by James

Many elements go into building a good website. A Website should look good,be informative, be stable and work with a variety of browsers. Ultimately, however, the true test of a Website will always be one thing, "does anyone see it?" The internet is a rather large place and grows larger every day. No matter how great your site is, it is still only a small part of the Internet as a whole. It is like the proverbial needle in the haystack, moreso a needle in a needlestack. How then, will people find your site?

These days, people find information on the Internet using search engines. We're not talking tens or dozens of search engines, in all seriousness there are three - the rest can be ignored. Google, Yahoo and MSN hold a majority of the searches, with Google in a steady lead. If you can make your site show up at the top of the search engine results, particularly Google's, it is sure to be seen by many people. Making your site show up at the top of the search engines however is a much larger topic than can be discussed here . This is a topic large enough that many people have even based their whole careers on helping sites get to the top of the search engines. We will, however, be discussing a great tool which can help you as well. It is called Google SiteMap.

Google is the most powerful of the search engines and it is vital that your site be listed there. By itself Google handles about 30% of all internet searches. At almost 1/3 of all internet searches this is an impressive number. Google also supplies their information to AOL search which handles about 18% and many smaller, lesser know search engines. This means that by doing well on Google you can target almost half of all internet users.

In order to get your site listed, Google must copy the contents of your site to their database. This way Google "knows" what information is available on your site. Once your site is in its database it can choose when to bring your site up when its visitors search for related terms. There are far too many sites out there for anyone at Google to manually enter them all, so the process of getting your site into Google's databaseis done by a computer program called a spider.

Because a spider is not intelligent the way a human is (though spiders are much smarter than humans in some ways), it can sometimes be difficult for the spider to find all of the pages of your site. This is especially true with dynamic sites where the same file may pull different data from your Website's database. Essentially, Google Sitemaps is an easy way to guide Google's spider through your site, to make sure that the pesky robot doesn't miss anything important.

In its most basic form Google Sitemaps is just a file which lists all of the individual files that make up your site. The files are listed by their full path with each one on its own line. This file is placed where Google can access it. Google's spider then periodically checks it for new pages and sends any it finds to the spider. Google Sitemaps can also include more detailed data such as how often a file changes. For this purpose one must create an XML file which contains the necessary information. This way you can request that Google's spiders visit a frequently updated page more often.

Setting up a Google Sitemap by hand could be somewhat of a burden. They are not difficult to create but would have to be updated each and every time a page is added, removed or moved. Google has made automatically generating a Sitemap easy by offering a computer program (in the form of a Python script - for you technical people) which does all the work for you. It is even possible to set the script to run automatically so that you do not have to think about running it yourself. There are also many similar tools available on the Internet which can do the same.

Hopefully this has given you a glimpse into the Google Sitemap, a worthwhile toll which is easy to add to your site(s):

To begin, just go to http://www.google.com/webmasters and create an account. Google will give you an access key.

You will need to create a blank file in your webroot. This proves to Google that you really do have ownership of the site.
Then create your sitemap file, either by hand or using one of the many tools available.

Lastly, go back to the account you created with Google and submit the URL of your sitemap. You can sign back in later and view a report which explains what if any errors were encountered in your sitemap so that you can fix them.

Hopefully this article has been informative and will help you to make your site all it can be. Creating a Google Sitemap can be a great first step in gaining traffic and bringing your site to it's potential.

by Kurt Cornell

You've all heard the term "Search Engine Optimization" before, and you've probably read similar articles on the topic. I've read them too, and most of them are pretty bad. I put this article together to give you all a no-nonsense general overview of SEO as it currently stands. This article will allow me to share my knowledge with you and pass on all of the lessons I've learned through my first-hand involvement in the planning, designing, programming, launching and post-launch marketing of dozens, if not hundreds, of Websites.

What is Search Engine Optimization?
According to "Kurt's Objective Dictionary of the Undefinable" Search Engine Optimization is: "the practice of planning, analyzing and revising a Website's architecture, underlying code and plain-text copy for the purpose of appearing higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords and phrases, with the ultimate goal of increasing quality traffic from interested, engaged visitors."

