You know H&R Block? Their logo is just a green...block. Very simple. Almost too simple. You may also remember how clothing chain Gap tried to simplify their logo in October 2010...and failed miserably, lasting less than a week.
But these super-simple logos got me thinking: what if all the auto marques got a Block/Gap-style makeover, and their logos were distilled down in the most basic forms? So did just that with most of the biggest brands. The results are...mixed. Some logos look almost exactly the same; some are unrecognizable.
Here are the variables I used in drawing up these logos:
- I only used basic geometric shapes (squares, circles, and triangles, etc.).
- In doing so, I tried where possible to avoid overly-complex "tangram" style compound shapes.
- I only used solid colors (red, blue, gold, grey/silver, etc.).
- I used a plain sans serif font if the logo contains text, employing lower-case where appropriate.
- I instituted a 90-second time limit on all logos.
- Where possible, I designed the logo in such a way that it could be described in as few words as possible.
Below is a list of brief explanations (defenses?) of each logo:
Acura: Silver "A" in a silver ring Audi: A chain of four silver rings
Bentley: White "B" in a black circle over a silver upside-down triangle (portraying "wings") BMW: Blue and White checker in a black ring Buick: Three upside-down triangles in a silver ring
Cadillac: Gold and Burgundy checker (predominant colors in the coat of arms)
Chevrolet: Gold plus sign ("bowtie"), black type Chrysler: Dark blue triangle in a silver upside-down triangle
Dodge: Two red squares ("racing stripes")
Fiat: White type in a deep red circle Ford: White type in a blue circle
GMC: Red type
Honda: Blue "H" in a blue square
Hyundai: Blue "H" in a blue circle
Jeep: Green type
Kia: White type in a bright red circle
Land Rover: White type in a green circle
Lexus: Gold "L" in a gold ring
Lincoln Motor Company: Black plus in a black square
Mazda: Silver "M" in a silver circle, blue type
Mercedes-Benz: Silver triangle in a silver ring
MINI: White type in a black circle over a silver upside-down triangle (see Bentley, Chrysler)
Mitsubishi: 3 red triangles, stacked to form a bigger triangle, black type
Nissan: Black type in a silver rectangle over a silver ring
Porsche: Deep gold and burgundy checker pattern (see Cadillac)
RAM: Silver upside-down triangle in a black square ("ram's head"), black type
Subaru: One large white triangle and five smaller white triangles ("Pleiades constellation") in a dark blue circle
Toyota: Red "T" in a red ring, red type
VW: White "V" and "W" vertically stacked in a light blue circle
Volvo: Dark blue type in a dark blue ring with upside-down dark blue triangle pointing NE ("iron mark")
I realize there are plenty of logos missing from the graphic above (Jaguar, Ferrari, etc.) I plan on giving all of them this treatment. I cannot guarantee any degree of success.
Of course, feel free to post your own ideas. MS Paint (or even Word) is all you need!
Automotive Logos - Simplified.