Nissan Logo and Brand Identity

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

The Nissan emblem pairs a circular frame with a centered wordmark, carrying forward a badge structure rooted in the brand's Japanese origins. Its modern flat form gives the marque a cleaner, more digital character while preserving the disciplined geometry of earlier Nissan identity.

Official website
Live logo URL
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Nissan full

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Choose the right Nissan asset

Start with the shape that fits the slot, then tune size and format in the URL.

Full logo

Best for directories, marketplace cards, comparison pages, and any surface where the complete mark has room to breathe.

Badge

Best for compact UI: filters, tables, saved vehicles, mobile lists, and favicon-like brand slots.

Wordmark

Best when the manufacturer name needs to stay legible in headers, partner lists, and editorial pages.

Implementation

Use the Nissan logo across your stack.

Copy a real CDN URL, then keep the same asset working in markup, components, native apps, and data calls.

Use it in any stack
One keyed Motomarks URL works in plain markup, component frameworks, native image loaders, and API-backed views.
logo.html
1<img2  src="https://motomarks.io/img/nissan?token=YOUR_API_KEY"3  alt="Nissan logo"4  width="128"5  height="128"6  loading="lazy"7/>

Need more than the image?

Fetch the brand record when your UI also needs metadata, ordered colors, or attribution context.

GET https://api.motomarks.io/brands/nissan
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_SECRET_KEY
Read the API docs

Reference

More about Nissan.

Brand history, logo changes, color notes, usage examples, and common questions.

What makes this mark recognizable?

Identity cues, heritage, and visual details to keep in mind before the asset lands in your UI.

Nissan's visual identity traces back to the DAT and Datsun names, then to the 1930s Nissan badge that combined a red circle with a blue horizontal bar carrying the wordmark. The circle has long been associated with Japan's rising sun motif, while the bar gave the company name a strong, mechanical nameplate presence.

Nissan simplified the emblem repeatedly through the late 20th century, moving toward chrome, dimensional badges for vehicles. In 2020, Nissan introduced a flatter, thinner, monochrome logo designed for digital use, electric vehicles, and illuminated front badges.

First color in the reference palette

Motomarks records #000000 as the primary Nissan reference color, with any alternate swatches listed in the color reference and API response.

How the mark got here

The identity shifts that explain the Nissan logo in use today.

Origins

Nissan's roots connect to the Kwaishinsha Motor Car Works, founded in Tokyo in 1911 by Masujiro Hashimoto, which produced the DAT car. The DAT name later led to Datsun, a small-car brand used widely before Nissan became the main global marque. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. was established in 1933 under Yoshisuke Aikawa, building the foundation for a Japanese manufacturer that would expand from domestic production into major export markets.

From Datsun to Nissan

For decades, many exported cars used the Datsun name, especially in North America and other international markets. Nissan began phasing out Datsun in favor of the Nissan name in the early 1980s to unify its global brand identity. The shift made the Nissan wordmark and badge central to the company's worldwide recognition.

Modern brand era

Nissan became part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance in 1999, a turning point that reshaped the company's global structure and product planning. The brand has since used its identity across mass-market vehicles, the GT-R performance lineage, the Z sports car family, and electric models such as the Leaf and Ariya. Its 2020 logo update aligned the brand with digital presentation and electrified vehicle design.

When the logo changed

A compact record of redesigns, visual turns, and the reasons the mark moved.

1930s

Datsun and early Nissan identity

Early Nissan-related badges drew from the DAT and Datsun names, then developed into a Nissan mark using a red circular form behind a horizontal blue nameplate.

Reason for redesign: The company needed a clear manufacturer identity as Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. emerged and expanded vehicle production.

1930s

Red circle and blue bar Nissan badge

The classic Nissan badge used a red circle with a blue rectangular bar across the center, placing the Nissan name in bold lettering.

Reason for redesign: The design connected the brand to Japanese visual symbolism while giving the company name a strong, legible vehicle badge.

1980s

Global Nissan name emphasis

As the Datsun name was phased out in export markets, Nissan branding became more prominent across vehicles, advertising, and dealer identity.

Reason for redesign: Nissan unified its global brand presence under one name to reduce fragmentation between Datsun and Nissan markets.

2001

Dimensional chrome emblem

Nissan adopted a metallic, three-dimensional badge with a circular ring and central wordplate, reflecting the physical styling of automotive grille and rear badges.

Reason for redesign: The update suited early 2000s vehicle design trends and created a consistent premium-looking badge for global models.

2020

Flat digital Nissan logo

Nissan introduced a thinner, flatter logo with an open circular outline and a simplified wordmark, optimized for screens, print, and illuminated applications.

Reason for redesign: The redesign supported a more modern digital identity and the visual needs of electric vehicles, including illuminated front branding on models such as the Ariya.

What to preserve in production

Shape, color, and type cues that keep Nissan recognizable at app scale.

Composition

The current Nissan logo is built around a circular outline interrupted by the centered Nissan wordmark. This keeps the historic badge architecture while reducing the heavy bar and metallic effects of earlier versions.

Symbol

The circle recalls the long-standing Nissan badge shape and is commonly linked to Japan's rising sun association in the brand's early red-circle identity. The wordmark across the center emphasizes the manufacturer name as the primary recognition element.

Lettering

The modern wordmark uses clean, geometric uppercase lettering with wide spacing and simplified strokes. Its restrained form is easier to reproduce at small sizes and fits digital interfaces better than earlier beveled or chrome treatments.

Color

The current identity is most often presented in black, white, or monochrome applications, making it flexible for screens, vehicles, signage, and illumination. Earlier red and blue versions gave the badge a more national and industrial character.

Shape

The roundel provides continuity with Nissan's historic emblems, while the open, lighter outline makes the mark feel less like a physical medallion and more like a modern graphic symbol.

Heritage

Nissan retained the core circle-and-nameplate idea instead of abandoning its badge history. The 2020 identity modernized the form while keeping enough visual memory to connect with decades of vehicle emblems.

Market context

The early red circle connected Nissan to Japanese identity and the rising sun motif, a meaningful association for a manufacturer that grew from Japan into export markets worldwide. The simplified contemporary badge reflects the global, digital presentation expected of modern automakers.

Design logic

Nissan's current logo follows a reductionist approach: fewer effects, thinner lines, and stronger scalability. It is designed to work on physical vehicles, mobile screens, dealer environments, and illuminated electric-vehicle fronts.

Where teams place it

Common product surfaces where Nissan assets need to stay clear, consistent, and fast.

Vehicle badges

Vehicle owners

Nissan uses its emblem on grilles, tailgates, steering wheels, wheel centers, and illuminated applications on selected electric models.

Dealer signage

Dealers

The Nissan logo appears on dealership pylons, showroom facades, service areas, and branded sales materials to identify official retail locations.

Digital product interfaces

Product teams

The flat monochrome logo is suited to responsive web layouts, mobile apps, owner portals, navigation menus, and vehicle comparison tools.

Marketing and sponsorship

Marketing teams

Nissan applies the logo across advertising, launch campaigns, motorsport communications, event branding, and social media content.

Answers before you ship

Format, usage, attribution, and history notes for the Nissan logo.

Browse the logo library →API docsPricing