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-   -   BMW to get a new logo from 2020 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/international-automotive-scene/219858-bmw-get-new-logo-2020-a-3.html)

Am I the only one who find the new logo refreshing? I mean, it’s been couple of decades with old one. And new logo will appear differently on different surfaces/colors as it has transparent elements. I think it blends well with new digital age with its dynamic and adaptable nature. Have a look at bmw India website, you see different variants when you browse through carousel
// hands down Mercedes logo is the best, if we ever compare.

Looks like they converted previous JPEG to GIF with transparency! For reference, here is the evolution of BMW Logo.

I think they're going to go the backlit way! The only color you can't illuminate is black, with the removal of that I'm pretty sure the hoods are going to carry a backlit version of the logo. So cool!

This is just a step towards cost cutting. Just as the way VW has done to their badge in order to limit the usage of excessive material.

I wouldn't say it's entirely cost cutting, if anything rebranding exercises have often been accused of being the exact opposite. What I think we Are seeing is legacy automobile OEMs adapting their logo to shift with the times in the sense that now these brands are expected to not only have their logo on display in physical media like the cars themselves or in print such as brochures but you expect to see a web presence (on all the various platforms that'll entail) and in the software that's increasingly becoming a part of the vehicle now. With Tesla blurring the lines between auto firm and tech firm, and legacy OEMs being forced to chase them by the market (ie, shareholder pressure) you see them adopting moves we previously saw mostly in the digital domain. Examples being the design identities of the 3 big OS vendors, Microsoft with Fluent design; Google with Material design and Apple famously ditching skeuomorphism with a flat design in iOS7. This is important and you'll see that now translating in the car industry with the new VW and BMW logos. Across the design world we've basically seen a concerted move towards flat design; little wonder then that the design folks who were likely involved in the decisions at BMW and VW would've been influenced by this mainstream contemporary design philosophy.

Take the evolution of airline logos even, we've moved away from mascots and designs with 3D effects to abstract shapes and bold fonts. To you and me these font changes for example will be nigh on indiscernible, but believe you me, having font designer friends; they'll chew your ear off explaining the myriad ways in which something as small as removing the serif will impact brand identity and customer perception.

By taking away the sophistication associated with the colour black, the logo now looks younger and a bit more fun, maybe going for the electric generation. Would be wise to give the overgrown kidney grill the chainsaw treatment while they are at it.