Worst logo downgrade?

[-]

Humillionaire@reddit

Graphic designer here to pretentiously disagree with everyone. That Bugatti "logo" is just a word mark. It's part of a bigger brand package that probably includes a badge as well. Sometimes you just need to use the wordmark without the badge. It's a very nice wordmark.

The new Kia logo is closer to a badge than a wordmark. It doesn't matter that it kinda looks like a backwards N because you know what it is when you see it. Ford's logo is not that legible either. Why is the Chevrolet badge a t? Doesn't matter.

[-]

MandoBaggins@reddit

☝️🤓 actually the Chevy logo is called a bow tie. The rumors are that it was jacked from a hotel wallpaper pattern or just doodled at random on a napkin.

But yeah, it doesn’t appear to mean jack shit lol

[-]

KSoMA@reddit

Sorta funny that Chevy has such lame stories behind a lot of their imagery. Recently found out that the general story behind V for Cadillac's performance cars is just that it was probably focus grouped as a trademarkable and somewhat unique badging that would stand out on their cars, rather than having some historic or even just national significance like for example Hyundai's N(amyang) or Lexus's F(uji).

[-]

DriveRightCarBuying@reddit

More fun facts — the word Lexus means nothing. It was picked by Toyota out of a list of 100 names from an NYC branding firm.

Also fun fact — Lexis Nexis (data broker) sued Toyota at the 11th hour before the LS400 launch. Toyota won the lawsuit but they came very close to needing a new name and delaying the LS400 launch by months.

[-]

varezhka11@reddit

Also, the 90s Manga/Anime "Magic Knight Rayearth" was originally "Magic Knight Lexus" at initial conception. Maybe the authors thought they went too far this being the series title, but pretty much all of the proper nouns (character names, locations, magical spells) are actually car models.

[-]

mhales45@reddit

While the misnomer that it stands for Luxury Export US is incorrect, it kinda makes for a better story than just saying the name was created out of thin air.

[-]

bandito12452@reddit

I assumed the V was a nod to the Cadillac V16 from way back in the day

[-]

BeerorCoffee@reddit

Chevy's badge is the "t" so people know to emphasis the t at the end of their name.

[-]

tiagojpg@reddit

Pronounced “ey”

[-]

BeerorCoffee@reddit

No, no. Pronounced "chev-roh-leT"

[-]

IcyHeartWarmSmile@reddit

Kia

[-]

deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

[-]

AutoModerator@reddit

Political discussion is prohibited. However, if your post involves politics AND CARS, please consider submitting to /r/CarsOffTopic.

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[-]

Spyzilla@reddit

The craziest part is Kia’s would look pretty good if they gave the A a cross bar

[-]

cotxdx@reddit

KИ would have been better if they had used the "Flying K" logo. Too bad it can't be retrofitted to the KИ badged ones.

[-]

syrtran@reddit

FYI, it's a bird in flight, not a tulip, or even "M". It used to show the tips of the wings over the border.

And Kia should've had a crossbar on the "A". It would've been much clearer.

[-]

cotxdx@reddit

Like ~~KИ~~?

Nice perspective about the old Mazda logo. It's a shame they changed it for worse.

[-]

nukelauncher95@reddit

That "flying K" was never an official logo. It was always an aftermarket badge. It became popular in Korea which made people think it was the KDM logo.

[-]

colonial_dan@reddit

I hated that flying k, its was always on the most beat up optimas and never looked right

[-]

cotxdx@reddit

The flying K looks miles better than the default Kia logo, which iirc was designed to fit inside the Ford Oval logo.

[-]

Marshall_Lawson@reddit

at least KИ still reads as "ki" in cyrillic, it's 2/3 correct

[-]

Bebealex@reddit

The fact that the entire point of the logo is to look premium while keeping it one piece to save 0.02$ is, wow

[-]

ScienceMechEng_Lover@reddit

You mean KN?

[-]

Phatboybeware@reddit

NIN

[-]

strongmanass@reddit

Does anyone under 30 years old know who Nine Inch Nails is?

