What is the meaning behind the Subaru logo?
The Subaru logo is a celestial symbol that blends astronomy with corporate history: it shows the Pleiades star cluster (in Japanese, Suburu), and the six stars are taken to represent unity within the company’s founding lineage.
Origins of the emblem
Subaru’s emblem features a blue oval containing six white stars. The design is rooted in the Pleiades star cluster, a prominent and easily recognizable pattern in the night sky. In Japan, the cluster is known as Suburu, and the brand name Subaru is a direct reference to that celestial image. The six-star motif has been adopted as a corporate emblem for Subaru’s automotive division, linking the carmaker to a distinct cultural and astronomical symbol.
The Pleiades and the name Suburu
In Japanese, the Pleiades star cluster is called Suburu. The logo’s name and imagery reinforce that linguistic and cultural connection, making the emblem immediately identifiable in markets around the world. This linkage to the cluster also helps convey a sense of guidance and horizon-level ambition—traits brands often pursue in automotive branding.
The six stars and corporate unity
Official explanations describe the six stars as a nod to unity among the core companies that contributed to Subaru’s corporate lineage in the mid‑20th century. The arrangement emphasizes collaboration and shared purpose within Fuji Heavy Industries, the forerunner of Subaru’s automotive business, while also leveraging the celestial symbolism of the Pleiades cluster.
Design and meaning in branding
Beyond symbolism, the logo’s design is tailored for recognition and branding strength. The blue background provides a strong, legible contrast for the white stars, ensuring visibility on grilles, badges, and advertising across diverse markets and vehicle sizes. The geometric balance of the star cluster creates a clean, timeless mark that remains effective at small sizes and from a distance.
Color and symbolism
While the official story centers on the Pleiades and corporate unity, the blue hue is commonly interpreted as signaling the sky, trust, and technological aspiration. The celestial motif reinforces Subaru’s identity as a brand oriented toward exploration, reliability, and forward momentum.
Cultural resonance and branding
Over decades, the six-star Subaru emblem has become globally recognizable, tying the brand to a sense of Japanese heritage and engineering prowess. The logo appears on vehicles, marketing materials, and in motorsport contexts, where its starry emblem serves as a unifying symbol across different languages and markets.
Key takeaways about what the Subaru logo represents include its roots in the Pleiades star cluster, the brand’s Japanese linguistic connection, the idea of unity among its founding corporate entities, and its clean, sky-inspired design that supports broad, cross-cultural appeal.
Summary
Subaru’s logo blends astronomy with corporate history: the six-star emblem draws directly from the Pleiades cluster (Suburu in Japanese), symbolizing unity among Subaru’s founding groups and the company’s forward-looking identity. Its simple, celestial design and the blue field reinforce a message of reliability, exploration, and global reach, helping the brand leave a lasting mark across markets.
Why does the Subaru logo only have six stars?
The Subaru logo has six stars to represent the six companies that merged to form Fuji Heavy Industries in 1953, which later became Subaru Corporation. The name "Subaru" is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. The logo features six stars because one star in the cluster is too faint to be seen with the naked eye, and the six stars also represent the companies that united to form the company.
- Company merger: The six stars symbolize the merger of six Japanese companies to form Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru. The largest star in the center represents the newly formed company itself.
- Name and symbolism: The name "Subaru" is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster, which is also called the "Seven Sisters" in other cultures. The word "Subaru" itself translates to "unite" or "coming together," which perfectly reflects the company's origin.
- Star visibility: While the Pleiades star cluster has seven stars, only six are easily visible to the naked eye, which is why only six appear in the Subaru logo.
Why is Subaru associated with LGBTQ?
Subaru is associated with the LGBTQ+ community primarily due to a successful, groundbreaking advertising campaign from the 1990s that targeted lesbian consumers. The company recognized lesbians as a key demographic and developed clever, coded ads that reflected their active, low-key lifestyle. This marketing strategy, combined with authentic internal support and sponsorships, cultivated a strong and loyal customer base within the community.
- Targeted market research: In the 1990s, Subaru identified lesbians as one of five key consumer groups willing to pay a premium for their all-wheel-drive vehicles.
- "Gay-coded" advertising: The ad campaigns used subtle messaging and playful code, such as license plates like "CAMP OUT" and "XENA LVR," and slogans like "Get out. And stay out".
- Authentic and sustained commitment: Subaru went beyond advertising by implementing same-sex domestic partnership benefits and becoming a founding sponsor of the Rainbow Card, which supported LGBTQ+ causes.
- Public endorsements: The brand also signed up public figures like openly gay tennis player Martina Navratilova as a spokesperson, further cementing its association with the community.
- Community recognition: The sustained effort was recognized and appreciated by the LGBTQ+ community, which embraced the brand as its own, leading to the stereotype of lesbians loving Subarus.
What is the meaning of the Subaru logo?
The word “Subaru” is Japanese for “unite”. The logo's six stars represent the five companies that merged to form Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru, and the sixth star represents Fuji Heavy Industries itself.
What does the snowflake symbol mean on Subaru?
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