RE: Lotus unveils new 'simplified' roundel
Discussion
loudlashadjuster said:
carinaman said:
I wouldn't compare the brands of online companies with that of an established car company.
You are, of course, completely correct; they're not really comparable. Google & Ebay's brand equities are hundreds if not thousands of times more valuable than Lotus'sGulf7 said:
Personally I'd like to see Lotus capitalise on what it's famous for, but hey, what do I know, maybe the market for 1.7 tonne £2M electric hypercars and football sponsorship is where the real money is? I guess as a Lotus owner who's moving to Caterham after 14 years I'm just one of those UK "enthusiasts" who care about its heritage but don't want to buy its the cars it makes. To me Lotus is more than a badge - it's about Colin Chapman's design ethos.
What a lot of self righteous waffle.Edited by Gulf7 on Friday 9th August 16:46
Don’t fear change man, embrace it - just like
Colin Chapman did!
Lotus are on an ambitious path to a sustainable and successful future selling more cars to more people all over the world.
Having scraped by on the verge of bankruptcy for years people (many on here) were damning of Lotus for doing the same thing, not making new cars, not challenging Porsche, charging too much etc.
Now they have substantial backing from Geeley and a good management team they are setting about building the Lotus brand into a serious international player.
But.... they can’t do everything at once. New cars are planned and are in accelerated development but they need to build the foundations.
This means making tweaks to the branding to appeal to the biggest audience. It also means signalling your advanced tech credentials to the world (many who will have not have heard of Lotus before) with a stunning EV hyper car.
By all means flounce off in a huff to Caterham, I doubt you’ll be missed.
I also think you’ll be back after a few years of hair-shirt martyrdom in a 7.
Maldini35 said:
By all means flounce off in a huff to Caterham, I doubt you’ll be missed.
Possibly a slightly unnecessary comment given that we're both Lotus enthusiasts (and ex-owners?) who just have different opinions about what type of cars we'd like Lotus to produce? Fortunately the friends I've made at SELOC and Lotus on Track during my Lotus ownership don't see it that way and I'll be continuing my involvement with both of those clubs, just in a Seven rather than an Elise. I love the current range of Lotus cars, and enjoyed the Lotus factory tour as much as visiting Classic Team Lotus, but a Seven has been on my wish list since before I bought my Elise. Not liking the new logo and having no interest in EV hypercars is just a personal opinion 
Gulf7 said:
Possibly a slightly unnecessary comment given that we're both Lotus enthusiasts (and ex-owners?) who just have different opinions about what type of cars we'd like Lotus to produce? Fortunately the friends I've made at SELOC and Lotus on Track during my Lotus ownership don't see it that way and I'll be continuing my involvement with both of those clubs, just in a Seven rather than an Elise. I love the current range of Lotus cars, and enjoyed the Lotus factory tour as much as visiting Classic Team Lotus, but a Seven has been on my wish list since before I bought my Elise. Not liking the new logo and having no interest in EV hypercars is just a personal opinion
Quite right - it was totally unnecessary.I apologise unreservedly.
As you say we’re both Lotus fans and can disagree about certain details without falling out.
We should try to avoid a People’s Front Of Judea/Judean Peoples Front situation wherever possible.
Europa1 said:
Why is it "safe to say that the branding requirements of the deal are likely to have stipulated a revamp of the manufacturer's slightly tricky typeface"?
Lotus has been the shirt sponsor for Norwich City before (complete with branded sports seats in the dugouts), and the logo didn't seem problematic then.
Dafabet are sponsoring all their shirts, nothing with Lotus on, unless it's just at the training ground. They might need a lot of 'powering' if they continue to play like they did in their opening game Lotus has been the shirt sponsor for Norwich City before (complete with branded sports seats in the dugouts), and the logo didn't seem problematic then.
Edited by Europa1 on Thursday 8th August 12:41
The Li-ion King said:
Dafabet are sponsoring all their shirts, nothing with Lotus on, unless it's just at the training ground.
According to https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/norwich-... "Lotus will see its new corporate identity on the pitch-side at Carrow Road, on the ‘walk-out’ jackets worn by the first-team squad, and on the shirts of academy players from ages nine to 23. Meanwhile, the training facility is now The Lotus Training Centre, and the all-new academy will be called The Lotus Academy."Maldini35 said:
What a lot of self righteous waffle.
Don’t fear change man, embrace it - just like
Colin Chapman did!
Lotus are on an ambitious path to a sustainable and successful future selling more cars to more people all over the world.
Having scraped by on the verge of bankruptcy for years people (many on here) were damning of Lotus for doing the same thing, not making new cars, not challenging Porsche, charging too much etc.
Now they have substantial backing from Geeley and a good management team they are setting about building the Lotus brand into a serious international player.
But.... they can’t do everything at once. New cars are planned and are in accelerated development but they need to build the foundations.