[-]

aprtur@reddit

I'm going to guess very few, much like Prodigy.

[-]

dietpasito@reddit

NIN having a massive resurgence rn

[-]

Con_Dinn_West@reddit

Snap my picture

[-]

aprtur@reddit

Mandela effect....LOL...."change my pitch up...." is the actual lyrics 😁. That song and "Firestarter" live rent free in my head.

[-]

t-poke@reddit

Saw them live a few months ago, plenty of younger people at the show. But it was mostly us old farts who were staying up way past our bedtime to be there.

Worth it though. Fucking amazing.

[-]

TheBeastX47@reddit

There are dozens of us!

[-]

tiagojpg@reddit

I’m 28, perfectly aware of NiN but learned about them in a fun way. I found them through Johnny Cash’s cover of the song “Hurt”, which I then learned NiN also covered. And Elvis.

[-]

FoxDown@reddit

The NiN version is the original that Cash covered and the Elvis cover is a completely different song.

[-]

carsonwade@reddit

Cash covered it but even Trent Reznor said that's Cash's song now.

[-]

tiagojpg@reddit

Bruh I can’t believe I’ve thought that all these years! I remember looking up the song lyrics and read that it was written by Jimmie Crane wtf.

Thanks for the knowledge!

[-]

Louie_G_Lon@reddit

I wanna fuck you like a Carnival

[-]

PolarWater@reddit

Nice Is Neat

[-]

doubleyuno@reddit

I read animorphs when I was a preteen when those books were new, and all these years later I still think of NIN as Nice Is Neat.

[-]

Trainboy_2005@reddit

Nine Inch Nails?

[-]

AnemoneOfMyEnemy@reddit

KИ

[-]

rugbyj@reddit

The filter company.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

The Kia logo is one of the biggest improvements ever.

[-]

driftking428@reddit

Absolutely. I'm shocked this is so high. I understand not loving the new logo, but the old one was one of the worst ever.

[-]

zoned_off@reddit

For some reason everyone is obsessed with it being hard to read as "Kia". That argument never made sense to me as almost all car logo brands are not legible as the word they stand for, but rather are a logo representation of the brand.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

КИ to me is readable and it’s actually a smart design.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

It’s minimalistic and modern looking. The old one was absolutely terrible indeed.

[-]

theflintseeker@reddit

Yep the new Kia logo is such an improvement that it now makes the Hyundai logo look so dated

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

It always looked dated too.

[-]

Bebealex@reddit

The fact that the entire point of the logo is to look premium while keeping it one piece to save 0.02$ is, wow

[-]

Salt-Plankton436@reddit

Kia has actually never had a good logo. The old one was mediocre and all the others are absolute dogshit.

[-]

Meister1888@reddit

I like the futuristic KIA logo. The old one was downmarket.

[-]

TheRedBull28@reddit

I don’t think the “new” Kia logo is very good, but the old one was so bad that I think it’s an improvement. The old one looked like it was done in PowerPoint with the shapes tool and a text box

[-]

enp2s0@reddit

Yeah that old badge looks terrible and immediately made the whole car look cheap and tacky imo. The new one is a bit hard to read from a lettering standpoint but at least fits into the modern design language of the cars.

[-]

thetimechaser@reddit

Agreed. The old badge looked like something you'd literally see a toddlers plastic push car lol

[-]

Zappiticas@reddit

I’ve always hated when manufacturers just put their name in a circle as a badge. Ford has always irritated me for the same reason.

[-]

MandoBaggins@reddit

Ford should get a pass though for its historical context. To me, it’s like complaining that Coca-Cola is lame because it’s ‘just script’

I agree with almost any other example you’d bring to the table though

[-]

mada447@reddit

Pretty sure Ford has never changed its logo in its entire life.

[-]

superluig164@reddit

Technically they have, but not significantly enough to matter. It's always been the same script in a blue oval, but the shading and exact colour of the oval has changed over time.