I apologize for the dictionary-style definition. While practical search engine optimization is important for increasing your chances of getting free exposure for your business, even SEO firms will tell you that it is not the "be-all-end-all" solution for online business success. To be successful online, you will still need a solid business model, an accessible target market and a competitive edge.

Is my Website Optimized for Search Engines?Performing some basic SEO practices will make sure that the major search engines can access, or index, all of your Website's content and will give you a fighting chance of coming up on the first few pages of results for specific keyword searches. The following four concepts/techniques aim to give a quick survey of the underlying principles of SEO and will allow you take a step back and analyze your current Website from an SEO standpoint:

Meaningful Content
If you haven't already heard this in your SEO research, you're bound to come across what seems to be a recurring "mantra" throughout SEO theory - "Content is King". In short, this translates to
"...if there is something worth reading, watching, doing, or buying on your site, then it will naturally draw in visitors and attract all-important links to help boost your appearance in search engine results..."
This approach has some very strong underlying validity since search engine results are based on an electronic measure of "popularity" (explained in an additional article "Google PageRank"), and having meaningful content, and thus a reason for visiting your Website, will objectively increase your Website's "popularity" just as meaningful and interesting people, places, and businesses in the real world become popular. While meaningful content is essential to success online, there are many other factors that play into your search engine results.

Keywords, Keyphrases and Keyword DensityI'll state this very plainly. If you want your Website show up in someone's search results, then the words (or, Keywords) that person searched for MUST - I repeat - MUST be included within the copy of your Website. If you want to show up on Google when somebody searches for "Recipes for Chicken Marsala", then you'd better put the words "Recipes for Chicken Marsala" in plain text on your Website, on a page that the search engines are able to access. The best way to make sure that the important Keywords are included in your Website's copy is to step away from the computer, relax, and think about your potential customers. Try to put yourself in your customers' shoes and think about what they are looking for and what words they will search for if they were trying to find the product, service or information your Website has to offer. What would you search for? If you run a retail operation, what do your real-world in-house customers ask for? When you've come up with a list, make absolutely certain those Keywords and Keyphrases are placed throughout your Website's content, within meaningful human-readable paragraphs and titles.

Content Accessibility and �Indexability�The above two concepts/techniques are quite meaningless without making sure that your copy and your keywords can be "indexed" by search engine robots (aka spiders) as well as found or read by human beings. I imagine, as we are approaching the middle of the seventh year of the twenty-first century, that your Website contains multiple pages. As a natural consequence, your keywords, keyphrases, and meaningful content cannot ALL be found on your Website's homepage. Because of this, humans and search engine spiders alike have to be able to FIND and READ the content within the inner-pages of your Website. The good thing here is that humans and spiders find content in the same way - by following Links. If your content is to be found, it must be linked-to within your Website. Another good thing is that humans and spiders read your Website's Keywords, Keyphrases and meaningful content in the same way too, by looking through, processing and storing plain text. If you've followed along through this, you'll see that any content you want humans or search engines to read must be linked-to within your Website and must be provided in plain text.

Relevant Inbound Links (RIL) and Relevant Outbound Links (ROL)Last, but certainly not least, something that affects your PageRank (briefly explained in Part Two) and ultimately your placement within search results are two similar elements - Relevant Inbound Links (RIL) and Relevant Outbound Links (ROL). These two terms are somewhat self-explanatory, but the concepts are not exactly intuitive to somebody who hasn't yet been exposed to SEO or search engine-style thinking. I will explain the reasons for RIL and ROL in Part Two of this article along with PageRank, but for now I'll explain what they are and how you can make sure your Website benefits from them.

