As the years passed, the image of perfectionism, high caliber design, and potent engineering caused some uncertainty.
Some have come to the idea that the almost $100 billion-worth BMW emblem was modeled after a modest passenger airplane propeller.
This was a result of a 1929 advertisement (above) that included the emblem inside a moving airplane propeller to advertise a new aviation engine that BMW was developing. According to the report, “sticking to the story that the BMW is a propeller would not be altogether inaccurate” because BMW “for a long time made little effort to refute the myth that the BMW insignia is a propeller.” Create Bloq
Additionally, because to the sun’s reflection, the logo’s four distinct portions resemble propellers in bright sunlight.
The idea that BMW’s emblem was influenced by an airplane propeller was further strengthened by the knowledge that the Bavarian Luftwaffe used blue and white aircraft during World War I.
There is another reason for this notion, according to Michelle Parnell, the history and science writing specialist at Topresume and the top assignment writing service.
She claims that BMW is thought to have a history of producing aircraft engines and produced engines during World War I.
In 1942, the business confirmed the claim that the BMW emblem was inspired by a propeller that was whirling.
The firm said that the logo was inspired by BMW’s first 320 horsepower airplane engine.
The statement went on to say that an engineer observed the propeller’s reflection of the clear blue sky as the engine was being tested.
The engineer then envisioned the emblem with the BMW lettering on it and precisely with the division colors it has today, according to the journal supplement.
However, a BMW official then disagreed with this theory and gave his reasons for doing so.
The representative rejected the veracity of this notion, in spite of a picture that was presented in advertisements prior to World War I.
The first explanation is that the logo was created prior to the testing of the aforementioned engine.
The logo could not have been created without first seeing it on the engine testing.
Instantaneously, the spinning propeller notion was exposed as a false assertion made by the business to rationally explain its logo.
People were left wondering how the BMW logo was designed before it was used.
In This Article...
BMW’s evolving logo
This four-minute movie explores the history of the BMW logo and dispels the urban legend that the logo was inspired by revolving airplane propellers.
Script taken from the video
“Respect for the publicity department back then for the fact that the airscrew myth persists today. People think that the BMW logo is based on a rotating airscrew. The origin of this interpretation is the cover of a BMW aircraft magazine. This picture (shown below) was taken in 1929, years after the logo first came into existence.
BMW chose the Bavarian national colors as a symbol, but arranged the letters exactly like Rapp. As a result, you can see how the BMW logo was created. According to Kai Jacobson, an automobile historian with the BMW Group, “As Rapp grew into BMW, BMW assumed all the business segments, and the company wanted the logo to be oriented on Rapp’s logo.
What was the original BMW emblem?
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.
How was the BMW logo created?
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).
Who created the BMW logo?
The blue and white logo was also influenced by Rapp Motoren Werke Munchen, a car manufacturer that developed into BMW.
Rapp didn’t influence the choice of colors for the BMW logo, but it did have a significant impact on the design of the emblem.
It had an impact on the layout of the logo in addition to its shape.
To begin with, the Rapp logo was spherical and had a wide border around it.
Rapp’s logo also had a significant impact on how the text would be organized and where the symbol would appear.
On both logos, the text is arranged to resemble a semicircle within the substantial border.
BMW’s logo was influenced by Rapp’s, even though it was only created in black and white because colored pictures weren’t widely used at the time.
The traditional blue and white colors of the BMW logo have replaced the representation of the black horse.
The similarities between the two logos may be seen when they are side by side.
Rapp was acquired by BMW, yet it still produced remarkable achievements, as evidenced by the modern BMW logo.
Why did BMW modify their logo?
2020 was a big deal for many different reasons. Among other things, it turned out to be the year of the new automobile emblem, with manufacturers ranging from Nissan to Rolls-Royce announcing new designs that are nearly all characterized by the word “flat.” But a year ago this month, the first one to be shown was arguably the greatest of the group.
BMW’s new logo, which was unveiled in March of last year, is a translucent, flat reworking of its once metallic insignia. To achieve a clean, modern appearance, the traditional outer black ring has been eliminated and replaced with pure transparency. Both the circle pattern and the Bavarian state colors of white and blue are still present.
The straightforward design has a lot of appeal to us. Its simplicity suggests that it has been updated with digital use in mind, but it also recognizes the 103-year history of the brand, making it a strong example of both traditional and modern logo design. While there was some initial skepticism online, it quickly became apparent that the transparent design is perfect for both physical and digital uses, like the entertaining reveal video above.
In a news statement, Jens Thiemer, senior vice president of customer and brand, stated that the transparent logo was created to “radiate more openness and clarity” and that “BMW is becoming a relationship brand” (what, like Tinder?).
Since then, BMW has added the 2020 design to its history of the logo page (opens in new tab). The boldness of this redesign becomes more apparent when viewed in context (below), where the elimination of the black ring seems to be the most significant alteration to the emblem since 1917.
We were especially intrigued in the article’s clarification of the widespread myth that the emblem itself symbolizes a propeller when BMW initially published it in 2019 (opens in new tab). This was inspired by a 1929 advertisement (below), which included the logo inside a moving airplane propeller to advertise a new aviation engine BMW was developing.
According to the report, “sticking to the story that the BMW is a propeller would not be altogether inaccurate” because BMW “for a long time made little effort to refute the myth that the BMW insignia is a propeller.” It’s refreshing to hear a company say that its logo may be whatever you want it to be in a world of bureaucracy and impossible-to-follow rules.
Considering that Renault quietly unveiled a new design just last week, it appears that the flat vehicle logo trend will persist beyond 2021. The unveiling of Kia’s new logo may have been the silliest ever, with the company’s spectacular ceremony outdoing even the most lavish New Year’s celebrations.