[-]

NSFEffort4@reddit

It was made so they could fit in the slot for the ford badge of the early 90s with the Ford Festiva being a rebadged Kia Pride. They stuck with the Ford oval for too long

[-]

apoctank@reddit

Now I want to see someone rebadge their F250 as a Kia

[-]

Manafont-@reddit

Their logo was beautiful? That is a hot take, I thought it was quite generic/bad.

[-]

LOL_YOUMAD@reddit

The old logo gave off the “I eat crayons” vibe, the new one looks decent to me but looks like it says KN every time I see it. It misses the mark on readability but don’t think it looks bad in a sense

[-]

byerss@reddit

New logo is way better than the old one, what are you smoking?

[-]

8N-QTTRO@reddit

I always think its funny how, when Kia sponsored a major sports event with their new logo for the first time, searches for "K backwards N" shot up like crazy.

[-]

dr_strange-love@reddit

You mean KN?

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

No KИ

[-]

Bebealex@reddit

The fact that the entire point of the logo is to look premium while keeping it one piece to save 0.02$ is, wow

[-]

stevolutionary7@reddit

I miss the Cadillac ducks. And wreath. And large floaty gaudy isolation mantra they had from. The 1920s through the early 90s.

[-]

Slideways@reddit

The Cadillac emblem never had ducks; they were merlettes.

[-]

Lipstickquid@reddit

I somehow learned that indirectly from watching an episode of Storage Wars.

[-]

stevolutionary7@reddit

I, and uncultured swine, thank you for the clarification.

Totally thought the Catera commercials used a duck, but in my defense I was a kid.

[-]

Lipstickquid@reddit

Lexus dropping the L badge in most places and replacing it with that ridiculous spelled out version.

[-]

2006pontiacvibe@reddit

Mazda does the same on the new CX-5 and it feels so wrong

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

Very weird indeed.

[-]

CaptainGo@reddit

The kids would say it's an L

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VEGA3519@reddit

Imo i don't like Buick's logo refresh. The horizontal placement of trishields and removing the ring makes it look too generic. GM didn't had to redesign it

[-]

Privateer_Lev_Arris@reddit

Buick is the only brand that uses 3 shields next to each other thereby actually making them very unique. Most logos out there have circles around them thusly making THEM generic. I think you might not know what generic actually means.

[-]

Privateer_Lev_Arris@reddit

I disagree, I think it's one of the best logos in the business right now.

[-]

Blade3562@reddit

We had a 1915 Buick Touring Car. The downgrade happened in 1930.

[-]

zacboggz@reddit

It looks like the monster energy logo from afar

[-]

winniethepujals@reddit

“whatever they did… it wasn’t …enough!” 😂

[-]

sueghdsinfvjvn@reddit

Y'all clearly don't understand graphic design and it shows. Monospaced block letters in a sans serif font that is devoid of any detail and heritage is clearly the superior design chocie compared to silly badges and iconic fonts that carry so much heritage and pride with them. In a serious note, this is not only a problem with cars but every god damn brans wants to switch out their recognizable logos and badges into monospaced block letter slop font "logos". Pathetic chatGPT ass redesign.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

A car brand logo should be an icon, see VW, Renault, Audi, Mercedes or BMW… its should be more than just a font.

[-]

42LSx@reddit

But VW hasn't really got a logo, it's just two letters.

[-]

IMA_5-STAR_MAN@reddit

I love the logos you just names and also want to add my favorite: Porsche. I love that logo. I just wish I could afford one.

[-]

42LSx@reddit

Cadillac just looks like Temu Cadillac.

But the absolute worst without a doubt is Kia or KN or whatever they call themselves now. Just an atrocious logo that can't even spell the companys name right.
I shake my head every time I see a KN on the streets over such dumb marketing.

[-]

purplestormy@reddit

BMW flat badge for sure. The old one had way more character.

[-]

mrgreengenes04@reddit

Buick

[-]

Bebealex@reddit

Kia. The fact that the entire point of the logo is to look premium while keeping it one piece to save 0.02$ is, wow

[-]

Recent_Permit2653@reddit

** $0.02

Also, take the downvote for having posted this at least four times in this thread that I’ve seen.

