BUDGET

I redesigned the “road symbol” or “Imagotype” for the Budget Logo in 1985 while working at “Imágen, Diseño y Publicidad”, a very small design studio in Mazatlan’s Hotel Zone, Mexico.

 

While working at this studio run by Francisco Hinojos Castill,a I was in charge of a “Newspaper Magazine" that was printed at the local Newspaper’s print shop and was distributed in San Diego, California to promote Mazatlan’s wonderful attractions.

 

I was the sole designer of the magazine. I wrote all the articles in English and took all the photos. I also designed all the advertising.

 

Budget Rent a Car contracted a quarter page ad with us and sent us their logo, (which THEN only consisted of five letters; “ B U D G E T ” and two underlying stripes), telephone number and address. No photos of cars or places to visit etc.

 

Being the kind of person I am, I told Francisco that the ad looked rather bleak with that “serious” logo, phone number and address and that it “needed something else”. He told me that I was the boss of the magazine and that I could do whatever pleased me”! That was what a designer loved to hear and I got inspired! 

 

I had this preposterous idea – I was going to change the logo altogether by adding a new SYMBOL to their existing Budget lettering and do away with the two underlying stripes!  What came to my mind in an instant – and these are always gifts from heaven – was a straight (safe) road disappearing into the horizon to an unknown destination. In 15 minutes, the concept was born and has lasted -to this date- more than 33 years. (See the logo in the very middle of the page - it is very similar to the image on bottom right which is the how the logo is being used actually.)

 

Shortly after this publication went to press and was distributed in San Diego I was offered a job in Cancún so resigned from Imágen, Diseño y Publicidad and moved there in May 1985. 

 

I honestly don't know how that Budget Symbol later came to be used by the Budget Company on a worldwide scale. Obviously someone important from Budget in San Diego saw it and liked it. I’ve seen the Budget logo all over the world, even in movies. In the end – as preposterous as the act was- a good deed was done. The logo, Budget and myself were the winners.

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I do know now that Budget was purchased by Avis in 1986 (or there abouts) . . . I got in touch with Avis Budget recently (2019) and they have no records of any design transactions dating way back. However if you do an online search for the logo's designer all you will see is an "N/A"

 

Note: On this page: Top left- the logo as it was presented to me. Middle- my original “symbol” design that was added to Budget’s logo (lettering). Top right- how the original design was adapted by Budget and as such was applied for more than 30 years. Bottom: steps were taken recently to redesign the logo. Its “new” image is now closer to the original concept than ever before.

 

This story can be verified by Francisco Hinojos, my boss and a well-known citizen in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico.