Volkswagen has completely redesigned its brand image with a brand new logo and “sound logo.”
Debuted at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, Volkswagen started their presentation with a bold new look for the company. Focusing in on simplicity and a more human touch, Volkswagen's rebranding represents a "360-degree brand experience."
Let's start with the new logo, which most notably flattens the prominently 3D design down to its essential elements. Namely, a smaller V sitting on top of a larger W in simple white font surrounded by a white circle.
Previous versions of the logo would connect the W's various points to the circle, but now the W floats on top of the circle without actually touching it. There's no embossing or fancy lighting effects to give the logo a bit more pizazz.
It certainly looks simple. According to Volkswagen’s Chief Designer Klaus Bischoff (who played a key role in the company rebranding), the new logo is meant to follow VW's new mottos, which are "digital first" and "no filter." In this case, no lighting filters.
"In our presentation, we want to become more human and more lively, to adopt the customer’s perspective to a greater extent and to tell authentic stories,” said Jochen Sengpiehl, Chief Marketing Officer of Volkswagen.
This rebranding was also a colossal undertaking for Volkswagen. It took 19 internal teams and 17 external agencies to come up with the brand redesign, which took a total of 9 months. Over 10,000 facilities and 70,000 logos will need to be replaced, with Europe and China to start this year. North and South America will begin in 2020, with the whole process expected to be completed by the middle of next year.
And there's a new sound logo, too. This was done in order to “make the Volkswagen brand distinctive in acoustic terms, both in the vehicle and in communications.” Expect to hear it at the end of every VW commercial from now until the next rebranding, which at the current rate is every decade or so.