The Enigmatic BMW Logo: What’s The Real Score?
 LOGO DESIGN ARTICLES
Have you seen the BMW logo? It consists of a thick black ring, inside which the letters B,M and W are inscribed. Outside the black ring is a silver lining that is barely even seen. In the middle of the black ring is a pie with four slices. The slices are alternatively colored white, and blue.
The logo is very simple really, belying the company’s successful marketing of its products around the world. It is easily recognized among all the other corporate logos in the world because, despite the many revamps, its original look from its first registered incarnation in 1917 still remains.
Have you ever wondered where the logo came from? Other people have wondered too, and are torn apart between two theories: the propeller and the Bavarian flag.
The Shining Propeller
The company is said to support this theory, because it has a 1942 entry in its journal stating the logo appeared out of an engineer’s vision of an aura of two silver cones from a rotating propeller. Furthermore, he envisioned alternating silver and blue colors from the propellers themselves caused by the white and blue hues of the sky.
A BMW spokesperson, however, has reputed this claim. Facts show that the propeller was a component of the aircraft that was not made by the company, and that the company’s first aircraft engine test actually took place six months after the logo was created.
The Bavarian Flag
The source of this theory stems from the fact that the company is based in Munich, Bavaria from where it produces its products. The Bavarian flag is checkered with blue and white squares. The similarity in colors is evident, but why choose four alternating quarters in a circle instead of the checkered look of the flag itself?
This is because the Trademark Act as of 1916 did not allow companies to integrate into their trademarks the symbols of sovereigns as well as their coat of arms. In order to circumvent this prohibition, BMW’s marketers and designers are said to have deliberately copied an incorrect form of the Bavarian flag colors into the logo. As a result, the logo is not a direct copy of the Bavarian national colors but is still a very apparent evidence of BMW’s connection to the country of Bavaria.
What Is Your Conclusion?
Up to today, there has been no concrete statement as to where the company’s logo has originated. However, the logo has not been stopped from being easily recognized. This is perhaps also because of the hype caused by the controversy behind the logo, as a lot more people are discussing and showing pictures of the logo adding up to its popularity.
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