German luxury car marque BMW has unveiled a new logo, the first time the brand has updated its famous blue and white quadrant in 23 years.
The new logo follows the current vogue of logo aesthetics and comes as a super flat ultra-minimalist style which, the company says, “is geared to the challenges and opportunities of digitalization for brand”.
Apparently the logo is just for BMW’s marketing communications and won’t feature on the bonnet of its vehicles, however, as the main image shows, it is being used on the company’s prototype electric vehicles.
Commenting on the new look, BMW’s senior vice president customer and brand Jens Thiemer said: “BMW is becoming a relationship brand. The old black ring was replaced, letting the new logo radiate more openness and clarity.
“We want to use this new transparent version to invite our customers, more than ever, to become part of the world of BMW,” Thiemer added.
Here’s how the logo has transformed over the past 100-plus years:
Not that everyone’s happy with the new look. The Verge.com described it “as everything that’s wrong with modern logo design” before adding: “Why would you make your logo harder to see?”
Social media commentators to the site were equally unimpressed.
“This is just awful, the word “fugly’ comes to mind,” wrote one non-fan.” Another added: “Honestly, at a glance, I would think it was one of those icons on a crash test dummy more than the BMW logo – losing the black ring really hurts it.”
While another added: “That is a terrible logo. Why change it? The current one is fine!”
Not that everyone was offside. Doug Sellers, executive creative director for New York-based design firm Siegel+Gale, told CNN Business that the new logo was an improvement and that it felt “more open and accessible” to younger, digitally savvy customers.
For over 100 years people have speculated that the logo is actually an aircraft propeller – the white blades cutting through a blue sky. However, the blue and white is actually the colours of the Bavarian flag where BMW – or Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works) – is headquartered.
