Once upon a time, Skoda churned out erstwhile cars that kept drivers happy. Although - and with lashings of respect - what might have been considered bordering on the wildly different concept of 'happiness' in 1980s Czechoslovakia, may not have necessarily equated with what constituted ‘happiness’ in 1980s Britain. Yet everything is relative, of course.
But then Volkswagen happened; and the rest as they say is history.
With the reborn automotive manufacturer rapidly going from strength to strength, and even venturing as far as to create Skoda Fabia’s out of cake. Which takes some doing.
One thing Skoda couldn’t previously be accused of though, is being overtly fickle with its logotype. Instead, it went about its business - under both independent and VW ownership - focusing more on its quality engineering and evolving aesthetical appeal, as opposed to its boot and bonnet badging.
Until now that is.
When Skoda has done the hitherto unthinkable and replaced its emblem with a simple wordmark going forward. Or should that be ‘forWORD?’ Sorry.
Skoda Has Done What?
It’s redesigned its corporate branding. On its ever-expansive vehicle range, at least.
In something of a departure from the norm, everyone’s favourite car manufacturer* has gone and done the aforementioned 'previously unthinkable' and vanquished its instantly recognizable logotype. Instantly recognizable in terms of what it looks like, as opposed to actually being able to describe to anyone outside of Skoda UK what the sum parts of said logotype are.
For the record, a winged arrow with three feathers within its construct.
Although this isn’t entirely accurate, as in terms of Skoda marketing, communications and all things digital, the graphic element of the company’s corporate branding will remain in situ. It’ll just be consigned to history when it comes to the bonnet and boot business ends of all future Skoda vehicles.
We hope you're keeping up at the back....
Skoda is referring to the revision of its signature branding as a ‘wordmark’. Which it would. That’s as ‘marketing speak’ as it gets, let’s be honest here. And just stopping short of chatting chuff about ‘design architecture’.
Either way, it’s well worthy of a #hashtag.
Tell Us More…
Social media trends apart, this announcement is pretty important news for Skoda. As, unlike one of its VW Audi Group parents, the Czech mates rarely revisit its corporate ID. Whilst as we are all well aware, Volkswagen on the other hand have a habit of revising - if not reinventing - its brand-specific logotype seemingly every week or so.
Skoda hasn’t been nearly as distracted over the years. Observing a mere 8 iterations to date, according to a little entry-level journalistic probing.
So, What Do We Know At This Point?....
What we can confirm is that this revised interpretation of its classic emblem and associated wordmark technically represents the eighth regeneration of the Skoda badge. Not quite up there with a certain Time Lord when it comes to reinvention, but nevertheless Skoda’s branding has undergone a few revisions in its time.
The historic emblem exchanges the 3D design for a 2D effect. Similar to what Volkswagen did in 2019. And again, echoing that VW design update, the Skoda rebrand is simpler and cleaner than its former guise. Which is advantageous when it comes to digital crossovers too.
As far as we understand, the word-only version will be rolled out on all Skoda’s future vehicles in the metal, from 2024 onwards. In terms of the first Skoda models to wear it, then rumour has it that the new Kodiaq and Superb will be chief flagbearers, with the refreshed Octavia following suit.
Looking further ahead, and the all-new seven-seat SUV EV, an all-new supermini and a compact crossover are all set to drop before 2026, and all will bear the new corporate ID.
Speaking about what Skoda itself describes as one of the most significant changes in the company in the last three decades, its Sales and Marketing head honcho went on record as observing; “We see this as the perfect opportunity to make our brand fit for the decade of transformation.”
Anything Else Worth Noting At this Stage?
Yes.
The new Skoda emblem brandishes two different shades of green, referred to as ‘Emerald’ (think famed Wizard of Oz city) and ‘Electric’ (think what Gary Numan believed all friends to be). From Skoda’s more ethical and conscientious standpoint, these colours reflect the manufacturer’s awareness and sensibilities surrounding the subjects of ecology, sustainability and electromobility.
Meanwhile, and finishing on a design flourish, the designers tasked with the invention of the brand-new Skoda wordmark say that they’ve incorporated the ‘caron’ accent which typically sits above the ‘S’ on Skoda, within the letter itself. Hugely important to the brand, given that it’s key to its proud Czech roots. Essentially, Skoda wished to maintain the accent, yet remove any lingering confusion that it believed was created among non-Czech-speaking customers.
Independent Skoda Specialists, WCC Neston
Irrespective of what font/typeface/version of the Skoda emblem which adorns the front/back of your Octavia, Yeti, Superb, CitiGo, Kamiq, Kodiaq, Scala, Fabia, Karoq, Enyaq, Favorit or Felicia (yes, we just name-checked the last two), here at WCC Neston our trained and experienced Skoda technicians can work on your vehicle.
Be it for the full range of servicing, warranty work, MOT’s, diagnostics or the retrofitment of driver aid and security devices. And much more besides.
*show us someone who DOESN’T appreciate/like/love a Skoda