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.
In This Article...
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.
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.
The meaning of the BMW logo
White and blue, the colors of the German State of Bavaria, where BMW is based, are the first clue to the logo’s meaning. The BMW logo, complete with the four colored quadrants, is shown on a spinning airplane propeller in a 1929 BMW advertisement.
What is the foundation of the BMW logo?
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.”
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 on an automobile stand for?
Follow the link for assistance if you need it. Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH, or the Bavarian Engine Works Company, is what the abbreviation BMW stands for. The name refers to where the corporation first started, in the German state of Bavaria.
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.
Why does the Audi logo exist?
Four interlocking rings represented the joining of four Saxony-based automakers: Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer to form Auto Union AG. Here are some quick facts about the history of the current AUDI AG.
Bike repair was the company’s first line of business. They later began producing bicycles and subsequently motorcycles. The firm built its first miniature automobile in 1913, which was dubbed “Puppchen” (approximately equivalent to “moppet” in English).
DKW, one of the biggest motorcycle manufacturers at the time, was the fourth business. In 1916, Jorgen Skafte Rasmussen, the creator of Denmark, started testing a steam-powered car called the Dampfkraftwagen (DKW). But Rasmussen started working on two-stroke engines after his futile efforts. DKW became one of the most significant pre-war motorcycle manufacturers a few years later. In 1928, DKW first began producing autos.
What does BMW’s full name mean?
Bavarian Motor Works is the entire name of the company, which is a bit of a mouthful ( Read more: The BMW name and its history)
The meaning of the Ferrari logo
The famous Italian air force fighter during World War I, Count Francesco Baracca, was the real owner of the prancer (the cavallino rampante). That identical pattern was printed on the side of his plane. Before being shot down on June 19, 1918, Baracca, who the Italians regarded as their national hero, had won approximately 30 dogfights.
- Considering that his group was a cavalry corps
- owing to the fact that his wealthy family kept horses on their estate
- Considering that he took the artwork from a German pilot’s aircraft that included the Stuttgart city emblem
But it wasn’t until 1923 that Enzo Ferrari met Baracca’s parents, who begged Ferrari to adopt their son’s artwork as a good luck charm on his automobiles.
The yellow backdrop of the emblem represents the city of Modena, Italy, where Enzo was born. Scuderia Ferrari is the name of the company’s racing branch, and the two letters next to the horse, S and F, represent for that. The Italian national colors are represented by the red, white, and green stripes at the top of the emblem.
Interested in thinking about car logos like Ferrari’s? See more of our Behind the Badge series, which explores amazing auto logos!
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.
What does Lamborghini’s logo look like?
The Lamborghini automaker’s emblem is distinctive. The emblem is composed of a black shield shape with gold borders. The brand name is displayed over the top of the shield in all-caps and gold.
The bull, a symbol of strength, grace, and exceptional performance, is perhaps the most recognizable aspect of the Lamborghini insignia. Although neither the most nor the simplest logo on the market today, the Lamborghini automobile sign is among the most recognizable.
The black Lamborghini shield’s central depiction of the bull is specifically created to express motion. The Lamborghini mascot is primed for action with its head dipped and its hooves positioned.
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).