Change has been baffling car fans... but there's a solid explanation.
(Image credit: Cadillac)
The news of a change – however subtle – to any much-loved logo will inevitably spark reactions. Cadillac found this out when it decided to rethink the positioning of its emblem on its newest cars, baffling many fans. If the move has been bothering you, fear not, because the car manufacturer has provided a solid explanation to satisfy your curiosity.
The Cadillac logo holds a special place in many car fans' hearts (to find out more about it, explore our guide to the best car logos – or see how it stacks up against the best logos of all time). Historically, it has always been positioned in the horizontal and vertical centre of the cars' grilles. However, in its newer fleet of vehicles, it's shifted towards the top of the grille.
The Cadillac logo was originally positioned in the vertical centre of the grille (Image credit: Ruben de Rijcke https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
The Cadillac Society spoke to designers at Cadillac to find out the reasoning behind the move. It all comes down to overall composition, and specifically the size of the grill and where the headlights sit on the front end of the vehicle.
The latest iteration of Cadillac's design language features headlights that sit higher up on the front end of the car – as seen for example in the XT6, pictured below. The designers explained that visually, the headlamps form a kind of "bookend" to the grille. So if these are positioned higher up on the car, a vertically centred Cadillac logo will look like it's "falling". A higher placement that lines up with the headlamps creates a more balanced look to the front end of the vehicle.
The Cadillac XT6 is one of many new vehicles to feature the repositioned logo (Image credit: Cadillac)
So there you have it. The Cadillac logo change isn't a statement in itself, but part of an evolving design language for the car manufacturer. Mystery solved.
Ruth spent a couple of years as Deputy Editor of Creative Bloq, and has also either worked on or written for almost all of the site's former and current print titles, from Computer Arts to ImagineFX. She now spends her days reviewing mattresses and hiking boots as the Outdoors and Wellness editor at T3.com, but continues to write about design on a freelance basis in her spare time.
