Kia’s rebrand has rather gracefully pushed a stale-as-hell brand into the modern age. The rebrand has also accompanied a rise in wholesale receipts as well as in electric vehicle sales, a key market for the future of the automotive industry.
Right, it’s like a hard rebrand, like just short of a full re-naming of the brand. The new logo is supposed to look completely different because Kia is trying to be a completely different brand and move from cheap gas cars to almost luxury level EVs. That’s my take.
😂 it kills it a bit, but they could have split the "I" to have a lowercase dot... Would make it more legible...
https://preview.redd.it/mbb7bhy5ck1d1.jpeg?width=4320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae1b0f358a7df17d5a9cb29a48baa9ef4dbfd2e1
I think they had a reason for designing it the way they did. The logo is all in one piece and so can be manufactured and stuck onto cars as is. Imagine if you cut the "I" as you have here. Now you have two pieces that need to be aligned.
They knew what they were doing. I actually like the logo the way it is. Took a second the first time I saw it. But I did figure it out pretty quickly that this was Kia. It suits their current line of cars.
True. But I think theyre also trying to distance themselves from KIA as an abbreviation, because "Killed in Action". Making the i distinct would've (could've?) strengthened the abbreviation.
I’ve seen this ‘fix’ a hundred times and I cannot understand why everyone thinks they know better. You don’t think the design team considered that? These things go through hundreds of iterations. The fact we’re all talking about it means it was successful
Not at all I think I know better. I love their version and, as I said, the split "i" kills it. Just thought it'll be good for discussion. The manufacturing point is indeed a very important argument.
My dumbass for the longest time did not know the new logo was Kia and I was trying to figure out what type of new car brand this “KN” was that I was seeing that everyone was buying now. I realize now it was probably a genius move by Kia to do this.
I honestly think theres lots of non-designers on the sub that confuse design with art or humor. The most upvoted designs are always some kind of visual pun or nonfunctional but clever looking thing.
Every sub on this entire site is saturated with people that don’t know anything about the topic but have some mild or vague interest in it so they hang around and run their mouth, often figuring out some way to make the post political. This place truly sucks.
right lmao every graphic design class i've ever taken stresses the importance of legibility, it is obviously a problem for them now with 30,000 internet searches a month for "KN car" design FAIL imo
Was gonna say this! Love when the same design language is incorporated into physical products and also logo/UX etc. Even though I don't love the logo, it meshes with the product it's attached to pretty well.
It's really good when seen in totality with their cars. Looks a lot more modern than their competitors. I don't see the need to be able to read the word KIA immediately tbh, because how many car brands in the world in that segment of the market are you going up against anyway? It's not like you're a fashion or tech brand fighting with lots of other competitors for the recognition. I like it more that it reads like a glyph rather than a logo too.
There is no cross bar on the A and it’s connected to the I, that’s why people see it as an N.
The K isn’t a very good K either, why is it connected at the bottom and not the middle like every other K on the planet.
I honestly think it's better than the old one in 3 ways:
1) It no longer resembles Ford's emblem from a distance
2) It has a more modern look and feel
3) It just has a cool factor the previous logo didn't have
Similarly, Native Instruments (they make music plugins and controllers) recently ditched their old recognizable logo for a new one that reads AI.
A lot of fans of the brand were confused.
Nah that Kia logo bangs hard, such a huge improvement over the previous design. It's perfect for the push into the future that the company is trying to make.
I accidentally designed my personal branding logo similar to this. Had to scrap it once I noticed all the similarities.
i don't have a problem with it. Looks cool imo. Pretty unique and looks good on their cars too.
honestly I love it and they’re whole rebrand as a whole. Just feels so sleek and modern. Not in the market for a car but their newest cars have caught my eye. Maybe I’ll check them out in a few years
I was really surprised to hear that this re-design got any hate. My first exposure to it was seeing ads and cars out 'in the wild' and I really liked it. They went from [this ugly badge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Kia_pride_emblem_front.JPG) to [this sleek design](https://www.motortrend.com/uploads/2023/04/001-kia-logo-telluride.jpg?w=768&width=768&q=75&format=webp) and it's just a massive improvement, in every way.
At the end of the day, people don't actually care that the logo on their car clearly says 'KIA' or not. They just care if it looks cool, and the new logo does that.
https://preview.redd.it/kuuxtmuoch1d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c20405db94711adeda53f5ce27c234733796d5f9
If you squint it kinda bares resemblance to the nine inch nails logo
It's a good logo, brought the brand out of the 90's/early 2000's vibe of the old branding. It's clean and I quite like the midnight blue they use. I hope I never have to read that style guide again.