RILs are, in a sentence, links TO your Website FROM other Website's whose content is on a similar or related topic and whose Keywords and Keyphrases as well as general subject matter are the same or significantly similar to yours. For example, if your Website is selling a revolutionary toothbrush that will change oral Hygiene as we know it, than a RIL may be a link TO your Website FROM a well-known dentistry journal discussing the benefits of good tooth brushing habits. ROL are very similar, but in reverse - that is, they are links FROM your Website TO the above-mentioned types of Websites. RILs are somewhat more important the ROLs due to the inherent principles of PageRank (discussed in Part Two), but both are important factors in overall SEO.

Now that you are armed with the basics of Search Engine Optimization, you should begin to get a picture of how well your Website fits in with those basics of SEO that I've outlined above. If your site is lacking in any of the above areas, you may want to consult a Search Engine Optimization company for more information.

If you think you're ready for something just a little more technical, with some very interesting information about how to get your Website on the first page of Google (with a little bit of luck, if possible, however unlikely, with no guarantees) please take a look at Part Two of this article which focuses specifically on Google PageRank.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a Search Engine Optimizer and I am not affiliated with Google or any other major search engine. I should also mention that all SEO practices and concepts are based solely on THEORY surrounding the underlying algorithms, the mathematical principles and operations, of major search engines. I am NOT selling any SEO services and there are no ulterior motives behind this article (unfortunately, most articles on SEO are trying to sell something, promote something, or simply add content to a cheap Website).

Many Web designers come to the Web with a print background. Either they were print designers, or they are just used to the control that a print world gives. When you print something, it provides permanence and stability. You don't have this on the Web.

The problem is, that it's easy to forget. When you build your Web page and test it in your browser, you get it looking exactly how you want it to look. But then you test it in a different browser, and it looks different. And if you move to a different platform, it will look differently again.

As you're a designer, you'll need to work with customers. You will be doing them and yourself a disservice if you don't explain the difference between print and the Web. Especially if you bring your portfolio as print outs. This is a common problem, where the customer expects the printout to represent exactly what the page will look like.
What To Do?

Working with Customers
Printouts as a Portfolio
It is always important to have a portfolio, but remember that the Web is not print, and bringing a print out is not a strong representation of your Web site design skills.

Setting Expectations
Be up-front with your customers. If they want their page to have very specific layout, font, and design elements, be sure to explain the tradeoffs such as download speed and maintenance before simply building them a completely graphical page.

Know what your customer uses
If you're a big Netscape on the Mac fan, and your client only uses Internet Explorer for Windows, you should keep this in mind in your designs. Your page could look very different to them.

Design Techniques
Know your audience
Know the characteristics of the audience of the site you're building. If they are propellor-heads, they might browse in Unix on a 21 inch monitor. Or if they are more conservative they might have a 12 inch monitor running Internet Explorer 3. If you design a site that suits your audience, your customer won't be complaining to you later.

Test test test
Test your designs in every browser and OS combination that you can get your hands on. Emulators work if you have no other choice, but there is no substitute for hands on experience.

Don't forget resolution
Browsers and OS are important, but if your readers and customers are browsing on a smaller screen than you design on, they could be unpleasantly surprised.

The Web is Not Print
While it is possible, with CSS, to get very precise layouts, but it will never be as precise as print. If you can remember that as you're designing your Web pages, you'll save yourself a lot of stress.

source: http://webdesign.about.com

The look 'n' feel of your website is important. However, it is less important than your text-based content. In most commercial websites, the role of the traditional graphic designer is relatively minor. The role of the information architect is central. The role of the editor and author is critical.

A recent Stanford University study found that looks count when people judge a website for credibility. "To look good is to be good -- that's the primary test when people assess a Web site's credibility," said B.J. Fogg, Ph.D, who led the Stanford study. "People evaluate TV news and politicians in the same way: presentation matters more than substance. Why should we expect the Web to be any different?"

Another study, which focused on health and finance websites, had similar results. Conducted by Sliced Bread Design, it asked a group of experts and ordinary consumers to evaluate websites. 41.8 percent of consumers noted design when evaluating the websites, while only 7.6 percent of experts did the same.

So, looks create an important first impression. But what drives revenue? In November 2002, The New York Times reported on a redesign by Elisabeth.com, a "plus size" women's clothing website.

