Short answer
What the Škoda logo symbol means
The Škoda logo is a winged arrow inside a circle. Two trademarks, one with a five-feather winged arrow and one with a three-feather version, were registered in Plzeň in 1923, and the three-feather version is still the core of the logo. Škoda's own explanation, as reported on Wikipedia, reads the arrow as speed, the wing as progress and freedom, the eye as precision and the circle as unity, completeness, world and harmony. No individual designer is credited.
Quick read
Škoda logo at a glance
- Symbol
- A winged arrow inside a circle
- Trademarks registered
- 1923 in Plzeň, with five and three feathers
- Version still in use
- The three-feather arrow
- Name added to the emblem
- 1936, according to Wikipedia
- Company reading
- Arrow = speed, wing = progress and freedom, eye = precision, circle = unity
Interactive logo decoder
The Škoda Winged Arrow
The circle
A thin ring encloses the winged arrow. Škoda's own explanation, as reported on Wikipedia, reads the circle as unity, completeness, world and harmony.
Highlighted on the logoWinged arrow
A feathered wing sweeps up from a right-pointing arrow, with a round cutout that reads as an eye. The company reads the arrow as speed, the wing as progress and freedom, and the eye as precision.
Highlighted on the logoŠKODA wordmark
Wide capital letters in the same dark green sit below the emblem. The Š carries its háček as a flag-like stroke that is joined to the letter body in this version.
Highlighted on the logoLogo palette
Škoda logo colors
Select a swatch to copy its HEX value. Values reference archived artwork unless official guidelines are cited.
#0B392EThe ring, winged arrow and wordmark of the 2022 logo, sampled from the archived logo file.
#088A4BThe arrow color of the 1999 badge, sampled from the archived 1999 logo file.
#004B8FThe circle and arrow of the 1923 emblem, sampled from the archived 1923 logo file.
What each part of the Škoda logo is said to mean
A feathered wing sweeps up from a right-pointing arrow, with a round cutout that reads as an eye, and the whole shape sits in a ring. Škoda's account is specific. The arrow is speed, the wing is progress and freedom, the eye is precision, and the circle is unity, completeness, world and harmony.
These are the company's readings, as reported on Wikipedia. How the design was actually developed is not documented in detail, so treat the list as the brand's own interpretation, not a design brief written in 1923.
Two Škoda trademarks in 1923
Wikipedia reports that two trademarks were registered in Plzeň in 1923. One showed a rightward-pointing winged arrow with five feathers in a circle, and the other a winged arrow with three feathers. The three-feather version is the one still used. The text ŠKODA was added to the emblem in 1936.
The company behind the name came in two stages. Laurin & Klement, founded in Mladá Boleslav in 1895, merged into Škoda Works in 1925, and its cars moved to the Škoda name. The earliest archived badges of the car company carry the Slavia name of its first bicycles and motorcycles, and the winged arrow appears in trademarks dated before the 1925 merger.
The Škoda logo headdress story
A popular story says Emil Škoda admired a Native American feathered headdress on his travels in the United States and brought home a relief image that inspired the logo. Wikipedia retells it with the word reportedly.
That is a tale, not a documented design brief. It also sits awkwardly with the dates: Emil Škoda died in 1900, and the registered trademarks are from 1923. No individual designer of the emblem is credited in the sources reviewed here.
Škoda logo history and the winged arrow today
The round winged arrow sits on the grille of this 1959 Octavia, with the name in chrome letters on the hood. The mark changed little in shape and a lot in style. The company's archive shows a blue circle and arrow in 1923, an emerald-green arrow in 1999, and a flat dark-green ring and arrow in 2022 above a wide capital wordmark.
Wikipedia dates a redesign presented at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, and in 2022 Škoda introduced a new brand identity along with the slogan Let's Explore.
Logo archive
Škoda logo versions through the years
1923 The winged arrow appears 
1933 Solid blue roundel 
1999 Glossy chrome badge 
2011 Wordmark moves above - 2022 Flat dark green identity
Frequently asked questions
Škoda logo symbol questions answered
What does the Škoda logo mean?
It is a winged arrow inside a circle. Škoda reads the arrow as speed, the wing as progress and freedom, the eye as precision and the circle as unity and harmony. These are company readings, and the design process behind them is not documented in detail.
Why does the Škoda logo have a feather?
The wing is drawn as a feathered one, with three feathers in the version still used. A popular story links the feathers to a Native American headdress seen by Emil Škoda, but that is a story, not a documented origin.
When was the Škoda logo created?
Two trademarks with winged arrows, one with five feathers and one with three, were registered in Plzeň in 1923.
Who designed the Škoda winged arrow?
No individual designer is credited in the sources reviewed here.
What does Škoda mean in Czech?
The company is named after Emil Škoda. In Czech, the word škoda also means pity or shame, which is a coincidence of the surname.
Keep reading
More logo meanings
References
Sources for the Škoda logo story
- Wikipedia — Škoda Auto
- Wikipedia — Laurin & Klement
- Wikipedia — Emil von Škoda
- Wikipedia — Škoda Octavia (1959)
Škoda logo and history. Logo images are an educational reference archive.