Public Competition for New Logo

In the mid-1930s, the automotive industry was evolving rapidly, and companies were seeking to establish strong brand identities. In this context, a public competition was launched to design a new logo for the company founded by Kiichirō Toyoda. The competition attracted significant interest, receiving 27,000 entries from the public. The winning design featured the three Japanese katakana letters for "Toyoda" arranged in a circle. However, Rizaburo Toyoda, who was connected to the founding family, advocated for a different approach. He preferred the name "Toyota" for its visual simplicity and phonetic characteristics, as it required eight brush strokes to write in Japanese and included a voiceless consonant, which he believed would resonate better with consumers. This shift from "Toyoda" to "Toyota" marked a pivotal moment in the company's branding strategy.