The Chevrolet bowtie logo originated in 1913 when co-founder William C. Durant spotted the design on wallpaper in a Paris hotel. Durant was immediately struck by the design and decided to use it as the logo for the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, although he stated publicly that the design was inspired by the Swiss flag.
How did the Chevy bowtie originate?
Regarding how the design came about, there are several theories:
* The most popular theory is that the bowtie was actually derived from the coat of arms of the noble Swiss de Trey Family. William Durant’s wife’s family was Swiss and one of the coat of arms in his wife's family history book strongly resembles the bow tie of the Chevrolet logo.
* Chevrolet co-founder Louis Chevrolet was a Swiss race car driver and it is believed he could have come up with the design based on the Swiss flag. Although Durant always claimed that the logo wasn't based on the Swiss flag, there is evidence to suggest that he was lying or that he may have simply forgotten the true origin of the design when stating that it was based on the wallpaper in the hotel.
* Yet another theory is that Durant was inspired by a newspaper ad for the Pittsburgh Coal Company that ran in the Atlanta Constitution in 1908, which featured a black and yellow diamond divided diagonally. Durant may have been inspired to invert and modify this design to create the Chevrolet bowtie.
The actual origins of the bowtie design remain a mystery to this day. However, regardless of its true origins, the bowtie has become an iconic symbol of the Chevrolet brand.
