What are the worst logos in the car world

"505Turbeaux" (505turbeaux) 01/27/2014 at 12:32 • Filed to: None

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I am feeling salty today, so I feel like bashing on something. Bring out your horrid logos and air out some grievances. Do it for the children...

Victorious Secret > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:34

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A logo meant to shamelessly ape Honda yet in todays marketplace represents a brand trying harder and doing better than Honda.

Half assed is what it is.

They need to half ass another, more refined, more engaging logo.

AndersSim - V10'ING > Victorious Secret 01/27/2014 at 12:35

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You beat me to it...

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:37

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The KDF logo....

Bad Idea Hat > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:40

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I like Toyota, may in fact be a fanboy, but their logo reminds me of two blimps in flagrante delicto, if you turn it upside down.

jariten1781 > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:40

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It just says...something... (though it is on my Miata so I can't hate it too much)

Jagvar > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:41

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I feel that just using your brand's name as a logo is cheating. There's got to be some kind of design element to it.

Decay buys too many beaters > Bad Idea Hat 01/27/2014 at 12:42

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or a man wearing a cowboy hat

dogisbadob > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:43

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That star logo is awesome, especially in the hood ornament in early Chrysler minivans!

The logos I think are stupis are the post-96 Olds logo when they went from the peace sign to the circle thing.

I hate that Buick took the colors out of their logo

And Mazda's logos from the past 20 years are also lame. They should go back to the m in the circle; that was their best.

Bad logos:

Good logos:

Bad Idea Hat > Decay buys too many beaters 01/27/2014 at 12:43

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Upside-down ten gallon hat.

Textured Soy Protein > Bad Idea Hat 01/27/2014 at 12:43

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It's clearly a guy wearing a sombrero .

Textured Soy Protein > jariten1781 01/27/2014 at 12:44

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And now it's been replaced by this.

Which is very much more enlightening, right?

EL_ULY > Bad Idea Hat 01/27/2014 at 12:44

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always looked like a guy with a cowboy hat on :]

lonestranger > jariten1781 01/27/2014 at 12:45

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I knew someone would mention this one. I've always liked it. I much prefer it to the current "M".

AMC/Renauledge > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:45

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Not only does it look totally generic, but in all caps, it looks like the slightly stylized acronym for "Killed In Action."

A mutated H in an oval. So creative.

I always thought Mercury's logo since the '80s was a bit too abstract. It was supposed to be an '80s stylized depiction of the wings on the Roman god Mercury's shoes and hat. But I didn't find that out until a few years ago.

RazoE > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:46

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Admit it, you didn't know it was actually the planet Saturn for years.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Jagvar 01/27/2014 at 12:47

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You know what.. I think GMC has one of the better logos out there. It's shouty and "look at meeeee", it's like the Jeremy Clarkson of car logos..

$kaycog > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:47

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cazzyodo > RazoE 01/27/2014 at 12:48

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I didn't know until just now (well played) and I somehow still manage to not care.

Sn210 > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:49

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Weismann's gecko, kinda weird right?

spanfucker retire bitch > dogisbadob 01/27/2014 at 12:49

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I actually prefer all of those logos (save for maybe Oldsmobile) over the older ones. Especially the Mazda logo.

Textured Soy Protein > Jagvar 01/27/2014 at 12:51

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The part you can't see is that this red GMC logo also means,

AMURRICA ©®™

Textured Soy Protein > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:54

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Looks like...

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > $kaycog 01/27/2014 at 12:54

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But that was before the Nazis molested the Swastika though. At that time it symoblised good luck or something good, quality. That logo was EVERYWHERE until a certain short bloke with a ridicolous moustache defecated on the swastika :)

Boxer_4 > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 13:00

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Chevrolet since 2004. I miss their red outline and blue logos.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > RazoE 01/27/2014 at 13:03

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cannot unsee now...

wkiernan > lonestranger 01/27/2014 at 13:10

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I like that one too, although the letter M / flying seagull logo they've got now is also pretty nice. I always thought it represented a closed-end wrench.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Sn210 01/27/2014 at 13:10

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At least it's creative and unique.

spanfucker retire bitch > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/27/2014 at 13:12

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True story. In fact, there's a swastika on a drain pipe cover in my Mom's front lawn - it was a symbol the old company used to put on all of its products.

Brian, The Life of > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 13:17

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What? It's a logo, right?

$kaycog > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/27/2014 at 13:18

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Exactly. This was extensively discussed several years ago here.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > $kaycog 01/27/2014 at 13:20

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Ahh.. before my time then I guess, sorry $kay :)

Bengal55 > dogisbadob 01/27/2014 at 13:21

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I agree, the vintage M logo from Mazda is epic, so very 60's and so very Saul Bass (though I am pretty sure that is not one of his.) Oldsmobile at least had an interesting idea, the trail of a rocket blasting off, it just got lost in their incredibly boring cars of that era. A shame. Mazda's eternal flame logo while interesting, related very little to the actual company as a branding icon, the (new and vintage) M is much better at that.

jariten1781 > wkiernan 01/27/2014 at 13:23

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It's supposedly a flame with the sun in it. And the angles are supposed to evoke the rotary engine. At least that's what the car mags said when it came out.

