Photo: Adam Kay/Unsplash

During the first weeks of last year’s shutdown, on April 9, 2020, to be exact, Volkswagen has launched a new and improved logo. The company released a press release, complete with an outline and an explanation of why the VW logo has been flattened, centered, and simplified. If no one noticed at the time, it is probably because we are mostly puzzled by the health crisis hitting the world.

Volvo is surreptitiously updated

this week, Volvo has adopted an evenly diluted logo in stealth. No press release, no announcement. The Swedish automaker has chosen to moderate its new logo, which fits perfectly with its minimalist branding. It’s a departure from the previous 3D chrome-plated logo that the company has embraced for several years.

retro logo

curiously, The logo is reminiscent of the first Volvo symbol it showed on its first car in 1927. Modeled after the iron symbol to honor its steel construction, the Volvo logo has consistently featured a circle and arrow formation that also echoes the symbol for both humans and Mars. It took some nice twists, like the square outline around the logo the brand used for a concept car in 1992.

The iron/Mars/male symbol used by Volvo today maintains the same shape it has been in since the 1930s, enhancing the continuity of the theme.

The new logo has not been well received

People already hate the new logo, but the truth is that design trends are changing and automakers have to adapt to stay relevant and up to date. The new logo is popular with graphic preferences today and will translate well across a variety of media. In 2021, more people embraced minimalism during the ornate or post-80s Art Deco era, and it’s sure to change again.

Volvo joins simplicity with its new logo. Shame because it is probably one of the brands with a clear ascribed meaning: security … something bolder than the rest or it has something different, it could have been better. pic.twitter.com/vcvJcAkCU2– Branzai (@Branzai_) September 25, 2021

Anyway, what really matters is how the brand’s cars feel to drive and the logo at the end of the day is pretty much the least.

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