Solving the KIA Logo Puzzle
INTRODUCTION
Overview: When brands decide to change their logo, it’s usually for a fresh look, a new market strategy, or to attract a different audience. However, the recent “KIA” logo update has caused confusion and criticism because it looks like “KN” instead of “KIA”
Goals and Objectives: The main goal is to fix the well-known South Korean car company logo, so it clearly says “KIA” instead of “KN.”
Challenges: People seeing “KN” instead of “KIA.” especially kids and those not familiar with the brand.
RESEARCH
KIA is a car brand that has been around since 1944 and has become one of the world’s largest car manufacturers. Since 1994 the KIA logo consisted of the three capitalized letters in an oval red design.
A survey has found that only 56% were able to correctly identify the letters as “KIA,” with 44% incorrectly identifying them, and the most popular guess being “KN” at 26%. These findings suggest that the new KIA logo is not as easily recognizable as the company may have hoped.
The most frequent guess was “KN” with 26% of responses. Google search data attests to this confusion. There around 30,000 monthly searches for “KN car”. This is followed by 3% answering “KM” which likewise sees 1,200 monthly Google searches for “KM car”. While 2% answered simply “K”, apparently unable to make out the rest. Another 2% answered “KV” while the rest submitted similar variations like “KVI”, “KVA”, “KLA””, “VKN”, and “VAA”.
RE-DESIGN PROCESS
I started thinking and coming up with ideas. I made rough sketches and digital versions to try out different designs. The goal was simple: make a logo that fixed the confusion and also felt right for KIA’s brand.
SOLUTION
The fix was simple: I added a horizontal line to the letter A. This minor adjustment made a big difference, not just in changing the logo but also in possibly reshaping how people see the entire market, impacting the brand’s value and strategy. This small change emphasizing how one small tweak in communication and brand identity can be incredibly powerful.
CONCLUSION
A tiny change can make a huge difference in how people see and understand a brand. like adding a horizontal line to the letter A in the logo it fixed the confusion and had a big impact on the whole project. It didn’t just clear things up; it could even change how people think about the brand, affecting its worth and where it’s headed. This shows how careful design choices can really shape how a brand is seen in the market, proving the incredible influence of a simple modification.
