The BMW logo, complete with the four colored quadrants, is shown on a spinning airplane propeller in a 1929 BMW advertisement. Since then, the idea that the BMW emblem symbolizes a propeller has persisted.
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The BMW logo’s history
blue and white interior. dark borders around it. The letters BMW are on it. This has been the universal representation of pure driving pleasure for more than 90 years. But how did this logo come about? In the video above, the BMW crew started looking for hints.
The most contentious matter facing the firm is the genuine significance of the “sky blue and white quartered” BMW logo. Dr. Florian Triebel, a member of the executive board at BMW AG, “Regarding the meaning of the BMW trademark and emblem, there are two traditions that offer two distinct interpretations of its sky blue and white fields. One interpretation suggests a propeller in motion. The second links the BMW mark to Bavaria, where the company’s products are made “.
According to legend, the round shape of a revolving airplane propeller served as inspiration for the modern BMW emblem. The stylised image of a white/silver propeller blade whirling against a clean blue sky is intended to be represented by the white and blue checker boxes.
The BMW logo’s association with the Bavarian flag’s colors and the company’s roots was considered “a lucky coincidence” by BMW. The Trademark Act forbade the use of “national coats of arms or other emblems of national sovereignty” in trademarks at the time the BMW logo was initially designed. The BMW marketers responded by “incorrectly organizing the color parts in the BMW logo from a heraldic standpoint,” maintaining the brand’s association with Bavaria while doing so.
BMW has confirmed this, thanks to the NY Times: “I wrote about visiting four German auto museums in the Automobiles section of last Sunday’s newspaper. My amiable tour guide Anne Schmidt-Possiwal at the BMW Museum in Munich clarified that the blue and white business emblem was not intended to depict a spinning propeller but rather the colors of the Free State of Bavaria.”
BMW brand overview and logo history
Bayerische Motoren Werke, also known as the BMW brand, is a German automobile manufacturer that was first established in 1916. The company is also in charge of making Mini and Rolls-Royce automobiles.
Along with Mercedes Benz and Audi, BMW is one of the most popular luxury car brands worldwide.
Due to BMW’s roots in the field of aircraft engineering, many people initially thought the white and blue shapes of the BMW emblem were meant to depict a spinning propeller. The brand’s blue and white hues, however, truly stand for Bavaria, the nation from which it originated.
The state colors of Bavaria, white and blue, are displayed in the inner circle quarters of the BMW symbol, but they are displayed in the opposite order. This was done on purpose because, at the time the BMW emblem was designed, using state colors was illegal under trademark law.
Bavarian flag inverted or propeller rotating?
The gimmick was chosen for the advertisement simply because it was 1) visually appealing and 2), in the words of BMW, “fit very well into the advertising image of the young company, as it underlined the company’s roots and its expertise in aircraft construction.” The advertisement was meant to promote a new aircraft engine that BMW was building for Pratt & Whitney.
Of course, BMW never tried to dispel the rumor or set the record straight. Additionally, it was solely propelled by a different interpretation of its emblem perched atop a rotating propeller, as seen in this 1942 photo from the business’ works magazine.
“BMW did not put much effort into dispelling the rumor that the BMW badge looks like a propeller for a very long period. Since this view has been widely accepted for 90 years, it has gained support “explains BMW Group Classic’s archive director, Fred Jakobs.
Why is there a propeller on BMW?
What is the meaning of the BMW logo to you? Many people think it represents a propeller, but is this truly true? Wonder no more, as BMW has revealed the significance of its blue and white logo design (opens in new tab).
Of course, the BMW is often associated with aggressive drivers who roar up behind them on the highway and flash their lights while requesting to be let to pass (although, to be fair, Audi has recently usurped BMW in that regard). The next time a BMW emblem appears in your rearview mirror, though, you won’t have to ponder what it represents.
Previously known as Rapp, the company built aircraft engines for the German Air Force, or Luftwaffe, for the first few years of its existence before adopting its current name in 1917. Rapp’s previous logo included a chess piece knight silhouette encircled by a black ring containing the company name. For its new logo, the company kept the black ring but added the now-famous blue and white design in quarters.
The new look was created to showcase the company’s Bavarian background; the Bavarian flag also has a blue and white striped design, and there was a strong desire for Bavarian independence from Germany at the time BMW was founded. The corporate name, BMW, which is short for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Works, also expresses support for independence.