[-]

kstetter@reddit

alternatively, ¢2 or 2¢

[-]

DodgerBlueRobert1@reddit

Look at their post history. This isn't the first time they've done this. Super weird.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

You’ve posted this 4 times yet I still don’t understand what you wanna say.

[-]

milesdriven@reddit

GM cut the balls off their logo a few years ago. Terrible shortsighted decision.

[-]

kstetter@reddit

Which GM logo had testicles, aren't most just basic shapes?

[-]

ScienceMechEng_Lover@reddit

Jaguar by a mile. It was so good and they fucked it up.

[-]

the_old_coday182@reddit

So good that they couldn’t turn a profit for several decades?

[-]

JPavMain@reddit

I mean you don't sell cars based on logo design.

[-]

kstetter@reddit

it helps though

[-]

ScienceMechEng_Lover@reddit

They didn't turn a profit because they made shit cars, not because their logo was bad (it wasn't, it was arguably one of the most recognisable logos ever). When they did make a good car (like the F-Type), they were popular and sold reasonably well for the segment they were competing in.

[-]

Robbbbbbbbb@reddit

Audi's move from the rings to "A U D I" in the Chinese market is pretty bad lol

[-]

username_needs_work@reddit

Yeah it's weird. I also don't like everyone spelling their names out on the back of the car. First time I saw L E X U S on the back of one, I cringed. I love that logo, give it back.

[-]

CaptainGo@reddit

I want BMW to do it, would be the length of the boot lid

[-]

JPavMain@reddit

It was presented that AUDI and Audi are two different brands.

[-]

Fiveby21@reddit

For the best. China can have their slop and Germany can get back to working on cars that are actually good.

[-]

xt1nct@reddit

M A Z D A does it too now.

[-]

zma924@reddit

Their move from the 3D rings to this flat 2D design and new font is fucking awful too.

[-]

Limesmack91@reddit

To be fair, that's more of a separate brand entirely than just a change of the badging

[-]

ggtsu_00@reddit

h o n d a

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

The new Peugeot logo is pretty terrible! It looks so cheap.

https://grapheine.com/en/magazine/new-peugeot-logo-and-car-rebranding-it-smells-like-a-fawn/

[-]

WarfaceEmu@reddit

It does look really generic, but the one before it looks like it melted in the sun.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

I found the lion iconic and simplistic as a logo should be. The new (old) one looks like a ChatGPT creation.

[-]

WarfaceEmu@reddit

I pretty much prefer anything 1960 and prior based on the article you linked.

[-]

VEGA3519@reddit

Imo it's a great tribute to the past. It looks futurstic and remains faithful at the same time. Especially that logo looks great on Peugeot 308

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

I really don’t think it does and the 308 is likely the worst looking current Peugeot of them all.

[-]

fantaribo@reddit

The 308, especially the latest facelift, might be the best looking of their current range.

[-]

VEGA3519@reddit

I agree that the design might be polarizing. Compared too other Peugeot's it's certainly bold styling

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

The facelift has improved it quite a bit but those bulky sides don’t do it for me. It’s all a matter of taste though and I’m sure it drives well.

[-]

FalconTurbo@reddit

I actually really like it.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

It looks ok on that building but imho it looks cheap on the cars and on the steering wheel.

[-]

FalconTurbo@reddit

If we're talking cheap on a steering wheel, then look at most American badges. Ford is an oval that doesn't mesh with the rest of the aesthetic (and has an unrelated colour). Chevrolet is boring as hell and doesn't evoke any feelings, thoughts or mental images. GMC is just uninspired and trying to be butch, while coming off naff. Cadillac is a dated design brought to the present day badly. As much as I hate to admit it Dodge actually has a cool one, but that's about it.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

I agree on most but the renovated Cadillac one I actually like quite a bit.

[-]

FalconTurbo@reddit

I almost like it tbh. It's just too busy to be able to tell at a glance what's going on.

[-]

Annoying_Orre@reddit

I think all the french brands new logos look horrible. The new citroen logo being the worst one of them

[-]

TheGrogsMachine@reddit

Looks pretty close to the original though.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

I might agree although some newer cars they’ve released make it seem ok. New Renault one imho is awesome as someone who grew up in the 80ies.

