Everything done right - and yet a missed opportunity

Lukas Cotrell in W&V on Škoda's new brand identity

After Audi and VW, the Škoda logo is now also going flat. Lukas Cottrell took a closer look at the brand relaunch for W&V Online.

Finding out where logos came from and what they mean can often be like a little treasure hunt. This is also the case with Škoda. Exciting stories and real mysteries surround the logo’s meaning and origin. It’s not always possible to determine whether they’re true or just a figment of the designers’ imagination. Generally speaking, designers are pretty good at telling stories. Especially when it comes to explaining their own work.

At Škoda, the focus is currently on the development of the “Indian,” as the company  itself used to call its logo – although it is now referred to in more contemporary terms as the “winged arrow.” The arrow is said to stand for precision, the wings for progress, and the circle for tradition. After all, Škoda is one of the oldest automobile companies in the world! Nowadays, the company waxes poetic when it speaks of the “arrow of precision”, the “wings of progress” and the “circle of tradition.”

Why a Native American in a feathered headdress was chosen as the company’s symbol in the first place remains somewhat unclear. There’s a touching story about how the company’s founder Emil Škoda wanted to immortalize his loyal companion who accompanied him on his numerous trips to America. A picture of his trusty traveling partner is said to have been the basis for the logo. Originally the headdress featured five feathers, before it took on his current form with three feathers. Since the logo’s introduction in 1926 it has undergone only a few changes – mostly just to keep up with changing fashion trends.

The flatter look follows the Group’s usually spacing for innovations

And now it’s happening again: The logo has become flatter. If you’re familiar with the history of automotive logos, you can probably already guess why. It’s to reduce visual complexity and improve applicability in digital media. The VW Group gained this insight a few years ago, and it is only now being passed on to Škoda. The Audi logo first appeared in a new flat look in 2016; Volkswagen itself updated its logo in 2019; now Škoda is following suit with the usual delay for implementing new innovations.

In terms of craftsmanship, the designers did everything right with the new version of the logo. The line widths and spacing are ideal, the radii are drawn better, and the proportions within the emblem and the color contrast are also a good fit. The interplay between the signet and the new wordmark is harmonious; the proportions are agreeable.

They did everything right but still missed an opportunity

And yet, in terms of design, the result is not a gamechanger but a missed opportunity. As I mentioned at the beginning, it takes a lot of imagination to decode the logo. That hasn’t changed much, even after the relaunch. It would have been logical to improve the logo’s visual design and give it the distinctiveness, clarity and emotional appeal it currently still lacks.

There are said to have been 165 versions of a redesigned signet, and I’ll bet a few of those drafts were considerably more innovative. But the designers might have been subject to the same limitations Škoda is facing within the Group. Volkswagen doesn’t want to call too much attention to its second-bestselling brand at the moment. Especially now that sales figures are once again on the decline after a long period of growth. The introduction of the Jetta brand in China and the global chip crisis have caused setbacks for Škoda.  

Despite this, the Czech carmaker’s strategy is probably still geared toward international growth. The háček – the diacritical mark above the S – is hidden in the new wordmark, presumably to make it easier for speakers of other languages to pronounce the brand’s name. A small but remarkable step. Imagine if someone had deleted the trema in the name “Piëch”! The lettering raises few questions; it appears technical, robust and simple. That suits the company’s “Simply clever” tagline, even if there’s not much evidence of innovative electromobility in the design.

Nearly 100 years of history are disappearing

There is, however, a surprising punch line at the end. The logo is to disappear entirely from the vehicles in the future. That’s a bold move for a logo that has told the story of almost 100 years of automotive history. But it’s also a confession that even in its new version, the logo is still weak. And times are changing fast in the automobile industry. The “Indian” logo – like the popular literary figure of Winnetou – is neither in keeping with corporate strategy nor with the present Zeitgeist. Rightly so. But still a pity, Škoda.
 

The text was published as a guest article in W&V Online.

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