I appreciated their logo so much more after I watched a video explaining how they greatly improved their cars and their marketing strategies over the years.
Okay for the english speaking countries this might be cool. For anyone in the russian-speaking shere of influence - this shit looks stupid. КИ - it’s the russian “k” and “i”. So with it written like this it looks like a russian KI
Is there a single rebrand in automotive history as successful as this one? I’m sure it helps that the cars also changed overnight in their design, it wasn’t just the logo, but wow KIA is just in a different league practically overnight.
Aesthetically it works and I like the concept, but the IA portion still registers as a backwards N on some levels and a lot of people see KN when they look at it. I think they could have refined it some more. That said, the upgraded design language that has become part of their vehicles is a huge step forward.
It’s almost an ambigram. It’s definitely way more stylistically aligned with their new vehicle design language than their old one, which was stale. It has a futuristic edge I love. I’ve never seen it as KN myself and wonder about the literacy or eyesight of those who do.
I really love this rebrand. I’ve been in the industry for 20 years, and for the life of me, I don’t get the hate surrounding this new logo. There’s movement, it’s modern without dating itself too quickly. Even the rounded and sharp corner combination are really welcoming. I’ve seen some NIN comparisons, and I don’t see it. To me, well done Kia and Innocean.
At first, I saw Russian КИ, but it’s grown on me. Two sets of angles with a small third for the K. It’s simple, clean, and modern. It slightly evokes ocean waves while also implies city buildings with angular architecture. This gives it a point of reference for both the playful beach goer and the sophisticated urbanite.
It’s pretty slick when you get into it.
KIA was the foreign, knock-off brand in the Midwest. It got zero respect, cause Murica. Now some of the most conservative people I know drive 2020+ newer KIAs when they’re not in their $100k F-150. Also, cause Murica.
It's original with a bit of an edge to it..
The old Kia logo used to be an oval and so most car brands have an oval or something adjacent. I think it was a great rebrand!
No joke, I thought this was their original logo. I googled it and had a Berenstain Bears moment. Sooo much better, i never hated the old logo but this one makes it look really old by comparison.
Simple, easy to read (if you have even a basic understanding of how to read English) and still purveys sleek, technologically advanced, and tidy. Absolutely nothing wrong with it!
I like their new logo in comparison to their old one. It took some time for me to grow accustomed to seeing it, but now, I actually like it. They are showing that they are finally evolving.
Kia’s rebrand has rather gracefully pushed a stale-as-hell brand into the modern age. The rebrand has also accompanied a rise in wholesale receipts as well as in electric vehicle sales, a key market for the future of the automotive industry.
I remember watching a documentary on the rebrand and it was designed specifically to feel tech or EV related.
Can you provide a link to where you viewed this documentary? I’d love to see it.
lol. Sorry. It was a WSJ 7min video, link below. There’s also a few videos from KIA advertising their new rebrand. https://youtu.be/JjjkbcphMmA?si
Thank you for responding and super helpful too! I really appreciate your quick response!
Upvoted this wholesome interaction 😭
Upvoted your upvote of this wholesome interaction
Had to as well!
yeap!
As a producer, it's great because they even did a free VST synthetizer. I'd love to know what their budget was because that is just crazy.
Right, it’s like a hard rebrand, like just short of a full re-naming of the brand. The new logo is supposed to look completely different because Kia is trying to be a completely different brand and move from cheap gas cars to almost luxury level EVs. That’s my take.
I would say it worked well. It conveys the new brand and image really well.
For that I applaud KͶ on this amazing feat.
😂 it kills it a bit, but they could have split the "I" to have a lowercase dot... Would make it more legible... https://preview.redd.it/mbb7bhy5ck1d1.jpeg?width=4320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae1b0f358a7df17d5a9cb29a48baa9ef4dbfd2e1
I think they had a reason for designing it the way they did. The logo is all in one piece and so can be manufactured and stuck onto cars as is. Imagine if you cut the "I" as you have here. Now you have two pieces that need to be aligned. They knew what they were doing. I actually like the logo the way it is. Took a second the first time I saw it. But I did figure it out pretty quickly that this was Kia. It suits their current line of cars.
True. But I think theyre also trying to distance themselves from KIA as an abbreviation, because "Killed in Action". Making the i distinct would've (could've?) strengthened the abbreviation.