[-]

gluten_heimer@reddit

The new Audi S cars. The S is now completely separate from and detached from the red part on the left. It looks wrong.

[-]

EmVeePe@reddit

It’s beating a dead horse at this point but jaguar

[-]

strongmanass@reddit

There's a lot going on with the new Jaguar symbols. I don't have a problem with the new font. I like what it allowed them to do with the artist's mark. I love that it can equivalently be read as either "jr" or "JJ" and I love the symmetry. I like the use of negative space for the new leaper but I wish they had kept it as a retractable hood ornament like the Rolls Royce Spirit of Ecstasy or the Bentley Flying B. I never liked the growler so I have no personal issue with them getting rid of it, but it has history and was upsetting to some people.

[-]

Nicktyelor@reddit

I think the symbols including lowercase lettering is weird. Sparked the whole JaGUar meme and I think they could've achieved the design-forward look while maintaining all caps.

Also in general I find gold/brass to be a trendy metal and not befitting of an automobile. Feels more like a brand of kitchen or bathroom hardware.

I like the leaper but I'm not really sure how they're going to use it on a car? It almost looks like the front end of their concept 00 but instead they used the symbols there.

[-]

strongmanass@reddit

For me case doesn't matter for a single word floating in space. But that kind of thing always upsets people; Jaguar aren't the first to do it and get that reaction.

Brass is definitely having a moment in design right now. The designers drew inspiration from art and design independent of automotive. The brass inspo came from an art piece in London at the time, and the travertine inspo came from an installation at the 2018 Milan Biennale. Jaguar actually got the same travertine from that installation for Type 00. It would be very cool if the first XXX buyers of the GT could option whatever's left of it for interior trim.

It's an interior that's not supposed to stay within automotive trends. They knew it would be controversial with traditional enthusiasts. We'll have to see how much of it makes production.

The plate with the leaper appears in the hinges of the center console and glove compartment. I like that as an Easter egg, but I really wish it was more prominent elsewhere on the car.

[-]

Salt-Plankton436@reddit

It never was a hood ornament and people who put them on Jags are doing it to larp as RR. It would work great as a hood ornament, but Jags designs don't.

[-]

Capitan_Scythe@reddit

I never liked the growler

I always found it hilarious that a British born car brand named their logo 'growler' when it is British slang for a hairy vagina.

[-]

EmVeePe@reddit

I haven’t seen the leaper yet and that actually looks really nice, but personally the other symbols just feel so disconnected and bland. Who knows maybe it will grow on me.

[-]

wolfej4@reddit

They stopped putting them on cars in 2005 but imo they look good on the right car.

[-]

strongmanass@reddit

The font probably feels too r/designdesign because it's very overtly design-forward (every letter starts as a circle and is distorted only enough to be legible). Given the reactions to all the logo redesigns the last five years, the Jaguar approach is probably too heavy-handed in graphic design for most enthusiasts' tastes.

[-]

Due-Boot1904@reddit

OK boys, lets pack it up. Looks like our work here is done....

[-]

average_waffle@reddit

Everyone says this, but was the jaguar brand before any good? When was the last time anyone bought a jaguar? When was the last time you even saw one?

[-]

spish@reddit

Beating a dead cat.

[-]

rugbyj@reddit

The worst thing about it is having to do it 9 times.

[-]

Potential-Ant-6320@reddit

There are many ways to beat a cat, becoming a barbie EV company is just one.

[-]

Pseudonym_741@reddit (OP)

Oh yeah, they still exist.

[-]

Rough_Ad_5061@reddit

Ugh, I feel you on this. It's like they think being 'design-forward' means ditching any sense of identity. Logos should represent the brand, not turn into some art project that confuses everyone. What's wrong with keeping it simple and recognizable?

[-]

radeonalex@reddit

I would say it's because people make assumptions and have pre-notions based on brand name and identity.