The Times stated that, "Brad Lenz, Liz Claiborne's vice president for e-commerce, said the site had more than tripled the rate at which it converted browsers to buyers, by making products more accessible to users, and by clearing away superfluous graphics from the merchandise and inserting product information that could be quickly scanned."

In November 2002, Business 2.0 magazine published an article on Knight Ridder Digital (KRD), part of America's second largest newspaper publishing group. Business 2.0 described KRD as having, "28 of the least admired websites this side of pornography."

These "ugly" websites delivered a 33 percent increase in revenue during the second quarter of 2002. (Quite a feat in a recessionary advertising marketplace.)

KRD runs a lean, mean operation. By standardizing and simplifying its processes and designs, it has managed to tightly control its operating costs. Similar strategies have been pursued by the likes of Google, EBay, Amazon, AOL and Yahoo. Keeping the visual design simple and the content rich has delivered the results for these, and other, websites.

I spend a lot of my time speaking to managers responsible for large websites. Over the years, the profile of these managers has changed. Whether it is in Europe, North America or Asia, these managers now tend to have a communications background.

Previously, they were from IT or marketing. Yes, there are still marketing and IT people responsible for the Web. However, these people have a clear understanding of the role of the Web as a communications medium.

These managers recognize that text rules on the Web. Words make the sale. The visual is important, but it is less important that in print or TV.

Your website must look good. It also needs to deliver the goods—the content. People who are in work or purchase mode come to the Web to gather content that will help them make a decision.

Knight Ridder sees winning on the Web like running a marathon. As Business 2.0 summed it up: "Complex and beautiful may win awards, but ugly and simple might just win the marathon."

By Gerry McGovern

If you want to attract customers, the answer's a no-brainer.
By Roy Williams September 19, 2005

Websites are perhaps the most overlooked vehicle of advertising for local, owner-operated businesses. Yes, every retailer needs one. Every dentist, lawyer, accountant and minister needs one. Every café, restaurant, coffee shop and nightclub needs one. Every wholesale supply company needs one.

I'm not suggesting that all these businesses need to actually transact business online. I'm only saying that everyone listed in yesterday's Yellow Pages needs to also be available on the internet today--it's where your customers expect to find you.

If you're thinking you might not be able to afford putting up a website, think again. For a simple website, a budget of $2,000 to $5,000 for construction and $100 to $400 for monthly maintenance and updates should cover it. Robust sites with streaming video, opt-in subscriber functions and other, more complicated features can run between $12,000 and $20,000 for construction and $500 to $2,000 for monthly maintenance and updates.

Properly constructed, a website allows your prospects to gather the information they need from the privacy of their own computer monitors. What are the questions your salespeople answer virtually every day? And how, exactly, would your best salesperson phrase those answers on his or her best day? This is the information that needs to be available 24/7 on your site.

Think of your site as a relationship deepener, a half step between your advertising and your front door. Do you suppose it's easier to convince customers to visit your web site or to convince them to get in their car, drive to your store, park that car and walk in your door?

The internet is heaven on earth for the 49 percent of our population who are introverted. That's because introverts strongly prefer to gather information anonymously. They're unlikely to dial your phone number, except as a last resort. Even more unlikely is that they'll choose to walk into your store and engage a salesperson. Introverts aren't necessarily shy--they simply like to gather all the facts before they put themselves in a position where they'll likely be asked to answer questions. Forty-nine percent of your customers strongly prefer to know what they're coming to buy before they walk in your door. And even the extroverted 51 percent of your target market will appreciate an informative site that functions as an expert salesperson during all those hours you're not open for business.

Don't think for a moment that your customers aren't already online. Several times a month, I speak to groups of at least several hundred people. And I always ask, "How many of you have used a search engine within the past seven days to research a product or service that you were considering purchasing?" I raise my own hand as soon as the question is finished. The hands raised in response have never been less than 85 to 90 percent of the crowd.