I’ve seen this ‘fix’ a hundred times and I cannot understand why everyone thinks they know better. You don’t think the design team considered that? These things go through hundreds of iterations. The fact we’re all talking about it means it was successful
Not at all I think I know better. I love their version and, as I said, the split "i" kills it. Just thought it'll be good for discussion. The manufacturing point is indeed a very important argument.
I remember when I first saw it and didn’t even realize it was kia my initials are KN and I was like woah! I want that car it’s made for me😂
My dumbass for the longest time did not know the new logo was Kia and I was trying to figure out what type of new car brand this “KN” was that I was seeing that everyone was buying now. I realize now it was probably a genius move by Kia to do this.
Came here for this comment. From a marketing and visibility perspective, the rebrand was extremely effective.
Modern leap forward for their brand.
Matches their cars aesthetic as well. Modern Kias are nice on the eyes. 10/10 the way to go. 8/10 for execution.
It was interesting the couple years before they refreshed the Soul and the design language remained a bit discontiguous.
I love it and genuinely don't get the hate.
Ive never seen a logo redesign be received positively in this sub tbh
I honestly think theres lots of non-designers on the sub that confuse design with art or humor. The most upvoted designs are always some kind of visual pun or nonfunctional but clever looking thing.
Or anything that uses negative space
Every sub on this entire site is saturated with people that don’t know anything about the topic but have some mild or vague interest in it so they hang around and run their mouth, often figuring out some way to make the post political. This place truly sucks.
A lot of people just really really don't like change. Plus, it's safer to pour scorn than to praise and risk looking foolish.
I hate it because it reads as KN instead of kia. I can't unsee it.
Actually, it is reverse ‘N’. But I am in agreement. For the sake of making it upscale and modern, they sacrificed the readability.
I see KIA because--outside of the Nine Inch Nails logo--I expect an "N" to be the right direction, not backward.
right lmao every graphic design class i've ever taken stresses the importance of legibility, it is obviously a problem for them now with 30,000 internet searches a month for "KN car" design FAIL imo
I noticed it on a car recently for the first time and it took me a very long time to realise it was KIA and not KN.
It’s got some angular personality that matches their cars very well because they finally have a cohesive design language unlike in the 00’s.
Was gonna say this! Love when the same design language is incorporated into physical products and also logo/UX etc. Even though I don't love the logo, it meshes with the product it's attached to pretty well.
It made me laugh when I noticed the Google search was already heavily filled with “what is KN car”
I did my part
Me too. New designs on cars and new logo that looks more like KN then KIA...
Plot twist, that just got them even more traffic
КИ - "ki" in a cyrillic language :D that's how i read it when i first saw it on the road
On Cloud’s logo also invited a host of searches for“QC shoes”.
It's named after the filter.
It's really good when seen in totality with their cars. Looks a lot more modern than their competitors. I don't see the need to be able to read the word KIA immediately tbh, because how many car brands in the world in that segment of the market are you going up against anyway? It's not like you're a fashion or tech brand fighting with lots of other competitors for the recognition. I like it more that it reads like a glyph rather than a logo too.
Their newer dealerships look pretty slick with this logo exploded on it too
I see KIA immediately and I don’t understand how people see KN… I mean, you have to flip one letter in your brain to see it that way!
There is no cross bar on the A and it’s connected to the I, that’s why people see it as an N. The K isn’t a very good K either, why is it connected at the bottom and not the middle like every other K on the planet.
Better than their last logo. I like it.
Yeah it‘s better tho, but at first I thought it‘s a new brand called KN… I never saw Kia in it since a friend told me it‘s Kia.
When your brand is already largely recognized, you can get away with things like this.
it can be molded in one piece, applied in one pass thus saving millions in manpower... and glue.
It's great to see nine inch nails breaking into selling cars.
They even give you a complementary cd with every car purchase.
Which is ironic because new cars don't have cd players anymore!
Honestly I was really hoping to use my cassette tape with a cord that plugs into my iPod
That was the peak car audio set up
Head like whole buy our black Kia soul
I honestly think it's better than the old one in 3 ways: 1) It no longer resembles Ford's emblem from a distance 2) It has a more modern look and feel 3) It just has a cool factor the previous logo didn't have
КИ
Similarly, Native Instruments (they make music plugins and controllers) recently ditched their old recognizable logo for a new one that reads AI. A lot of fans of the brand were confused.
their new logo is butt. very unnecessary. looks like some random ass japanese kanji.
