About BMW Brand:
BMW AG is a German company and one of the leading manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world. Founded in 1916 and based in Munich (state capital of Bavaria), Germany, BMW is also the parent company of the MINI and Rolls-Royce car brands. BMW AG stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, or Bavarian Motor Works/Company in English.
The true meaning of the âsky blue and white quarteredâ BMW logo is the most controversial issue of the company. According to Dr. Florian Triebel, Executive Board Member of BMW AG, âThere are two traditions concerning the significance of the BMW logo and trademark, offering two different interpretations of its sky blue and white fields. One interpretation points to a rotating propeller. The other relates the BMW logo to Bavaria as the place where the products are manufacturedâ.
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The BMW Logo:
The BMW logo consists of a thick black ring encircled by a silver lining. The letters âBMWâ are inscribed in a non-serif font in the top half of the black ring. The gap within the ring is divided into four equal alternative blue and white quarters. The BMW logo, commonly known as âroundelâ, was created and registered in 1917.
The created logo design is remarkably simple and projects an identity that is smart, clear, sporty and image-conscious. It is one of the most distinctive logo designs in the world, speaking highly of a brand-led company. The 1929 Dixi was the first vehicle to carry the famous BMW logo. The BMW logo has been altered very rarely and minutely and has maintained its original look throughout the companyâs history. Here are some of the logos that have been used since 1917.
The Controversy:
One version of the âsky blue and white checker boxâ BMW logo myth connects it with a shining silver/white rotating propeller that the engineers of BMW were working on. The other relates the BMW logo to Bavaria as the place where the products of the company are manufactured and with the national colors of Bavaria (sky blue and white).
The SHINING PROPELLER Theory:
BMWâs current logo design is said to be evolved from the circular design of a rotating aircraft propeller. The white and blue checker boxes are supposed to be a stylized representation of a white/silver propeller blade spinning against a clear blue sky.
The theory is further strengthened with the statement that the image has its origins in World War I in which the Bavarian Luftwaffe flew planes painted in blue and white. It also reflects the origins of BMW as a military aircraft engine maker during WWI and the belief that BMW started as an aero engine manufacturer.
According to the companyâs journal, âBMW Werkzeitschriftâ (1942), the BMW logo emerged when a BMW engineer was testing the companyâs first 320 bhp engine. He admired the reflection of the shining disc of the rotating propeller that radiated like an aura of two silver cones. In between the two cones, the blue from the sky shined that made the ârotating propeller into four areas of color â silver and blueâ.
The engineer, who envisioned this image, also saw three letters â B M W â reflected on the propeller. Thus, the BMW logo was born.
However, according to a BMW spokesperson, the BMW logo does not symbolize a spinning propeller (although the imagery did appear in post-WWI advertisements). On other note, this statement is considered by many as merely a bogus claim made by the company to give a logical explanation to the public about the BMW logoâs creation.
In fact, the first BMW aero-engine test took place in March 1918 â six months after the BMW logo had been created. Additionally, the founding myth of the BMW logo, the propeller, was a component of the engine that was never manufactured by BMW.
BMW: The BAVARIAN FLAG Theory:
For BMW, it was âa happy coincidenceâ that the BMW logo symbolized the Bavarian flag colors and represented the companyâs origin.
When the BMW logo was first created, it was prohibited by the Trademark Act to feature ânational coats of arms or other symbols of national sovereigntyâ in a trademark. This led the BMW marketers to come up with a solution of âincorrectly configuring the color elements in the BMW logo from a heraldic perspectiveâ, while also keeping its relationship with Bavaria evident.
2020 New Logo
On the 3rd of March 2020, BMW revealed that they have updated their logo to match their new release of the i4 concept car. The circle shape design is still the same along with the blue and white color. What changed is that they have given up the 3D and lighting effect and replaced the back thick ring with a transparent one to create a simpler and minimal logo.
The senior vice president customer and brand Jens Thiemer said about the brand new logo: âBMW is becoming a relationship brand, and the transparent logo was designed to âradiate more openness and clarityâ.
Conclusion:
There is every reason to conclude that the BMW logo was created to signify the companyâs origin â Bavaria as the BMW production site. And despite growing hype about the true meaning of the logo design, the BMW logo has become one of the worldâs most recognized symbols that exemplifies class, personality and sophistication.
