the Cooperativa Elettricisti, Fontanieri, Lattonieri e Affini, a cooperative of electricians, plumbers and tinsmiths. The company grew from these metalworking origins into an international group with business units in engineering, finishing, medical equipment and LED technology. [1]
The current Cefla logo features the wordmark “CEFLA” followed by a crescent-shaped element. A United States trademark registration from 2012 describes the mark as consisting of “the wording ‘CEFLA’ followed by a crescent.” [2]
According to Libera Brand Building, the agency that has worked with Cefla on branding projects, the logo’s three circles are a stylised representation of the old roller printing machines used by Cefla when it first began its business activity. The agency also describes the Cefla brand as “redolent of speed and movement,” noting that a sail was chosen as a figurative element to push the brand toward revealing its multi-business identity. [3]
In 2017, Libera Brand Building won a competitive pitch to become Cefla’s creative partner, developing an advertising campaign and a new branding platform for the company. The agency’s format used the Cefla logo as a key visual and connection point between the “from” and “to” worlds of the company’s various business units. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The three circles in the Cefla logo carry documented meaning: they are a stylised representation of the old roller printing machines that Cefla used when it first began its business activity. This connection to the company’s origins was highlighted in a logo created for Cefla’s 85th anniversary celebration. [3]
The crescent element in the current trademarked logo, as described in the registration filing, forms part of the mark’s distinctive visual character. [2]
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