Volkswagen sports new digitally-oriented brand logo and sound

German automaker Volkswagen will be sporting a new brand logo as part of its latest motto – “New Volkswagen”. The new logo will be reduced to a design that is flat and two-dimensional, allowing a more flexible use while also being recognisable in digital media. According to the automotive brand, this also applies to the new brand signals such as pictograms, typography, colours or layouts.The new logo (pictured left) sports colours black and white as opposed to the shades of blue and silver in the former logo (pictured right). The new brand design was developed by a joint team of Volkswagen Design and Marketing. With the full integration of all departments in VW, the design was implemented in nine months using a concept developed by Volkswagen specifically for this purpose. In addition to the rebranding, the brand will also introduce a sound logo, which will replace the former brand claim. It also aims to include a female voice in the future. According to the brand, the new presentation will not only be bolder and more colourful, but will also be digitally oriented from the brand logo through to the world of images. The brand also aims to sport a visual language that will be different from its previous projections.Jochen Sengpiehl, chief marketing officer of Volkswagen, said the brand looks to become “more human and more lively” in its new brand identity, by adopting the customer’s perspective to tell authentic stories. Meanwhile, Jürgen Stackmann, member of the Brand Board of Management responsible for sales, marketing and after-sales said the rebranding is the logical consequence of the brand’s strategic reorientation.“I am very proud of what we have achieved: ‘New Volkswagen‘ has a presentation that is powerful, fresh, positive and attractive,” he added.The new brand design is the result of its Transform 2025+ strategy adopted in 2015. This year the second phase of Transform 2025+ includes the roll-out of its e-mobility and digitalisation strategy which also includes the realignment of the company’s communications with its customers. Marketing will be realigned, while the sales structure of the brand will be transformed together with the dealers.With the international roll-out of the new brand design beginning in September, the new logo will also be unveiled at the company’s headquarters in  company headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The changeover is also to be implemented in several waves using a cost-optimised, resource-conserving approach. Initially, the brand’s locations and dealers in Europe will be changed over, followed by China in October. The changeover will then be implemented in North and South America as well as the rest of the world from the beginning of 2020. Overall, about 171 markets are predicted to be impacted.About four years ago, the German automotive brand made headlines globally for all the wrong reasons. Volkswagen came under fire for a pollution scandal and for knowingly lying to its consumers. Addressing the issue, Volkswagen then admitted that it used software which manipulated exhaust emissions during government testing. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen AG also  apologised and said to cooperate fully with the responsible agencies, with transparency and urgency.The news first broke after The US Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board revealed their findings while testing diesel cars of the Volkswagen Group. At the point in time, in the US alone, the brand was at the verge of potentially facing criminal charges along with a hefty US$18 billion fine.(Photo courtesy: Volkswagen Facebook page)