A Roundel Made Transparent
BMW presents a new two-dimensional brand mark alongside the reveal of the BMW Concept i4, marking the first significant visual update to the Bavarian automaker's logo since 1997.1, 2
The redesign removes the black outer ring that has surrounded the blue and white roundel for more than a century, replacing it with a transparent frame.2, 3 The familiar blue and white quadrant, drawing on the colors of the Bavarian state flag, remains unchanged at the center.3, 4 By eliminating the black border and the three-dimensional rendering that defined the previous iteration, the new mark projects what Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President for Customer and Brand at BMW, describes as a sense of "openness and clarity."3, 5
A Broader Automotive Trend
The introduction of the flat logo coincides with a broader movement across the automotive industry. Brands including Audi, Volkswagen, Mini, Opel, and Citroën have each moved toward simplified, two-dimensional marks in recent years, aligning their identities with the demands of digital brand communication.2, 6
BMW confirms that the updated mark is intended exclusively for brand communications, advertising, and digital applications.5 Production vehicles continue to carry the three-dimensional chrome roundel.5 The Concept i4, presented via livestream after the Geneva International Motor Show is cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, serves as the platform for both the new electric gran coupé concept and the brand's evolving visual language.1
Written with AI assistance, edited by a human. Find out more about our Use of AI.
1. Designtagebuch, Achim Schaffrinna, "BMW präsentiert sich mit neuem, zweidimensionalen Markenzeichen", 3 March 2020, for BMW presenting itself from that day with a new two-dimensional mark alongside the BMW Concept i4, for the new mark for communication also serving as the basis for the logo on the concept car, in the report's words "Die neue Bildmarke für die Kommunikation dient auch als Grundlage für das Logo am BMW Concept i4", for the concept having been due to be shown at the Geneva International Motor Show, whose 90th edition was cancelled because of the situation around the coronavirus, and for the presentation of BMW's first electric Gran Coupé via live stream instead. https://www.designtagebuch.de/bmw-praesentiert-sich-mit-neuem-zweidimensionalen-markenzeichen/
2. Dezeen, Jennifer Hahn, "BMW unveils flat logo in first rebrand for two decades", 5 March 2020, for the flat logo making its debut on the electric Concept i4, for it replacing the previous logo introduced in 1997, for the hallmark black ring being replaced with a transparent ring, a ring the report says had surrounded the logo since it was first registered in 1917, and for Volkswagen as the German peer that had recently introduced a similarly flat badge, which the report places in a recent trend towards 2D logos. https://www.dezeen.com/2020/03/05/bmw-logo-flat-rebrand/
3. designboom, "BMW unveils new flat, transparent logo on concept i4", 4 March 2020 (the page carries no byline and no date line; the date is taken from the URL and from designboom's own post of the article that day), for the transparent design without the classic black outer ring, for the retained white and blue colours of the company's home state of Bavaria, for the removal of the 3D and lighting effects, and for the words the report attributes to Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President Customer & Brand at BMW, that the old black ring was replaced, "letting the new logo radiate more openness and clarity". https://www.designboom.com/design/bmw-new-logo-flat-transparent-03-04-2020/
4. Wikipedia, "BMW", read on 25 September 2026, for the quartered blue and white interior of the roundel being reminiscent of the coat of arms and flag of Bavaria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW
5. BMW Group PressClub, "Introducing BMW’s new brand design for online and offline communication.", 4 March 2020, published in the same form in German as "Einführung des neuen BMW Markendesign für die online und offline Kommunikation.", for the global launch of the new brand design starting on 3 March 2020 with a pared down, two-dimensional logo, for the job title of Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President for Customer and Brand BMW, and for his statement "BMW is becoming a relationship brand. The new communication logo stands for openness and clarity.", in the German version "BMW wird zu einer Beziehungsmarke. Das neue Kommunikationslogo strahlt Offenheit und Klarheit aus.", for the new logo being used across communications on and offline and at international trade fairs and events, in addition to the existing logo, and for it not being used on the vehicles or in the exterior and interior labelling of dealerships, where the existing logo remains in use. This is the specific newsroom item behind the index press.bmwgroup.com that the sources list for this verse names. https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0306305EN/introducing-bmw%E2%80%99s-new-brand-design-for-online-and-offline-communication?language=en https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/deutschland/article/detail/T0306304EN/einfuehrung-des-neuen-bmw-markendesign-fuer-die-online-und-offline-kommunikation?language=de
6. Designtagebuch, Achim Schaffrinna, two earlier reports on flat marks at other carmakers, added during the retrofit and together for Audi, Mini, Opel and Citroën in the body's list (Volkswagen is covered by note 2). "Neuer Markenauftritt und neues Logo für Opel", 15 June 2017, for Opel using "ab sofort auf allen Kommunikationskanälen ein Opel-Blitz in klarem 2D-Look" and for Mini and, most recently, Audi having long since completed the move towards flat design, https://www.designtagebuch.de/neuer-markenauftritt-und-neues-logo-fuer-opel/. "'Citroën inspired by you', neuer Claim, neue Soundsignatur und neues Markenlogo", 21 October 2016, for the Citroën double chevron coming "fortan ohne jegliche Verläufe" and for the sequence "Erst Mini, dann Audi und nun Citroën". https://www.designtagebuch.de/citroen-inspired-by-you-neuer-claim-neue-soundsignatur-und-neues-markenlogo/
