It's been no secret that Kia has been planning to launch a new logo. As far back as 2019, we've seen the new design pop up in trademark filings and on concept car imagery. At last, Kia has finally made the new logo official – but what we didn't see coming was the flamboyant manner in which it would do so. A mere press release, this was not.
In a record-breaking fireworks show in South Korea, Kia painted the sky with its new logo, using no less than 303 firework-firing drones. It might be a vast improvement on the old logo, but judging by Kia's ostentatious display, you'd be forgiven for assuming you were about to set eyes on one of the best logos in the history of graphic design.
In a press release, Kia said the new logo is designed to appear handwritten. "The rhythmical, unbroken line of the logo conveys Kia's commitment to bringing moments of inspiration, while its symmetry demonstrates confidence," the company adds.
The logo lit up the skies of Incheon, South Korea (Image credit: Kia)
And that logo reveal was nothing if not confident. Officially breaking the Guinness World Record for the most unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launching fireworks simultaneously (catchy title), the event put many of this year's New Year firework displays to shame. We've never felt quite so roused by a logo reveal – especially one we've known about for more than a year.
The new logo (right) is certainly an improvement on the old one (left) (Image credit: Kia)
Coming back down to earth for a moment, we have to say the actual logo itself is, well, quite good. While the original was hardly logo design inspiration goals (thanks its dated 3D glow and redundant oval), this smooth, sawtooth-esque design is much sleeker. Much like the new logos for car brands such as BMW and Nissan, Kia's new logo is yet another entry to the flat design party.
2021 has only just begun, but the new logos are already rolling in. From Pfizer's DNA-infused new look to the CIA's hilarious 'techno festival' rebrand, we've already seen some hits and misses in the past week alone. Kia's new logo falls into the former category for us. We simply have to applaud any company that decides to launch its new look with a bang – or 300.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
