It began as a family business, as many Italian companies do. A group of brothers, four enthralled with automotives and one artistically gifted, combined their passions to launch a company. On December 1, 1914, the Officine Alfieri Maserati was born in the town of Bologna, Italy.

The company’s first major product sold were spark plugs, but the brothers’ held fast to their grand vision of designing and producing race cars. A few years later, the company grew to the point of needing a logo. While Alfieri, Ettore, and Ernesto knew the ins and outs of cars, graphic design was a world beyond their capabilities.