Mini unveils new, “tradition-conscious” badge

Car brand Mini is rolling out its new, simplified logo, which has been designed by German consultancy KKLD Berlin working with Mini’s in-house design team.

The new identity is a more stripped back version of its previous iteration, which has existed since Mini’s relaunch under the BMW Group in 2001.

The design aims to be “tradition-conscious”, says Mini, and retains the key graphic elements of the brand’s famous “winged wheel” motif. However, the three-dimensional effect seen previously has been swapped for a flatter design that avoids shading and grey tones to create a “starkly contrasting” black and white look, says Mini.

The two-dimensional effect also allows the logo to work better across all applications, the company adds. It will be used from March 2018 as a product label on all Mini models – including on the bonnet, at the rear of the car, at the centre of the steering wheel and on the remote control.

Mini’s new logo was first unveiled in 2015 as part of a corporate rebrand. Up until now the logo has only been used on marketing materials and in showroom and retail environments. Now it will be used as a badge (or car marque) on all Mini models.

The combination of the wheel and wing symbol dates back to the earliest years of the classic Mini during the 1950s. The British Motor Corporation (BMC) first introduced the Morris Mini-Minor in 1959, complete with a logo featuring a red ox and three blue waves (the symbol of the city of Oxford) inside a circle symbol, with two stylised wings to the left and right.

Up until 1969, each model of Mini had its own, unique identity. That year, the decision was made to only produce vehicles at its Longbridge plant in the UK. To mark this step, the brand was given a new logo: the Mini shield.

The launch of the new edition of the Mini Cooper in 1990 coincided with a return to a traditional logo design. A chrome-plated wheel with stylised wings mirrored the Morris Mini-Minor logo, but instead of the ox and waves, an all-capitals version of the car’s name appeared set in red, along with a green laurel wreath set against a white background.

Following Mini’s acquisition by BMW Group in the 1990s, the brand’s relaunch in 2000 saw a new, three-dimensional logo created with a chrome look and stylised wings – a design which has remained unchanged until now.