Car Brands Are Reverting to Flat, Simpler Logo Designs In Digital Era

The 3D effect was a big thing in design in the eighties and nineties, but as the world started going digital, companies began reverting to flat or 2D designs that look better on small smartphone screens and as tiny app icons. These include automotive companies too.

Czech automaker Skoda is the latest brand to simplify their logo. The eighth iteration of the 97-year-old company’s logo drops the accent mark above the ‘S’, which is incorporated into the letter instead with a split at the top.

The emblem will not be featured on new cars, though, as Skoda confirmed that from 2024, their vehicles will be branded with a simple wordmark.

Late last year, Volvo had adopted a simpler version of their Iron Mark, which was derived from the alchemy symbol for iron to represent the strength and quality of Swedish steel. The company dropped the centre blue bar and opted for more negative space to emphasise the wordmark and narrower shape of the logo.

Simple is good for smaller screens:

Nissan too had earlier dropped the bar in their logo and maintained the outline of their logo for a sleeker look. The new design is meant to represent looking towards the future while staying connected to the tradition of innovation, which is a tune everyone is singing…

The one that everyone loves to hate but this writer quite likes is KIA’s logo redesign, which had many asking about a new auto company called KN whose cars they had been seeing on the roads.

According to KIA’s CEO, the new logo represents the company’s commitment to becoming an icon for change and innovation. Yes, the confusion is understandable, but overall the wordmark is just pleasing to look at, in this writer’s opinion.

But if you are a bawse, you can drop the name and be confident that consumers will recognise your logo still, and that’s what Toyota did just a couple of years ago.
Toyota’s revised visual identity was created with The&Partnership creative agency whose Head of Art, Dan Beckett, said that the wave of conversion over to flat designs was not a “trend”, but a practical approach to ensure readability in a time when digitisation has taken over.

What do you think? Less is more, minimalism is the new sophistication, and all that jazz?