The most interesting of these situations happened about a year ago in Las Vegas. I was the keynote speaker for a trade organization whose 1,600 delegates had been gathered from around the world. I was there to deliver a speech on the keys to more effective advertising. The trade organization published a full-color magazine for their members, and prior to this conference, the executive council had been complaining to me privately about the high cost of publishing and shipping that magazine. I was waiting offstage while the emcee introduced me when the chairman leaned over and whispered, "Almost all our membership is over 55 years of age, so you probably don't want to mention the internet." Just then, the emcee finished his jabber and barked, "Roy H. Williams!" I opened my mouth and asked this roomful of oldsters, "How many of you have used a search engine within the past seven days to research a product or service that you were considering purchasing?" You guessed it, about 95 percent.

I think maybe that chairman is still standing offstage with his mouth open.

source: Roy William's (www.Entrepreneur.com)

Don ramon is Mexican Tequilla brand

The Abarth shield shape represents the concept of victory; the red white and green bars were added in recent times to symbolize the Italian origin of these cars. The history of the scorpion in the logo is unknown.

The Alfa Romeo logo represents the coat of arms of the city of Milan and are related to the crusades, hence the cross. On the right, a snake is eating a figure, either a child or a Saracen (depends on who you ask).

The history of the Aston Martin logo is uncertain, if you know anything please email us.

The four rings in the Audi logo represent the four companies of the Auto-Union consortium of 1932 - DKW, Horch, Wanderer, and Audi. The Audi name (latin for "Hear!") disappeared after WWII, but was revived in1965.

The BMW logo is a rounded, stylized representation of a spinning propeller blade (the company build military airplane enginges originally).

Buick's logo originated from the coat of arms of the Buick family (of Scottish origin); a red shield with a checkered silver and azure diagonal line running from the upper left corner of the shield and a gold cross in the lower left corner (the cross had a hole in the center with the red of the shield showing through), and in the upper right corner was an antlered deer head with a jagged neckline. The logo underwent many revisions, then in 1960 the logo was changed to three shields, to represent the three Buick models in production at the time (LeSabre, Invicta, and Electra).

The original Cadillac logo is based on the family crest of the man for whom the company was named, Antoine de La Mothe, Sieyr de Cadillac (though many believe the crest is a fake, concocted for the purposes of the company's logo). The symbolism of the wreath surrounding the crest is uncertain (though the original wreath design was a bouquet of tulipped leaves).

Popular legend has it that the Chevrolet logo was inspired by wallpaper in a French hotel where William C. Durant was staying (the legend says he saw the pattern marching off into infinity as a design on the wallpaper and tore a piece of it off to keep to show to friends and later turn into the company logo). However, his wife says that the bowtie emblem was first seen by her husband in a Virginia newspaper on a vacation around 1912, upon which he told her that the thought it'd be a very good emblem for the Chevrolet (per Chevrolet Pro Management Magazine, October 1986).

The Chrysler logo has undergone quite a few changes over the years; the one shown here is an adaptation of the original medallion logo used on Chrysler cars at its inception in 1925. This logo was brought back to use in 1994, and the pair of silver wings were added after the company merged with Daimler-Benz in 1998. Now that Chrysler's been sold to Cerberus, they're switching back to the Pentastar design, though the cars are still using the logo shown here.

The Citroen car company was founded by Andre Citroen, who got started in the industry by building gear wheels. The two chevrons of their logo is meant to represent gear teeth.

The Cizeta logo portrays a wolf's head, representing the Tiberian she-wolf that fed Romulus and Remus, the orphaned children of Mars who founded Rome. The blue and yellow colors are the colors of Modena, Italy (where the company was founded, though it's since moved to California). The word 'Cizeta' is the founders's initials, when spoken in Italian (his name was Claudio Zampolli).

The modern Corvette logo is a variation of that designed by Robert Bartholomew (an interior designer at Chevrolet) in 1953. It features two flags, one a checkered flag and the other one featuring to icons, a Chevrolet bowtie logo and a fleur-de-lis. The fleur-de-lis was chosen since Chevrolet was a French name, and a fleur-de-lis is a French symbol meaning peace and purity.