Jaguar, for a long time, has been associated with an old person's brand. It's associated with a company that used to be successful.

Charging the visual element of the brand helps dispel that pre-conceived notion and often drives curiosity. I know I'm personally always intrigued when I see a new badge or something I don't recognise.

Obviously, there are plenty of people who know cars and see through this, but the mainstream market... The market that Jaguar need to sell to, often don't.

[-]

PsychologicalDrone@reddit

Yep, was just about to say the same thing. I wish it was just the logo that was the problem with jag, but their entire brand has now gone down the toilet unfortunately

[-]

Foreign_Economist848@reddit

yep 💀 jaguar fr

[-]

hundredjono@reddit

Sneaky Pete was the best Viper logo, the ones afterwards were too tryhard

[-]

Snazzy21@reddit

Chrysler star to Rolls Royce Astin Martin knockoff. Unique and iconic logo to poor copy

[-]

Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

The Mazda toilet bowl in the 90s was pretty bad

[-]

IMA_5-STAR_MAN@reddit

Hyundai in recent years. The logo didn't change but the aesthetics of the badge itself now looks cheap, almost like a sticker.

[-]

sudocurl@reddit

Kia

[-]

PCRFan@reddit

Volkswagen. Just completly unnecessary.

[-]

X19-PT@reddit

Why you want to bring back the swastika?

[-]

brinmb@reddit

fits the edgyness that's popular these days

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

It’s still an upgrade imho.

[-]

V48runner@reddit

K backwards N.

[-]

Sea_Perspective6891@reddit

Probably not the worst but I didn't like the Honda logo they plan to use on some of their future cars. I get they were trying to go with a sort of throwback to the old logo but it just doesn't look right on some of the new/concept Honda designs.

[-]

xXNodensXx@reddit

Honda's new logo is pretty cringe.

[-]

cubs223425@reddit

What, you don't like "B R A N D" slapped across your car?

A lot of companies have shifted to putting "B R A N D" where a logo used to be. Nissan puts "R O G U E" prominently on that model. Honda did it with their EV. Lexus has it on a bunch of things.

My answer is too vague, but it's "any brand that has replaced its logo with its name."

[-]

jdhazan@reddit

It happened 20 years ago, but I really liked the old Mazda logo. It looked premium, especially on a 929. The flying M logo has always looked economy car to me

[-]

aprtur@reddit

I liked the 90s "cylon" logo, too, but the wordmark they've been using since the 70s is iconic - honestly, instead of using the " M A Z D A" on the back of the new cars like everyone else, it would've been cool to see them return to the 80s/90s where that wordmark was fairly small on the decklid - it let the car's design speak for itself.

[-]

jdhazan@reddit

Totally! my dad had an OG Millenia and the design was way ahead of its time.

[-]

Pseudonym_741@reddit (OP)

It looks like a caricature of an angry Mexican man.

[-]

VulpesIncendium@reddit

While I don't think it's nearly the worst mentioned here, the Ford logo looks awful now. It used to be chrome lettering on top of a rich, blue painted background, set deep inside a clear resin oval. Now it's just flat, white plastic lettering set in a flat, blue oval surround. The old logo had a very premium look to it, now it just looks cheap and tacky.

[-]

Pseudonym_741@reddit (OP)

Dunno how Americans have it, but at least here in Europe, the oval on some Ford vans is now black and white instead of blue and white.

[-]

MothusManus@reddit

Fiat, I loved the 5 stripes on the front of cars, and the blue lettering on the steering wheel, and they screwed it up in the 2000's.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

Never understood that either.

[-]

MothusManus@reddit

Yeah, I had a 92' Tipo, the logo went perfectly with it's styling, and it would have with the modern grills too if they do it cleverly like Volvo.

[-]

Dachshand@reddit

I don’t dislike the current one but I would’ve been happy if they had brought back the 4 lines with the new Grande Panda.

[-]

popsicle_of_meat@reddit

It's not the logo exactly, but I'm really not a fan of Honda, Lexus and others losing the badge on the rear and just spelling out their name in a wide font. It's hard to read at times and is much less recognizable.

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