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Škoda called it the most radical change to its corporate identity in 30 years. Unveiled on 30 August 2022 alongside the Vision 7S concept and a new Modern Solid design language, it followed the Next Level Škoda Strategy 2030, which pushes the Czech carmaker towards electrification and digitalisation. Board member for sales and marketing Martin Jahn said the brand had to be fit for a decade of transformation, with a digital-first approach.

The work was developed in-house under Škoda's marketing department, with employees from across the company involved. Škoda surveyed 2,200 people in six markets, the Czech Republic, Germany, India, Israel, Italy and Norway, on a shortlist drawn from 165 designs. Petra Mackeová of the marketing team said heavy use in digital formats demanded a two-dimensional logo that is easier to recognise on screens and in print than the old 3D badge.

The name now leads. The new ŠKODA wordmark uses entirely different typography, built on symmetry and a mix of curves and edges, and will appear on the front of cars as well as the rear. The hardest part was the háček, the accent over the S: Martin Pavlík of the marketing team said it tends to confuse customers globally, so it was integrated into the letter, as a split in the top of the S, so domestic customers still recognise it. The winged arrow in a ring was simplified and flattened, without plastic 3D effects, and reserved for communication and digital uses. Two greens, Emerald and Electric Green, were chosen because respondents linked them with ecology and electromobility.

Rollout began with communication materials, with the wordmark on newly launched models from 2024 and changes planned for dealer premises. Jalopnik filed it under the trend of carmakers simplifying their logos, after Nissan and Volkswagen.

Autocar spelled out the rollout. The wordmark would reach the range from 2024, with the next Superb and Kodiaq expected first and a refreshed Octavia after them, then three electric models due before 2026, the first cars in the new design language. Autocar said the emblem would not appear inside the cars either, though Autocar India reported it would survive on the wheels and the interior. Retiring a badge from the bonnet is a big call for a brand whose arrow is its heritage; keeping it on the wheels feels like a compromise.

The flat arrow is fine but unremarkable. The wordmark is the real achievement: solving the háček problem without erasing it is a smart piece of type design that keeps the brand Czech while making it readable everywhere.