Wincing Commences at Prospect of Aston Martin Using an Updated Logo
Aston Martin filed a trademark for a thatched-diamond logo over the summer, designated primarily for small merchandise and marketing endeavors. It looks like two opposing Volkswagen emblems laid atop each other and is about as iconic as any random series of intersecting lines could be. Fortunately, it seemed like it would only appear on less-relevant Aston-related trinkets — with items like shaving kits, polo shirts, and attache cases being a worst case scenario.
Then, earlier this week, Aston Martin made a secondary filing that included those items, mobile devices, automotive chassis and vehicle designs. Meaning that the we will assuredly be seeing this new design on merchandise affiliated with Aston Martin and possibly even its cars.
Noticed by AutoGuide, the abstract emblem actually shares quite a bit of DNA with the company’s original logo. If you use a little imagination, you can even see the company’s stamped initials.
Still, that early A&M emblem was short lived and we have had almost one-hundred years to get comfortable with Aston Martin’s wings. Tossing this spoked circle onto the face of a stupidly expensive watch is one thing, putting it on the hood of one of the world’s most respected automobile designs is another.
If Aston really is dead-set on using this emblem for vehicle identification, I sincerely hope it’s used sparingly — reserved for special vehicle designations or a future electric mobility arm. Perhaps it won’t even be that prevalent and end up appearing solely in the form of seating embroidery and as the center hub of Aston-branded wheels. After all, the company still has the old emblem as an active trademark too, but you hardly ever see it actually used.
[Image: Aston Martin]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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I don't think it'll end up on their cars. They know better.
Sorry for gravedigging this article, but while it hasn't been on cars for a century, it has shown up as a corporate logo, for letter headers and merch and things. You can see it in Harry Metcalfe's (much later than this article) video on a lagonda series 4, popping up on the fitted luggage and the service history.
You're ultimately over-reacting to another corporate executive-level logo intended to be anonymous because the focus should be on the cars, not the c-suite.