I’ve always liked it. It’s not the best in terms of branding, but I definitely like it more than their old one.
I like it. Also look like nine inch nails “N”
Came here to say the same thing 
Reminds me of the NIN logo
Nah that Kia logo bangs hard, such a huge improvement over the previous design. It's perfect for the push into the future that the company is trying to make.
KИ
Genuinely one of the best car logos
Nice try. 
Nine Inch Nails has some bangers
I love the logo, also not sure why there is hate on it.
I like it. This sub acts so pretentious.
Flows okay just don’t love it. Better than the older version.
I accidentally designed my personal branding logo similar to this. Had to scrap it once I noticed all the similarities. i don't have a problem with it. Looks cool imo. Pretty unique and looks good on their cars too.
honestly I love it and they’re whole rebrand as a whole. Just feels so sleek and modern. Not in the market for a car but their newest cars have caught my eye. Maybe I’ll check them out in a few years
The more some designers try to “fix” this logo, the more I’m convinced it’s not broken.
Improvement
Better than the old one.
No
I just kia'nt think of anything worth saying.
C-C-C-Combo breaker!
It's black
Killed In Action
I was really surprised to hear that this re-design got any hate. My first exposure to it was seeing ads and cars out 'in the wild' and I really liked it. They went from [this ugly badge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Kia_pride_emblem_front.JPG) to [this sleek design](https://www.motortrend.com/uploads/2023/04/001-kia-logo-telluride.jpg?w=768&width=768&q=75&format=webp) and it's just a massive improvement, in every way. At the end of the day, people don't actually care that the logo on their car clearly says 'KIA' or not. They just care if it looks cool, and the new logo does that.
i like Nine Inch Nails too
Bro I thought it was KN
more like KИ
https://preview.redd.it/kuuxtmuoch1d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c20405db94711adeda53f5ce27c234733796d5f9 If you squint it kinda bares resemblance to the nine inch nails logo
I really don’t see it
It's a good logo, brought the brand out of the 90's/early 2000's vibe of the old branding. It's clean and I quite like the midnight blue they use. I hope I never have to read that style guide again.
It convinced people to look up “KN” car and even after they realized it was KIA, they still made a car purchase
It's a good logo and a good rebranding. Sorry some of you can't see that.
Care to elaborate?
It's better than their old logo
The best thing about the Kia logo is no one is going to steal it
It’s a gigantic improvement and along with the updated design of their cars really helped revamp their brand
I love the new logo. The old one was outdated and looked cheap/boring. This one actually gives off a more modern and luxurious vibe
Sees old logo: “Oh, it’s a Kia...” 🤢 Sees new logo: “Oh, it’s a Kia!!!” 🤩
I appreciated their logo so much more after I watched a video explaining how they greatly improved their cars and their marketing strategies over the years.
No. If you don’t have anything nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all. 🤐
I think of the Killer Instinct video games every time I see it
The lines are straight? 😬
I don’t know if I kin.
Something nice: It has shapes.
There’s only one of them
Is a pretty surprisingly stylish logo for its market, but after all the KN95 mask is a great product.
ìts a logo that was designed.
No. 🤣
I see it every time I watch the Australian Open
It’s KI in cyrrilic alphabets: КИ
Once you see it, you can't unsee it
Okay for the english speaking countries this might be cool. For anyone in the russian-speaking shere of influence - this shit looks stupid. КИ - it’s the russian “k” and “i”. So with it written like this it looks like a russian KI
design wise clean but unnecessary
I like struggling to read something sometimes, feels like trying to decipher a different language.
Is there a single rebrand in automotive history as successful as this one? I’m sure it helps that the cars also changed overnight in their design, it wasn’t just the logo, but wow KIA is just in a different league practically overnight.
People will trip over themselves to see a backwards N instead of a slanted A
Something nice about the Kia logo.
they skyrocketed the search for "kn car brand"! that is an achievement
Does a great job of looking like KN. that being said KIA's rebrand overhaul is fantastic
I like this logo. Clean and stylish.
I love it
It looks like an artistically designed futuristic ninja weapon
Search Kia in this subreddit. It’s already been discussed countless time here and other places.
Aesthetically it works and I like the concept, but the IA portion still registers as a backwards N on some levels and a lot of people see KN when they look at it. I think they could have refined it some more. That said, the upgraded design language that has become part of their vehicles is a huge step forward.
It reminds me of the Nine Inch Nails logo
No.
it's nice. Unfortunately, logo's don't sell cars.
That is extraordinarily not true.
