Monday, March 17, 2008

Volkswagen's sense of perfection


Here's an object that I use daily as my means of transportation.  Upon closer look today, however, I discovered there is more to this key than getting where I need to be:  it also shows the beauty of Volkswagen's logo!  No wonder it hasn't been changed for such a long time!  I find the simple but balanced amount of color and shapes appealing, and I also get a sense of unity from the repeated circles that enclose the letters.  I used to only see the white letters, but I now appreciate the negative space because it also has elements of symmetry.  I also like the outlines of silver, which accents both the white and blue shapes.   I'm not sure if I'm the only one who sees it, but I read the logo both as "VW" and "W", which creates a visually interesting look.  I probably wouldn't have been impressed with this logo if not for typography, which really gave me a better understanding of how type can be arranged in quite an elegant way!

8 comments:

Georgia said...

I think that the Volkswagen logo has a timeless look to it because it is so simple. There is nothing about the logo that dates it and therefore I think that they can use it for a long time. I agree that the negative spaced made by the letterforms it very interesting and I never really noticed it until you said something about it. But is helps hold the logo together and gives it some stability. I don't think that it would work nearly as well if there was not background and they only had the white letters.

pollypocket said...

I agree with you both. I wouldn't change anything about this logo. It looks like it was designed with a purpose and has meaning to each of its parts. The vertical symmetry and contrast between the white and blue is brilliant!

MerBEAR said...

I also love the volkswagen logo. I was actually looking at my brothers car today and thought about how classic it was. It is very affective and will probably be in use for a long time because of its classic look.

anits said...

I agree too that the VW logo is a very timeless looking one. No one will ever tire of this logo because it's easy on the eyes, yet it stands out better than any other vehicle logo. This logo also needs to always be blue and white... because it's the color that makes it easy recognizable and other colors wouldn't necessarily help form this logo.

little cody. said...

the VW logo is so classic. it has kept its retro, groovy look throughout all the years. the combination of the V and the W is genius and i love the subtle spacing to show that they are in fact 2 different entities. the blue also provides a soothing contrast.

I'd Rather Be Baking said...

I love how they put a white circle the same thickness as the V and W around the letters. The vertical V and W fit perfectly within the circle. I like that their logo encompasses the first two letters of the companies name verses having just a random symbol. The typography is a lot more meaningful and memorable.

skidmark said...

I totally agree! Before I got into typeography I never quite understood their logo but now it seems to be brilliant! How the letters fit together so perfectly and the crisp white and blue make this logo a lasting one.

Bethany said...

I just love the Volks Wagon logo. I've always thought it was so nicely done. With the V and the W together it creates this clever little unit that is very appealing.