This means making tweaks to the branding to appeal to the biggest audience. It also means signalling your advanced tech credentials to the world (many who will have not have heard of Lotus before) with a stunning EV hyper car.
By all means flounce off in a huff to Caterham, I doubt you’ll be missed.
I also think you’ll be back after a few years of hair-shirt martyrdom in a 7.
Lotus seem more worried about re-branding a brand, which to be frank needs little in the way of introduction. The new EV is a total joke, the current range of cash cows is underpinned by 'new' special editions and really they could be doing a whole lot better. I fully expect Geeley to flounce when the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Lambo produce similar weight cars with 1500HP electric motors, Of course, Lotus will profit fully from the badge re-desgin in that arena. Don’t fear change man, embrace it - just like
Colin Chapman did!
Lotus are on an ambitious path to a sustainable and successful future selling more cars to more people all over the world.
Having scraped by on the verge of bankruptcy for years people (many on here) were damning of Lotus for doing the same thing, not making new cars, not challenging Porsche, charging too much etc.
Now they have substantial backing from Geeley and a good management team they are setting about building the Lotus brand into a serious international player.
But.... they can’t do everything at once. New cars are planned and are in accelerated development but they need to build the foundations.
This means making tweaks to the branding to appeal to the biggest audience. It also means signalling your advanced tech credentials to the world (many who will have not have heard of Lotus before) with a stunning EV hyper car.
By all means flounce off in a huff to Caterham, I doubt you’ll be missed.
I also think you’ll be back after a few years of hair-shirt martyrdom in a 7.
To survive they need an SUV and an Esprit, at least a platform which will allow them to compete with the higher end 911's and Ferrari's.
yonex said:
Lotus seem more worried about re-branding a brand, which to be frank needs little in the way of introduction. The new EV is a total joke, the current range of cash cows is underpinned by 'new' special editions and really they could be doing a whole lot better. I fully expect Geeley to flounce when the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Lambo produce similar weight cars with 1500HP electric motors, Of course, Lotus will profit fully from the badge re-desgin in that arena.
To survive they need an SUV and an Esprit, at least a platform which will allow them to compete with the higher end 911's and Ferrari's.
A brand that needs no introduction?To survive they need an SUV and an Esprit, at least a platform which will allow them to compete with the higher end 911's and Ferrari's.
Really?
I think you’ll find the two biggest markets US & China have almost zero awareness of Lotus.
EV merely a calling card.
Esprit & SUV on their way but as I said they are going as fast as they can!
rampageturke said:
how is this worthy of a news article with nearly 150 replies?
because lotus are an iconic and historically significant company both for its road cars and for its race / F1 cars, Chapman was a real innovator even today it is one of the last bastions of the drivers car, so to see them 'sell out' their historic logo for cheapness and so that it will look good on the shirts of the sport of knuckle draggers is very disappointing for some fans of the company
Dave Hedgehog said:
because lotus are an iconic and historically significant company both for its road cars and for its race / F1 cars, Chapman was a real innovator
even today it is one of the last bastions of the drivers car, so to see them 'sell out' their historic logo for cheapness and so that it will look good on the shirts of the sport of knuckle draggers is very disappointing for some fans of the company
The logo won’t have been changed purely because of the football sponsorship, a simpler, more graphic logo will be better suited to pretty much all marketing material and usage.even today it is one of the last bastions of the drivers car, so to see them 'sell out' their historic logo for cheapness and so that it will look good on the shirts of the sport of knuckle draggers is very disappointing for some fans of the company
As regards football, the Premier League is one of our biggest and most successful exports around the globe.
Seeing a Lotus logo on the pitch for the big games against Liverpool & Man City etc will generate huge awareness, familiarity and a sense of security (ie this is a solid car brand that is here to stay). When the new cars filter through it will be an easier sell if people have seen the logo knocking around before.
A lot of brand recognition is subconscious anyway.
I would say it’s pretty smart marketing, although I can understand how it might offend UK die-hard fans.
Mind you Norwich might need to play a bit better....
They should have returned to the original 1948 design, including the simplified typeface. The CABC logo didn’t need simplifying, removing the serifs from the letters hasn’t helped with its legibility, and the straightened Lotus now appears to curve upwards. If you were designing this logo from scratch you wouldn’t have horizontal text against a curved edge like that.
Could have been a lot worse though...
Could have been a lot worse though...
Maldini35 said:
A brand that needs no introduction?
Really?
I think you’ll find the two biggest markets US & China have almost zero awareness of Lotus.
Few people seem to appreciate this. Lotus is very well known to enthusiasts in the UK, beyond that in much of Europe, let alone further afield, it is virtually unknown.Really?
I think you’ll find the two biggest markets US & China have almost zero awareness of Lotus.
