Live data from Hacker News

BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with modern logo design

theverge.com

111–120 of 193 posts

Re: BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with modern logo design

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> BMW builds _cars_, not Apps. They pride themselves in craftsmanship Do they? You're commenting on a thread about their logo change which suggests they don't. BMW has for very long time been primarily a brand. Take away the brand and they simply wouldn't compete in the market. They build real machines, but not very good ones. Look at Honda if you want an example of a company that is about the machines.

Very debatable. Depends on the model. That may be true for the X models, but if you want that is real wheel drive, practical and fun around corners, you don't have many options. It's worth saying that due to taxing in USA they are a worse deal than in Europe.

On the other hand most other goods are much cheaper in the US than in Europe and also US consumers also have more disposable income than Europeans making the price difference of a BMW negligible.

And anyway, complaining that some luxury cars are a bit more expensive somewhere is a first world problem most people aren't lucky enough to have.

Re: BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with modern logo design

#112
post #88
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Additionally it isn't well composed. I learned graphics design from a guy who actually learned it by using his hands to pit down the letters. He had us move one black square around on a white page for 3 hours and explain why we put it where we did. Then we were allowed two squares of arbitrary size, later colors etc. If you are learning it from that basic level you cannot unsee badly unbalanced design. You cannot jus…

> This thing looks like it has been made by the CEOs daugther in Powerpoint. Off topic and nit-picky: Let's say "CEOs kid" to keep it gender neutral since it's a negative example. I know it was a random choice, but managing other's perceptions is part of sensitivity.

[deleted]

Re: BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with modern logo design

#113

BMW builds _cars_, not Apps. They pride themselves in craftsmanship. The Logo badge on the actual car is a three dimensional, physical thing. Instead of embracing that, they made it flat like an App icon. It will look shit on cars and it does not communicate that BMW builds _real machines_. Everybody is going crazy about going digital and they forget what they are good at and what the customer likes them for.

> They pride themselves in craftsmanship.

Designing a good logo is also craftsmanship.

Re: BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with modern logo design

#114
post #102

BMW builds _cars_, not Apps. They pride themselves in craftsmanship. The Logo badge on the actual car is a three dimensional, physical thing. Instead of embracing that, they made it flat like an App icon. It will look shit on cars and it does not communicate that BMW builds _real machines_. Everybody is going crazy about going digital and they forget what they are good at and what the customer likes them for.

Commenters are saying BMW has stated clearly they will not use the new logo on their products (cars). Everybody here is tripping for no reason.

They showed the flat logo as a badge on their new concept car, right when they announced it. Maybe they are backtracking now, but it seems pretty clear their original intent was to put it on the cars.

Re: BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with modern logo design

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are conflating design decisions with craftsmanship. I would argue that they still pride themselves in the execution of the designs, even if you (and I) disagree with some of the design direction.

Anecdotally I've known 5 BMW owners, one was an older car (early 2000's), the rest made after 2010. The older one wrecked unfortunately, and all but one of the rest had mechanical failures. Statistically they may not be any better or worse than any other manufacturer, but I still can't convince myself that their craftsmanship is any better. The koreans pride themselves in their craftsmanship too, and their cars are a…

Anecdotal too but the only car that has left me stranded ever was a bmw.

I love the older bmws for the driving experience but they require so much more maintenance than say a Lexus. The newer bmws meanwhile seem to be geared much more to the luxury market than driving enthusiasts (eg very few manual choices).

Re: BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with modern logo design

#116
post #58
post #35

> Sure, it looks nice on BMW’s bronze-hued electric i4 sedan concept, but what about on a white BMW? Or a letterhead? Or on a sign for a BMW dealership on a highway? Is the author really concerned that BMW's design team didn't think about how this logo would be used in such fundamental ways? I can guarantee you that they did. You can personally like or not like it, fine. But if you're going to write a judgey article…

> Companies don't just have some intern change their logo up for no reason at all. Companies redesign their brand (websites, logos, etc.) all the time and it often correlates with a new hire who wants a "fresh start" with the brand. Jens Thiemer who is the SVP of Customer and Brand and spearheaded this effort has been at BMW a little over 1 year. It's a way of staking your claim at a company and putting your literal…

The new guy can suggest a rebranding, but I'm sure the CEO and board will have something to say about it/final approval.

Re: BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with modern logo design

#118
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's actually a stylized Bavarian flag, the propeller story is a myth

“Then, in 1942, BMW itself linked the propeller to its company symbol” [0] [0] https://www.bmw.com/en/automotive-life/bmw-logo-meaning-hist...

That article clearly says the propeller thing is a myth, and that BMW just did that once for a fun advertisement.

Re: BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with modern logo design

#119
post #11

The flat aesthetic: making the world uglier one icon at a time.

This has absolutely nothing to do with "flat" design. BMW historically had a flat shaded logo [1]. The current logo is just supposed to be the flat shaded badge that goes on the cars, but rendered as if it's actually being lit.

The problem is just that they removed the black ring that is key to the logo and the brand. Add that back, and it's virtually identical to the logo they had for whole second half of the 20th century.

The removal of the black ring is unequivocally not a consequence of flat design.

[1] https://cdn.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/https-_s3...

Post reply on HN