Designers love talking about logo redesigns, and the VW refresh (it would be pushing it to call it a new logo) has predictably got people talking.
In this video Klaus Bischoff of Volkswagen explains what it’s about.
Leaving to one side questions of personal taste, we were interested to see this reaction from designer Ralf Herrmann:
“The way we (designers) justify and sell an endless cycle of back and forth (here flat → 3D → flat →…) is embarrassing. #snakeoil”
I think that raises three really important questions about the role of designers in branding.
Utility
Logos are not art. First and foremost they need to be utilitarian; they need to work in all of the contexts in which the organisation wants to use to, from the front of cars to smartwatch apps.
The new VW logo is much more versatile, and that’s one of the big reasons we think this refresh is a positive step.
Meaning
What about the way we designers “justify and sell” these redesigns? There we think Hermann has a point. Rather than saying “It was time for a refresh, and a flat logo will be more flexible for digital use”, we get “We want to give the Volkswagen brand logo a new lightness, give it a new light.”
A logo is not art, so does it need to be described like something in an art gallery catalogue? A good logo redesign or refresh should have a very clear rationale, and it should aim to achieve practical objectives. What is your logo going to be used for? How will it be reproduced? Will it be recognised?
At the same time, though, logos can convey meaning to customers. Part of their function is to show a brand’s personality, to communicate what the brand stands for…perhaps to gently imply a return to basic values that predated emissions testing scandals?
Whether the redesign has succeeded at the level of meaning is something that only time, and customers, can tell you.