Gulf7 said:
Personally I'd like to see Lotus capitalise on what it's famous for, but hey, what do I know, maybe the market for 1.7 tonne £2M electric hypercars and football sponsorship is where the real money is? I guess as a Lotus owner who's moving to Caterham after 14 years I'm just one of those UK "enthusiasts" who care about its heritage but don't want to buy its the cars it makes. To me Lotus is more than a badge - it's about Colin Chapman's design ethos.
Who says that they're not going to do that? The EV is a means of raising the profile of the brand - something that is much needed, especially given the amount of noise in the marketplace these days. Getting the brand out there is important and the Premier League, which receives global coverage, isn't a bad way to do that. In order to make the niche, lightweight cars that people love, they also need to make stuff that has broader appeal and a decent profit margin.Edited by Gulf7 on Friday 9th August 16:46
The Li-ion King said:
Dafabet are sponsoring all their shirts, nothing with Lotus on, unless it's just at the training ground. They might need a lot of 'powering' if they continue to play like they did in their opening game
In fairness, that game could have been a lot worse. Also, coverage is coverage.Dave Hedgehog said:
because lotus are an iconic and historically significant company both for its road cars and for its race / F1 cars, Chapman was a real innovator
even today it is one of the last bastions of the drivers car, so to see them 'sell out' their historic logo for cheapness and so that it will look good on the shirts of the sport of knuckle draggers is very disappointing for some fans of the company
It's an iconic and significant company for a relatively tiny minority. It's not exactly Ferrari/Lamborghini/McLaren is it? It's company that has been extremely innovative, but also one that has flirted with bankruptcy on and off for the last three decades.even today it is one of the last bastions of the drivers car, so to see them 'sell out' their historic logo for cheapness and so that it will look good on the shirts of the sport of knuckle draggers is very disappointing for some fans of the company
I don't understand why people keep saying "cheap", what is cheap about changing their logo? Rebranding is never cheap and just because the logo has been simplified, that doesn't mean it looks cheap. It has just been adapted to match the current trend for simplistic design. They're not the first company to do that and certainly won't be the last.
Those knuckle draggers that you so charmingly refer to are also part of one of the biggest British brands in the world. Perhaps it's a good idea to try and raise the profile of Lotus by taking advantage of that brand and its marketing capabilities?
I do have to laugh at some of the comments on here. People talk about what an innovator Chapman was, but seem to want Lotus to do anything but innovate. Instead, just carry on building nice, capable cars that most people don't actually want to buy. You might find that Mr Chapman would be rather impressed by the attempt to drag Lotus into the 21st century and even more so by the idea of something so advanced as the Evija.
Jon_S_Rally said:
You might find that Mr Chapman was rather impressed by the attempt to drag Lotus into the 21st century and even more so by the idea of something so advanced as the Evija.
I am all for the Evija even if it is impossible to pronounceI have said from day one of the rebirthed bath tub lotus that their main problem is they have no hero car, nothing that kids would put on their wall as a poster. For many of us old fogies the Esprit was close to as desirable as the countach.
So its very exciting they are finally getting one, even if it is slightly over the top of what was needed lol
The Amstrad logo was designed by Alan Sugar and Bob Watkins leafing though a Letraset catalog and choosing Futura Bold Outline. Many years later it was updated with a burgundy bar by an expensive agency.
The first time I encountered the idea of corporate identity was when Amstrad bought Sinclair and we were given the Sinclair guidelines. I remember thinking it was an exceptionally poncy thing, and perhaps if Sinclair hadn't spent lots of money with expensive agencies it would not be bankrupt while Amstrad was a billion pound company.
The first time I encountered the idea of corporate identity was when Amstrad bought Sinclair and we were given the Sinclair guidelines. I remember thinking it was an exceptionally poncy thing, and perhaps if Sinclair hadn't spent lots of money with expensive agencies it would not be bankrupt while Amstrad was a billion pound company.
simonrockman said:
The first time I encountered the idea of corporate identity was when Amstrad bought Sinclair and we were given the Sinclair guidelines. I remember thinking it was an exceptionally poncy thing, and perhaps if Sinclair hadn't spent lots of money with expensive agencies it would not be bankrupt while Amstrad was a billion pound company.
Mine was in my first job, when the company rebranded and the IT department got the job of turning all of the new stationery designs (made on a Mac, natch) into Word templates which were actually usable. I mean, the purchase order form looked pretty and everything, but had the minor problem of not having enough room to write anything on it. That kind of stuff.otolith said:
Mine was in my first job, when the company rebranded and the IT department got the job of turning all of the new stationery designs (made on a Mac, natch) into Word templates which were actually usable. I mean, the purchase order form looked pretty and everything, but had the minor problem of not having enough room to write anything on it. That kind of stuff.
Heh, that sounds remarkably familiar. I blame Jobs and the Woz for it. They made desktop publishing a accessible, never mind the typographical fallout 
.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff