Short answer
What the BMW logo symbol means
The BMW logo is a black ring with the letters BMW around a circle divided into blue and white quarters. The ring comes from the emblem of Rapp Motorenwerke, the Munich engine maker that was renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke in 1917. The blue and white are reminiscent of the Bavarian flag and coat of arms. The idea that the quarters show a white propeller against a blue sky is a myth that appears to come from a 1929 BMW advertisement, twelve years after the logo was introduced.
Quick read
BMW logo at a glance
- Name
- Bayerische Motoren Werke, Bavarian Motor Works
- Ring comes from
- The Rapp Motorenwerke emblem
- First BMW roundel
- 1917
- Blue and white
- Reminiscent of the Bavarian flag and arms
- Propeller story
- Likely from a 1929 advertisement
- Current version
- Flat, transparent roundel, 2020
Interactive logo decoder
The BMW Roundel
The black ring
The black ring is inherited from the Rapp Motorenwerke emblem, which BMW kept when it adopted the new name. It frames the whole badge and carries the lettering.
Highlighted on the logoThe BMW letters
The initials of Bayerische Motoren Werke are set in white capitals that follow the curve of the upper ring. In the 1963 version they are bold and widely spaced.
Highlighted on the logoBlue and white quarters
The quartered disc is reminiscent of the Bavarian coat of arms and flag. The propeller reading is a later myth tied to a 1929 advertisement rather than the original intent.
Highlighted on the logo
The BMW roundel ring came from Rapp Motorenwerke
Karl Rapp founded Rapp Motorenwerke in Munich in 1913, and BMW acknowledges him as an indirect founder. His firm's emblem was a black ring reading RAPP and MOTOR around a horse head on a plinth, flanked by two stars. When the company was renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke in 1917, the management needed a new logo. They kept the black ring and its lettering and replaced the horse head with blue and white quarters.
The sources used for this page credit no individual designer for the 1917 roundel. They say only that the name change led to the new design.
Why the BMW logo is blue and white
The quarters are reminiscent of the coat of arms and flag of Bavaria, the state where the company is based. The Bavarian arms use a lozenge pattern in blue and white, and that pattern is missing from the roundel. Wikipedia explains that local law at the time banned the use of state coats of arms on commercial logos, so BMW took the colors without the pattern.
The archive's 1917 file shows the original: a black ring with gold-colored lettering and a gold rim around the blue and white center. The blue and white stayed through every redraw, and only the shade of blue has shifted over the years.
Is the BMW logo a propeller? Where the myth began
It is an understandable guess. BMW grew out of Munich aircraft-engine makers, and its straight-six BMW IIIa aero engine was what the company was producing in 1917. A circle divided into four quarters looks like a propeller seen from the front.
The record does not support it as the design intent. The story likely stems from a 1929 BMW advertisement that placed the logo over a rotating propeller. Wikipedia notes that the logo predates that ad by twelve years. Once the ad had linked the two images, the story kept being repeated. The aircraft background is real, but the propeller reading of the roundel is a later invention, not a documented reason for the quarters.
BMW logo history and every redesign
After the first roundel the archive shows steady refinement. By 1933 the rim is darker gold with heavier serif capitals, and in 1953 the letters turn silver-gray with slab serifs and the blue becomes a light cyan. In 1963 bold white sans-serif capitals and a mid sky blue produced the version most drivers know from hoods and wheel centers.
A glossy 3D chrome version arrived in 1997. In 2020 BMW dropped the 3D effects and the black outline, leaving a thin gray ring with a transparent center. Wikipedia notes the 2020 logo is used in brand communications rather than on vehicles. The quarters have stayed in the center throughout.
Logo archive
BMW logo versions through the years
1913 The Rapp Motor emblem 
1917 The first BMW roundel 
1953 Silver letters and light cyan - 1963 The modern flat roundel
1997 The 3D chrome roundel 
2020 Flat, transparent and open
Frequently asked questions
BMW logo symbol questions answered
What does the BMW logo mean?
It is a ring carrying the letters BMW around blue and white quarters. The ring comes from the Rapp Motorenwerke emblem, and the blue and white are reminiscent of the Bavarian coat of arms and flag.
Is the BMW logo a propeller?
No. The propeller idea likely comes from a 1929 BMW advertisement that placed the logo over a spinning propeller, twelve years after the roundel was introduced. The quarters are Bavarian colors.
Why is the Bavarian lozenge pattern not on the BMW logo?
Wikipedia notes that local laws at the time forbade using state coats of arms on commercial logos, so only the blue and white colors were used.
Who designed the BMW logo?
The sources used for this page credit no individual. They say only that the 1917 name change led BMW to devise a new logo from the Rapp Motorenwerke ring.
What does BMW stand for?
Bayerische Motoren Werke, German for Bavarian Motor Works. The name was adopted in 1917 when Rapp Motorenwerke was renamed.
Keep reading
More logo meanings
References
Sources for the BMW logo story
BMW logo and history. Logo images are an educational reference archive.