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.
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The Real Meaning of the BMW Logo It’s not an airplane propeller, either.
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.
Symbol
They disagree about the symbolism of the BMW emblem today, nearly 90 years after the firm was established and the logo was designed.
An airplane rotating quickly against a background of blue sky is the first and most evident metaphorical significance of the image.
However, there is another chess-related symbolic reason behind the design. In fact, the strategic thinking of BMW’s founders enabled them to “outplay” rivals and the winners of the First and Second World Wars, as well as to maintain and grow production (even in the most challenging circumstances).
logo history
Bayerische Motoren Werke, or BMW, was founded in Munich in 1916. Its initial focus was on the manufacture of aviation engines. The firm’s initial logo was circular to emphasize its relationship with Rapp Motorenwerken, the company that gave rise to BMW. The blue and white circle that took the place of the black horse quickly became the center of attention.
The rumors were fueled by the business itself. The business produced a photograph of a plane in 1929 whose revolving propellers closely resembled the insignia. The business was working on getting the necessary license at the time so it could start producing a new kind of airplane engine. By utilizing the new emblem, BMW hoped to increase sales.
The Bavarian flag is actually referenced by the colors white and blue. BMW made the decision to arrange the colors of the flag in a different order because the law forbade businesses from utilizing the recognized national symbols.
BMW Logo Evolution 1917-2020
The BMW emblem is regarded as one of the best automobile logos in graphic design history. Blue, white, and black are the three imposing colors that make up the BMW logo. White symbolizes innocence and charm, while black signifies the company’s brilliance and elegance. On the other side, the blue color stands for the durability and dependability of its goods.
What does the BMW logo represent?
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).
What does the BMW emblem in black and white stand for?
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. “There are two traditions concerning the significance of the BMW logo and trademark, offering two different interpretations of its sky blue and white fields. One interpretation points to a rotating propeller. The other relates the BMW logo to Bavaria as the place where the products are manufactured,” claims Dr. Florian Triebel, Executive Board Member of BMW AG.
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.
The NY Times reported that BMW had confirmed this: “At the BMW Museum in Munich, my amiable tour guide, Anne Schmidt-Possiwal, explained that the blue-and-white company logo did not represent a spinning propeller, but was intended to show the colors of the Free State of Bavaria. In last Sunday’s Automobiles section, I wrote about visiting a quartet of German car museums.
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 does BMW actually stand for?
Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH, or the Bavarian Engine Works Company, is what the abbreviation BMW stands for. The corporation was founded in the German state of Bavaria, hence the name. Additionally, it highlights the original BMW product line, which includes engines for various uses.
Meaning of the Mercedes logo?
The three points of the Mercedes-Benz star collectively signify 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.