In one of the largest rebranding efforts the automotive industry has seen, VW has ditched its iconic logo for a new one, complemented by an acoustic sound.
How many designers does it take to make Volkswagen’s logo ‘two dimensional’? Answer: 19 internal teams and 17 external agencies. Gosh.
The German maker unveiled its new badge at the Frankfurt motor show overnight, which will be one of the largest rebranding efforts in history. With more than 10,000 dealerships and service centres, and around 70,000 old VW logos spanning across 154 countries, it will take until mid-2020 to replace the old chiseled icon.
Efforts are already underway, too, with VW’s Wolfsburg headquarters now headed by the new look design.
The purpose of the change, according to VW chief designer Klaus Bischoff, is to align with the next generation of vehicles and mobility.
“In the new brand design, we have created an authentic communications platform for the emotional presentation of e-mobility,” he said.
Along with a ‘flat two-dimensional design,’ there will be a ‘sound logo’ that VW says will “make the Volkswagen brand distinctive in acoustic terms, both in the vehicle and in communications.”
Reduced to a flat, simple design, the logo is better suited to digital applications and will appear as an illuminated badge on new VW product.
At the end of its press release, Volkswagen adds that ‘The brand is now to become female,’ adding, ‘On almost all markets, a woman with a warm, pleasant and confident voice will speak for Volkswagen.’
