Check out www.cartype.com — it’s “a museum of automobile typography” and there are tons of examples of companies who got it right.

…I don’t understand what’s wrong here.

The first font used on the side emblem of the car is a bit horsey. Sort of fat and not very “luxurious”. The font on the emblem on the inside of the car (quite possibly the same font, but kerned out a bit and used in small caps) seems more luxurious and a bit more suitable for such an application. I think the typography in the second image applied to the first would have been a much nicer treatment for the emblem design of a $50k car.

IMHO.

/mattjohn

In terms of not communicating luxury, I find that the Lexus logo itself is far worse than the type applied in the examples above. More like the kind of logo you would expect to find on a budget car radio.

All I know is that I would love that Toyota model named “Ipsum”.

Thank you Elias!!!!!! Someone else out there gets it!

What appears inside the car is the logo and logotype for the golf course and resort. Something that was probably not designed to be used as a special edition luxury car logo, but instead to evoke certain emotions related to the golf course—which I think it does rather successfully. I’m guessing then that the exterior badge was intended to look similar to the Pebble Beach logotype, except they failed at that. If the exterior tag was properly set like the logotype, I’d have no real problem with it (typographically at least).

Thats the worst car badge I’ve ever seen. FAIL.

...

Not that I disagree, but it would appear this type treatment was set by those that branded Pebble Beach the golf course/resort. Since that branding is pretty much set, I think it is more of a failure to integrate the logo into an appropriate carrier.

Jac
“pronounced by saying ’Jake’ without conjuring imagery of lumberjacks or mans best friend.”