TriShield Emblem
By 1960, the logo had undergone a major revision. In place of one shield, a tri-shield appeared, representing the three Buick models then being built -- LeSabre, Invicta and Electra (all introduced as 1959 models). Again, all of the original crest symbols and colors were retained, with the major difference being that instead of one shield, there were now the three overlapping shields in red, white (later silver gray) and blue.
Today, the tri-shield is modernized with fewer details. The buck's head and cross are gone, the diagonal is no longer checkered. But the red shield and diagonal line survive, along with the silver gray and blue (used on the middle and right-hand shields, respectively) from the original description.
The Buick family crest, like the Buick nameplate, keeps alive the memory of David Dunbar Buick, who started a chain of events that gave birth to Buick Motor Co. and led to the creation of General Motors -- the world's largest automaker.
For those with particular interest in heraldry, this is how the coat of arms of the ancient Scottish family of Buik (note spelling) was described in Burke's Heraldry published in 1851 (which did not offer a picture):
"Gu. A bend chequy, ar. and az. betw. a Buck's head erazed in chief, and a cross couped and pierced, or, in base."
In 1937, this is how Buick interpreted the above: "Gu" means gule (red), which is the color of the field. "A bend" refers to the diagonal bend from the upper left corner to the lower right. "Chequy" means checkered, referring to the design on the bend. "Ar." means argent (silver) and "az." means azure (blue), giving the colors of the checks on the bend. "Betw. a Buck's head erazed in chief, and a cross couped and pierced, or, in base" indicates the course of the bend between the buck's head in the upper right corner of the shield ("chief") and the cross in the lower left corner of the shield. The term "erazed" refers to the jagged, broken edge of the buck's neck. "Couped" refers to the smooth edges of the cross; and "pierced" to the round perforation of it, through which the red color of the field is shown.
Hawk Emblem
In 1975 the Buick Hawk concept was initiated as part of the Skyhawk line. It was so well received that the symbol of a hawk perched on block letters of Buick was expanded to all car lines in 1976, though the tri-shield was retained as Buick's primary mark. The hawk soared to popularity and a red-tailed hawk named "Happy" was even trained to land on Buick hood ornaments in television ads. But by the late 1980s, management decided to re-emphasize the tri-shield, and so the hawk (and, not incidentally, the Buick Skyhawk car) was retired.
Source - General Motors