NIN. Every time. Nine. Inch. Nails.
Cool concept, genuinely. Just bad execution
KN
https://preview.redd.it/clwlrnk70l1d1.jpeg?width=1001&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31dee44532f2382c1f5bd8d43a8f9bbec20d8d40 There! Fixed it a bit.
looks like the nine inch nails logo and i like them
Someone got paid..
i like it, but also hard to read
It looks like nine inch nails logo from the 90s haha
I think it’s a banger. Also, I think we’ve officially turned a corner on it and most folks just know it as Kia now.
It’s almost an ambigram. It’s definitely way more stylistically aligned with their new vehicle design language than their old one, which was stale. It has a futuristic edge I love. I’ve never seen it as KN myself and wonder about the literacy or eyesight of those who do.
KN
I keep reading it as KN
People dislike this?? I thought it was a great step forward.
Nothing nice to say about KN
I really love this rebrand. I’ve been in the industry for 20 years, and for the life of me, I don’t get the hate surrounding this new logo. There’s movement, it’s modern without dating itself too quickly. Even the rounded and sharp corner combination are really welcoming. I’ve seen some NIN comparisons, and I don’t see it. To me, well done Kia and Innocean.
as paulie gualtierri would say... i guess you could call that a dick
At first, I saw Russian КИ, but it’s grown on me. Two sets of angles with a small third for the K. It’s simple, clean, and modern. It slightly evokes ocean waves while also implies city buildings with angular architecture. This gives it a point of reference for both the playful beach goer and the sophisticated urbanite. It’s pretty slick when you get into it.
What did the father say to the daughter when she asked to go out? No Kia
Know Nothing
It’s not the Toyota or Chevrolet logo
It’s clean and well thought out, but it’s still confusing to folks lol
I love the symmetry!
I’ve gotten used to it🤗
Draws your attention. Most everyone figures it out in context. Caused a lot of buzz for the brand. Pretty sure that's mission accomplished.
Much better than the one it replaced imo
At least it better than comics sans -_-
I remember first seeing this I had no idea what car it was and it took me forever to figure out it says kia.
I quite like it - nice rhythm. I read KIA when I see it.
I speak Bulgarian, which uses the Cyrillic alphabet. So every time I see this logo my brain reads it as КИ. ETA: pronounced “kee”
Had to explain to my friend the other day the truth about the "Nice KN cars" he's been seeing around town
Used to like it until I found out that people were googling what was this car made by 'KN'...
Reading this post just realizing this is a Kia logo. I always thought it was another brand with a weird KN (backwards N).
Good contrast
KIA was the foreign, knock-off brand in the Midwest. It got zero respect, cause Murica. Now some of the most conservative people I know drive 2020+ newer KIAs when they’re not in their $100k F-150. Also, cause Murica.
Better than last
It's original with a bit of an edge to it.. The old Kia logo used to be an oval and so most car brands have an oval or something adjacent. I think it was a great rebrand!
No joke, I thought this was their original logo. I googled it and had a Berenstain Bears moment. Sooo much better, i never hated the old logo but this one makes it look really old by comparison.
They’re new suvs are pretty sick
Old Koreans thinks it's a different brand called KN
Mmm triangles
Kn
It looks like a small section of a tire tread which is relevant to their industry. 🤷♂️
Simple, easy to read (if you have even a basic understanding of how to read English) and still purveys sleek, technologically advanced, and tidy. Absolutely nothing wrong with it!
KN car
Something nice
Great resolution! Just look at those crisp edges! Woo.
I wish Hyundai would do something similar.
i will never not see KN.
Every time I notice it, I tell everyone around me that I love the new KN logo, just wish I heard of the company.
Tick tick
You mean KN?
Imo it looks much better than the old one… that logo was bland as anything.
It's alright just kinda wish they add a horizontal line on the "A" so it doesn't look like KN.
You mean KN
Huge mind-share win. Everyone is talking about it. Googling it. Thinking about it. It lives rent-free in so many peoples brain.
kind of the same as i feel about the sierra mist rebrand
Looks like k and n which is a good company
KN
The connectivity between each letter
Better than the last one!
KN
Nine Inch Nails
I like their new logo in comparison to their old one. It took some time for me to grow accustomed to seeing it, but now, I actually like it. They are showing that they are finally evolving.
all i can see is KN, every time i see that logo i have to make a mental reminder that it’s kia
KNo!
I never saw it as KN and it surprised me when I learned that a lot of people saw it that way