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Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by TheOtherHobbes on Thursday March 05, 2020 @01:47PM (#22496658)
Compare the lettering on the two versions. The use of 3D-ish black and fake embossing on the original makes the letters pop.

The lack of both on the new version makes the letters look like they've been crammed into a tiny space at the top of a big empty ring.

This might have worked with new lettering with different proportions. But it's literally just a flat copy of the original letter shapes, without any of the original context.

The 3D effect on the original print/blueprint/engineering marker/quadrant feels dynamic. The impression changes as you move your eye over it. It conveys movement and substance. It works with the black to suggest a car tire, but also a sophisticated (black...) crafted object.

The new version looks like a printer reference mark. It's just... there. It doesn't do anything.

The grey is meaningless and neutral. Again, it's just there. It fills a space, and that's all. The transparent version doesn't even do that. There's literally nothing there.

Removing the 3D creates a uniform space inside the ring, which is why the letters now look as if they're squashed up at the top for no reason. There's poor alignment, and no metaphorical or literal highlight.

Overall it suggests that management don't care about engineering or about appearances.

Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by Sohcahtoa82 on Thursday March 05, 2020 @04:41PM (#22498657)
> The new version looks like a printer reference mark. It's just... there. It doesn't do anything.

To me, it looks like the mark on a crash test dummy.

Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by GordonS on Thursday March 05, 2020 @05:09PM (#22498885)
Yes, I knew it reminded me of something - that's it!
Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by SomeHacker44 on Thursday March 05, 2020 @06:21PM (#22499475)
> print/blueprint/engineering marker/quadrant

I believe the logo was originally intended to represent a propeller.

Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by NaOH on Thursday March 05, 2020 @09:04PM (#22500417)
Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by atoav on Friday March 06, 2020 @01:42AM (#22501450)
I am quite sure it is just one square of the traditional white and blue bavarian checkers pattern, with Bavaria coincidentally standing for the "B" in BMW
Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by halfnormalform on Thursday March 05, 2020 @07:52PM (#22500105)
Yes! It’s a propeller against a blue sky.
Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by huebomont on Thursday March 05, 2020 @03:00PM (#22497520)
Hate to break it to you, but all these "problems" with the logo were exactly the same in the old logo. You got distracted by the ham-fisted layer styles and fooled into thinking that made it good.

The fact that you said "makes the letters pop" would send shivers down any designer's spine.

Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by atoav on Friday March 06, 2020 @01:59AM (#22501518)
Having the text as negative space on dark is still perceptually different to having it on a transparent background (which is perceived as negative space). This is enough to make it feel unbalanced.

See here: https://i.imgur.com/uW4TGX2.png

Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by huebomont on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @11:30AM (#22536272)
Purely subjective. I personally see no difference in the balance, and either way, "balanced" doesn't mean correct.
Re:BMW’s new flat logo is everything that’s wrong with moder... by ksec on Friday March 06, 2020 @05:39AM (#22502535)
Thank You! This is enough to illustrate the problem. It would have been fine if they had kept the black as background colour.