The origin of the Daewoo logo is uncertain, though our research indicates the three branches may be reprsentative of an image the company was striving for - growth as an automaker, stability in all the operations, and trust between company and customers. If you know more, please email us!

The Dodge Ram logo first appeared as a hood ornament in the 1930s, used on both trucks and cars. The Ram was chosen for the image it portrays - sure-footed, King of the Trail.

The prancing horse featured on the Ferrari logo was the emblem of Italian WWII flying ace Fancesco Baracca, whose parents persuaded Enzo Ferrari to use the symbol of their late son for his Alfa Romeo race cars. When Ferrari later started his own car company, he continued use of this logo.

In 1982, the Uno was the first Fiat to wear the new five-bar logo. Legend has it that Fiat design lead Mario Maioli was driving past the factory at night during a power outage, and saw the giant Fiat logo against the fading sky. He sketched what he saw; the spaces between the letters represents the light he could see between the letters of the sign.

Henry Ford's right-hand-man, Harold Wills, printed business cars to earn money as a teen, and when Mr. Ford needed a logo, Wills pulled out his old printing set and used a font that he had used for his own cards. The oval was added in 1912, and blue was added for the Model A in 1927.

The Infiniti logo is derived from the symbol for infinity, not surprisingly. The concept of the open road and traveling toward infinity was one the company wanted the customer to feel. The logo also suggest Mt. Fuji.

Originally the Swallow Sidecar Company, Jaguar gained its new name in 1945, though why this particular animal was chosen is uncertain (though it makes a much better hood ornament than a swallow...). It's thought the leaping jaguar is meant to represent the speed, power, and quickness of the cars.

The phantom insignia on the Koenigsegg logo is a tribute to the Swedish air force squadron that operates out of the airbase where Koenigsegg's factory is also located (they use the ghost as their emblem).

The founder of Lamborghini, Ferrucio Lamborghini, had a passion of bull fighting, as evidenced by the logo chosen for his car company - a charging bull. Mr. Lamborghini also carried this theme over to the names of his cars, almost all of which were named after eithera breed of fighting bull or a paritcular bull.

The origin of the Lancia logo is uncertain. If you know anything about it, please email us!

The letters at the top of the Lotus logo are the initials of Lotus' founder, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman. It's unknown why he chose the name 'Lotus' for his car company. The green background is British Racing Green, the color of British cars in his day. The yellow background symbolizes the sunny days Mr. Chapman hoped lay ahead for his company.

The trident prominent in the Maserati logo is the traditional symbol for Bologna, where the cars were originally made (they're now built in nearby Modena).

Rei Yoshimara, a world-renowned corporate image-creator, designed the Mazda logo. The 'V' represents wings outstretched.

The three pointed star of Mercedes' logo represents their domination of land, sea, and air. First used on a Daimler in 1909, a laurel wreath was added in 1926 to signify the union with Benz, and was later simplified to the current logo design in 1937.

Some believe that the Mitsubishi logo represents a ship's propellers (Mitsuibishi was involved in shipbuilding early in the company's existence). However, a more commonly accepted explanation is that the logo is formed by the joining of two family emblems and does not represent any part of a ship.

The origin of the Morgan Motor Company's logo is uncertain, though the wings may be inspired by a flying ace of the First World War, Captain Ball, who said that to drive a Morgan three-wheeler as the nearest thing to flying on the ground. If you know more about this log, please email us!

Interesting, the modern day Opel logo originally featured a slylized dirigible airship inside the 'O', representing German engineering expertise (this was from 1937 to 1947). It since evolved, into a stlized airplane from 1954 to 1964, and then to today's lightning bolt in 1964.

The origin of the Pagani logo is uncertain; if you know anything about this please email us.