$kaycog > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/27/2014 at 13:25

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I should have explained it in my post.

The New Garage > RazoE 01/27/2014 at 13:27

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Totally! For years I thought it was an awkward X ... I remember exactly where I was riding on the highway when I figured it out - took me until I was 15. We got it now.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > $kaycog 01/27/2014 at 13:29

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Let's just agree that the swastika is a bad symbol/logo in the western world now, and far far away from the  (SansKRIT) thingy it was.. You're a veteran here Girl/mate/woman/lady. All your faults are mine.. or something.

Fookin' Prawns > AMC/Renauledge 01/27/2014 at 13:32

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Apparently because Kia and Ford shared cars at one point, Kia designed their logo to have the exact same dimensions as the Ford oval.

505Turbeaux > Textured Soy Protein 01/27/2014 at 13:36

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nooooo!

505Turbeaux > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/27/2014 at 13:36

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oh I love that one!

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 13:38

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*looks away* Must admit that I do that myself, but it's not actually a.. well.. great logo, all things considered.

505Turbeaux > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/27/2014 at 13:41

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"Strength Through Joy"

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 13:43

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It sounds so much better in English though.. Let's try in Norwegian "Kraft Gjennom Styrke"... nah... nope..

Bengal55 > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 13:43

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I'm going to pick on the Koreans here, as others seem to agree.

Bad:

Kia show no imagination in this design, it's as basic as basic can get.

Next:

Hyundai: Nothing screams early 90's more than their stylized H. The brand is much more capable of good design than their logo shows, it's time for an upgrade. Just as long as they ditch my next example as well.

Hyundai Genesis: For people who don't want to admit they drive a Hyundai. This is just plain horrible, it wants to be a Bentley logo, it wants to be classy, it wants to be everything the logo is not. If Hyundai wants the Genesis to be its own brand, it needs a classy relevant logo, the wings are not it. They are about as classy as chrome piping, chrome 24's with spinners, and chrome handles / B pillars on early model 300's.

Toyota: It's a T, it's not a bull, it's not a Ram, it's not two random circles, it's simply a stylized T inside a oval. Ask 99% of Toyota logos what it is, and I bet they will not know. Toyota has too much brand recognition behind this logo to change it to something better, but it too is a symbol from the early 90's that needs to go. There's a reason you will usually find this logo AND the word "Toyota" spelled out on the vehicle.

Mazda's "Eternal Flame" logo, a rounded version of the Cylon logo. Supposed to represent the sun (inner circle) and a flame for heartfelt passion, the shape of the flame also represents the famous Wankel rotor. The overall design is good, and every part of this logo has meaning, but to a laymen, you won't be able to relate it to Mazda, just an interesting shape. Their current M, while having less internal meaning, does much better.

505Turbeaux > Bengal55 01/27/2014 at 13:44

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in all of these, it seems like the lack of inspiration found in the cars themselves is reflected in the logos

$kaycog > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/27/2014 at 13:51

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"Girl/mate/woman/lady. All your faults are mine.. or something." You really made me laugh!

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > $kaycog 01/27/2014 at 13:53

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I've had one HELL of a time at work today, my boss was PMS'ing like FUCK.. so I'm treading on needles now :P

$kaycog > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/27/2014 at 13:55

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Yeah, be sure to tread lightly when boss is PMS'ing. She can't help it.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > $kaycog 01/27/2014 at 13:57

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I know she can't :) And I love that girl. So I'll show up an hour early tomorrow and make her breakfast.

Argent > Boxer_4 01/27/2014 at 14:08

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I see a fair amount of people in my town who plastidip their Chevy logos blue. It's one of the few truck trends I actually like.

$kaycog > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/27/2014 at 14:12

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That would be a very sweet thing to do.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > $kaycog 01/27/2014 at 14:16

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Well, it wouldn't be the first time. Happy co-workers = nice co-workers right? :)

$kaycog > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/27/2014 at 14:17

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Most definitely!

The Stig's InternetUsingCousin > Boxer_4 01/27/2014 at 19:01

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It would be cool if they made it so you could select the logo color you wanted from the factory, like with seats and paint.

A3R0 > RazoE 01/27/2014 at 20:10

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Me and my brother just sat here woahing at this forever.

JesusBuiltMyHotRod > dogisbadob 01/28/2014 at 14:08

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I wish Olds would've stayed with the older logo which made it clear that the thing in the picture was actually a rocket. I've had so many idiots ask me in a paranoid manner if the one on my '91 Cutlass is an upside down cross. Then I have to explain the whole thing each time.