Destroying Identity: Oversimplified Car Logos

A classic car connaisseur adresses the weird and problematic trend of redesigning logos in the auto industry. They all turn into black oversimplified designs with no identity, uniqueness and originality. What is going on?

This video is more about the comments than the video, let me know your thoughts on these simplified car brand logos!

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[lassebauer]

There is an old saying in the ad business: "Everybody wants the same type of different."
I've been working in the ad business as a creative on many of the biggest global brands, and while many people think there is some great conspiracy or masterplan behind why companies choose similar design or brand strategies, the main reason is much simpler: Fear. Fear of not being modern/following the trend and fear of losing market share by being too different.
I worked for Coca-Cola for several years, and they always asked us to come up with something "never seen before". After many many iterations and proposals it always ended the same way: They'd pick something almost identical to last year's (effective) campaign and tweak it ever so slightly.
Fear drives more branding decisions than you'd think. Just look at Bud Light.

[Space_Reptile]

a note about the renault logo, they technically didnt flatten their logo but simply went back to an earlyer version of their logo, one they used in the 70s

[tamas]

the more i look at the kia logo, the less it looks like actual letters

[LoweASMR]

I totally agree with you! I hate this new era, all of the cars have lost their identity!

[henriquesalvatti]

They adopted this design lenguage as a way to look more modern, but i think it has the oposite effect, they now look like the older and simpler designs from the 1920's.

[benzhere]

For people who didn't like kia (a majority of the US population), the new vague logo makes the company less recognizable. I have heard a great deal of people say, "I really like the design of those new KN cars" only then to be shocked after they learn it was actually a Kia. However, for other well established and liked brands, it makes much less sense as they do not need to trick people into liking their brand.

[tcrweeks]

Note: Most people can't figure out what Toyota's oval shaped logo represents. It's just a bean wearing a sombrero.

[VulpesHilarianus]

My job was actually feeding into my depression because when I was asked to design posters, boards, labels, UIs, and whatever, the clients always asked for flat tri-tones. White, black, and for variety a "pop" colour like aqua, light blue, or rose gold were the most common palettes they went with. Seeing this stuff over and over again and trying to explain to clients that drop shadows, gradients, and separator elements were indeed ADA compliant and were not "out of date" wore me down. I just quit. I couldn't handle it anymore because it honestly gave me that same feeling of hospital hallways.

[nathanielbailey]

“A future that is flat dark and boring” is more descriptive of the car industry in general rather than just the logos.

But yes anyone who knows anything about marketing knows that brand identity is important…. And anyone that knows anything about the market knows that no one (or nearly no one) in marketing these days is doing their job.

[Dakiraun]

100% agreed! I don't get the trend of flat, undetailed everything going on these days. To see it happening with the car company logos has just added another layer of ridiculousness to it. Kia had an especially poorly thought out one. You know the silly thing is that in a few more years, they'll go back to a more detailed, pretty logo like it's a brand new idea.

[eustahijelifetips]

The Renault logo is actually their old logo, i remember it from our families r5's that we had! On god do i miss the sight of an r5!

[legomasterj]

One of the reasons for the flat logos lately, is so they can easily be backlit through some grille or taillight facia piece on their new cars and make it recognizable. Mainly looking at VW here.

[theflightpractitioner]

The new KIA logo has got to rank as one of the biggest missteps in establishing a brand's identity. The letters are virtually unrecognizable and the angles are a better lesson in failed geometry than my 9th grade math final.

[willkofficialyoutube]

I have to agree with you, As companies push toward EVs and the future, they redesign their logos in order to be "futuristic" like their are a tech company.

[jackmadden]

You can't convince me that the new Cadillac logo isn't just a stretched QR code.

[JDSleeper]

Flat, dark, and boring describes a lot more than car companies. Commercial buildings that are boxes in flat grays and browns, completely averse to any kind of bright colors. Fast food places in particular look like they're going through and emo phase. It's all very depressing.

[spavliskojr]

You nailed it! As a graphic artist ive always noticed how the logos are getting so minimalistic. The changes started when cell phones started using "flat" icons instead of mimicking real world objects like glass buttons etc. Its become more and more pervasive in logo design from that point on.

[brvss__]

i used to love VW commercials over here in mexico cause they were so creative and fun to watch, but i especially loved the way the logo appeared once the ad ended

[valengreymoon]

It just makes me think no one cares about actual design anymore. Everything is built to regulations, so most look like crap. The 50s still rule in the design department, followed closely by the Art Deco era.

[BassicVIC]

Wow. Mercedes-Benz emblem was a stroke of genius right off the bat 100 years ago.