In 1924, the physics student Adriano Ducati became famous for being able to carry out a radio link experiment between Italy and America with a shortwave device he designed. Driven by enthusiasm, with the other two brothers Bruno and Marcello he gave birth in Bologna in 1926 to the “Società Scienti fica Radio Brevetti Ducati”, with the aim of producing components for the nascent radio broadcasting industry. The first logo depicted two “S” that cross over a lightning bolt, a symbol of electricity; in the word “Ducati” the “V” was in place of the “U”, a graphic solution from the Fascist period. From radio condensers, production rapidly expanded to radio equipment and precision mechanical production, favoring the increase in employees to the point that Ducati became the most important Bolognese industrial reality of the 1930s.

The expansion of production in 1931 led the company to change its logo; a circle with the letters “SSR” and the word “Ducati” inside a rectangle. The typical logotype, outline and in capital letters, will be extrapolated from this logo, which will mark all corporate communication.

In the absence of graphic coordination, in 1940 the radios were branded with a calligraphic logotype, typical of the time. In 1944 the factory was heavily damaged by Allied bombing; in 1946 the factory was partially rebuilt and the Cucciolo bicimotor was built, the first motorcycle product. In 1949 Ducati began the complete production of motorcycles and, therefore, it became necessary to indicate the manufacturer’s name on the tank.

In 1956 the company was divided to differentiate the electrotechnical productions from the motorcycle ones; the “SSR” logo is too small to be seen and identifies, in the name, only the electrotechnical production. Thus in 1957 the new logo appears on all production motorcycles, representing a laurel wreath that ideally completes the “D” of the name to form a circular figure; superimposed, a pair of stylized wings on which lived the inscription “Ducati Meccanica Bologna”. This logo coexisted with another representing a motorcycle on the checkered line typical of racing; it was used only on user manuals, to identify authorized workshops and on all types of advertising material.

In 1959, the eagle as a symbol of freedom appears on the motorcycle fuel tank as an evolution of the Ducati wing; this animal was represented with the head and legs of the raptor on the words “Moto Ducati” inserted in a double-pointed flag.

In 1968, with the youth protest and the so-called “easy rider” spirit, Ducati focuses on the famous black wing, stylized and soft, with the Ducati inscription in an unusual italic; is the logo of the bike destined to enter Ducati history, the Scrambler. A curiosity: unlike other logos this was not a sticker but a metal plate that was screwed to the tank. In 1969 the only Ducati logo in red outline will make its appearance on the bikes, initially in the versions intended for competitions, then on most of the range.

In 1975 Ducati decided to enter the world of design for the first time; some motorcycle studies and the idea of the new logo are entrusted to an Italian designer: Giorgetto Giugiaro. The logo represents the company name written in a very regular font formed by double parallel lines. It will remain in use until 1985, the year in which Cagiva takes over the company and decides to modify the Ducati logo again, adapting it to the Cagiva identity, using the same font and the elephant. Aesthetically it is not too good a combination; in fact in 1993 the elephant disappeared.

In 1998, the new logo designed by Massimo Vignelli was proposed to the new management with American participation: the capitalized logotype composed in Univers Italic, flanked by a circular symbol that recalls the shape of a stylized letter “D”. Ducati enthusiasts, initially having difficulty grasping the meaning of the stylized “D”, have amicably renamed the symbol as “the coffee bean”! The logo of the racing section was also designed, a shield with the elements of identity.

In 2008, the new logo project was entrusted to the Landor agency in Milan; the new logo celebrates the thrill of the curve, the place and moment in which a Ducati motorcycle offers unique and unparalleled sensations. The curve is set in a red shield, a symbol of victory and Italian sportiness, and dominated by the classic Ducati logo. As for 1998, the logo of the racing section is also designed.