So where did the concept of a propeller come from? BMW claims that it all began with an advertisement that was printed in 1929, back when the company was still making airplane engines, and showed an airplane with the BMW emblem overlaid over the propeller. A similar illustration in a 1942 BMW magazine strengthened the relationship, and legend has since flourished from there.
Even though the firm hasn’t had anything to do with the aircraft industry in a very long time, BMW acknowledges that it hasn’t really made much of an attempt to dispel the misconception surrounding its emblem. It’s just a cute little pub fact that doesn’t hurt and promotes the BMW brand.
However, it’s important to understand the complete significance of the logo. To learn more and to see how the BMW logo has changed through time, see this article on the corporate website (opens in new tab).
Which represents BMW cars in reality?
If you believed that BMW’s logo evoked the company’s past as an airplane manufacturer, you’re mistaken. You’re also mistaken if you assumed that the “Roundel” in the emblem represented a rotating airplane propeller. Fortunately, the Munich-based automaker recently published a “BMW Explained” column debunking some of the Roundel’s origin lore.
As stated in the article by Fred Jakobs of BMW Group Classic, “many people think the BMW emblem is a stylised propeller.” But the reality is somewhat different.
What led to the creation of the Roundel? The company’s famous blue and white inner circular quarters actually got their start as a symbol of the state of Bavaria’s official colors, according the historical discovery. But when the BMW logo was initially designed, the local trademark law of the time forbade the use of the state’s coats of arms and other associated “symbols of sovereignty” in commercial insignias. As a result, the pattern within the BMW emblem displays those colors inverted order.
In order to get around the trademark law, BMW merely reversed the colors.
After beginning as Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH in 1913, BMW originally registered as a business with the German Imperial Register of Trademarks on October 5, 1917. Since BMW didn’t have an emblem at first, its designers simply adopted the former founding company’s original badge, kept its circular shape with the outer black ring, and changed the horse head silhouette with the state’s inverted colors and the letters BMW, which stand for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Works.
What is the origin of the widespread misunderstanding that BMW’s emblem resembles an airplane propeller? This 1929 commercial:
It first appeared that year as a marketing ploy for the firm’s most recent aviation engine, which they were making for Pratt & Whitney under license at the time, just as the world economic crisis, better known to us as “The Great Depression,” started to take hold. Due to its strong association with BMW’s past as an airplane manufacturer, this perception just took off. Since then, it has been repeated several times in the media, most notably in 1942 when a similar advertisement appeared in the “Flugmotoren-Nachrichten” or “Aircraft Engine News” magazine, published by BMW.
According to Jakobs, “BMW made little attempt for a very long time to dispel the idea that the BMW emblem is a propeller.”
Jakobs added that although it isn’t entirely incorrect, calling the BMW symbol a representation of an airplane propeller isn’t entirely accurate either. The identical idea was debunked in a 2010 New York Times piece, yet for some reason, the belief has persisted.
This interpretation has been widely accepted for 90 years, therefore it has developed some validity over time, continued Jakobs.
Hopefully the record will be cleared up once and for all with the company’s official statement from its internal monthly.
What stands for BMW in its logo?
The question “What does the BMW logo mean?” has a straightforward solution. The company’s Bavarian heritage was emphasized in the symbol’s design. The organization honors its history by using the inverted colors of the Bavarian flag.
However, there are different interpretations of the BMW emblem that are possible. A powerful image for inclusivity, community, and connection is a collection of circles enclosing one another.
The “BMW” word mark’s decision to be written in a softer, sans-serif font is also intentional; it makes the firm look more approachable and interesting.
Additionally, a lot of individuals still associate the BMW emblem with the aviation sector, claiming that the white and blue pattern in the middle makes them think of a plane’s fast propeller against a sky of blue.
What is the BMW logo’s coded message?
The whirling airplane blades that make up the BMW logo’s centre portion represent the company’s early heritage of aviation technology.
What is the name of BMW blue?
The M-specific paint finish, BMW Individual Macao Blue metallic, has been a distinctive aspect of M automobiles’ design for more than three decades. The color made a significant comeback in 2016 with the BMW M3 30 Years edition after making its debut on the BMW M3 E30 in 1986.
Meaning of the Mercedes logo?
Meaning of the Mercedes-Benz Logo The three points of the Mercedes-Benz star together symbolize the company’s pursuit of global motorization, but each point also has a distinct meaning. The points stand for land, sea, and air, which the corporation envisioned as being the three spheres they would eventually rule with Mercedes-Benz engines.