The Panoz logo was designed by company founder Daniel Panoz. The red, white, and blue colors represent the fact that Panoz is an American company, while the swirls are a tribute to the integration of balance and symmetry represented by the Yin-Yang symbol. The shamrock in the middle reflects the company's, and the founder's, Irish roots.

One of the earliest Puegeot models was built in the city of Belfort, whose emblem was the lion. The car was thus known as a Lion-Peugeot, and adopted the Belfort city emblem.

The Pontiac logo represents an arrowhead. This logo was introduced in 1958, replacing the Indian Chief head silhouette emblem used since 1928.

The Porsche badge is the coat of arms of the city of Stuttgart (where the cars are built). The city was built on the site of a stud farm, which explains the horse in the coat of arms; the antlers and red and black stripes are part of the arms of the Kingdom of Wurttemberg.

The Renault diamond logo was first used in 1924 (it was previously circular), and had a very functional purpose originally - the center of the badge was cut out to allow sound from the horn, positioned directly behind, to escape.

The Rover logo represents a Viking ship, a link between the meaning of 'Rover' (to wander about) and the Vikings, which did very much the same thing albeit via the oceans rather than land.

The Saab logo shown here, introduced in 2000, is an evolution of the design introduced in 1987 (the company used only a text logo until then). Designed by artist Carl Fredik Reutersward, the original logo depicted a mythological beast Gripen (a griffen). The Gripen head is derived from the coat of arms of Count von Skane, which was used as the symbol for the Swedish province of Skane, where Saab was formed.

The history of the Scion logo is uncertain, though there's an apparent 'S' cutting verticall through the center of the logo.

The history of the Seat logo is uncertain, though it's obviously meant to represent an 'S'.

The Skoda logo is a winged arrow, but has no apparent significance (other than to give the impression of speed).

Apart from the Smart name (all lowercase), the Smart logo features a 'C' for 'Compact', and an arrow for 'forward thinking'.

After building aircraft engines for WWI, Spyker introduced a variant of the logo shown here as it returned to building cars; the logo features a spoke wheel with a horizontal propeller across.

Subaru is the first Japanese company to use a name derived from its own language, and that name is reflected in its logo. The name refers to a group of six stars in the constellation of Taurus (we refer to them as the Pleiades).

The origin of the Tesla Motors logo is uncertain, though it obviously features a 'T'.

The Toyota logo is comprised of three ellipses, representing the heart of the customer, the heart of the product, and the ever expanding technological advancements and opportunities that lie ahead. Another interpretation is that it represents the three interlocking aspects of the culture of the company - freedom, team spirit, and progress. Also, in Japanese 'Toyo' means an abundance of, and 'ta' is rice. In some Asian cultures, those blessed with an abundance of rice are believe to be blessed with great wealth.

The Vauxhall emblem features a Griffen (a lion with an eagle's head), from Fulk le Breant's coat of arms (though note that many believed it to be a Wyvern, but a close exaimination of their logos through history showed a bushy tail and thus it must be a Griffen). Mr. le Breant was a mercenary employed by King John in the 13th century; granted nobility status as a reward for his service, and the land he acquired became known as Fulks Hall. Over time, the name of the land changed, first to Foxhall, then Vaux Hall, and eventually just Vauxhall.

The history of the Vector Aeromotive Corporation logo is uncertain, though appears to be an inverted 'V'.

The modern day Venturi logo was chosen in 1989, and represents a gerfalcon (the world's fastest animal, clocked in excess of 280km/hr in a vertical dive), set on a glove, which symbolizes mastery. Above the gerfalcon is the sun of the region Loire. The oval is a remnan of the original logo. The 'V' shape is in tribute to the region of France, "Pays de Loire", as the 'V' represents a shield bearing its coat of arms.

The Volkswagen logo is simple, but the name has an interesting meaning - in German, it translates as the "Peoples' Car".

Volvo means 'I Roll' in Latin, and the circle/arrow logo is the conventional map sysmbol for steel (which for a long time was Sweden's most famous industry). That circle/arrow symbol isn't arbitray, it represents the shield and spear of Mars, also the alchemical symbol for iron.