Did the Volkswagen logo change?
The Volkswagen logo is one of the most memorable car logos around. Everyone knows what it looks like. And at first glance, it would seem the only changes in recent decades were to make the Volkswagen logo flat and to narrow the lines for a time.
It’s a simple and distinctive brand identity. Surely there’s nothing to argue about? So I thought, but it seems a furious debate is raging. Some people are adamant that at some point the Volkswagen logo changed in a way not seen on official design documents.
The design used today shows the V and W clearly separated by a space. But some people are convinced that a previous design used one single shape, with the V and the W joined in the middle.
Who designed the Volkswagen logo?
Volkswagen says its logo was designed by an engineer called Franz Reimspiess, who also worked on the engine for the Beetle. He’s said to have won a competition to design the identity and to have won 50 Marks for his efforts.
But an Austrian designer called Nikolai Borg claims that he designed the logo in June 1939, directed by the Nazi engineer Fritz Todt. His version of the logo had no gap between the V and the W, which has led to claims that Volkswagen added the gap to avoid paying Borg.
What was the original Volkswagen logo?
The most surprising part of the Volkswagen logo history is the original design. Today the phrase ‘Nazimobile’ is associated with a certain low-poly electric pick up (check out the viral anti-Tesla posters), but the OG was the humble Beetle.
The original Volkswagen logo was surrounded by a cogwheel and an elaborate design that appears to combine a propeller and a swastika, an indication of the company’s early connections the Third Reich.
Implementation of the gap
It appears that this was never an official or intentional design decision, though. Even vintage Volkswagen logo design specs show a space between the two letters.
Some of the no-gap logos may have been made by third parties. It may also be that manufacturing plants in some countries decided it was easier to make the badge out of a single piece of chrome. And perhaps at certain times there was less insistence on sticking to the style guide than there is today.
Residue
The answer? Even a quick search on a stock photo library suggests that the VW logo has indeed sometimes appeared without a gap on some vehicles in some countries at various times through the brand’s history.
Some people have even tracked down appearances by Volkswagens in movies to prove that the conjoined logo design existed.
It appears that this was never an official or intentional design decision, though. Even vintage Volkswagen logo design specs show a space between the two letters.
Conclusion
The debate over the Volkswagen logo may never be fully settled. Some people will continue to insist that they remember the logo being different, while others will point to the official design specs and argue that the gap has always been there.
Regardless, the Volkswagen logo has become an iconic symbol of the brand, and its evolution is a fascinating story that reveals the company’s history and design decisions.
FAQs
Q: Who designed the Volkswagen logo?
A: Volkswagen claims that the logo was designed by Franz Reimspiess, but an Austrian designer named Nikolai Borg also claims to have designed the logo.
Q: What was the original Volkswagen logo?
A: The original Volkswagen logo featured a cogwheel and an elaborate design that appears to combine a propeller and a swastika, an indication of the company’s early connections the Third Reich.
Q: Why did Volkswagen add the gap between the V and the W?
A: It’s unclear why Volkswagen added the gap between the V and the W, but it may have been a design decision made by the company or a manufacturing plant in a particular country.
