Porsche crest updated for 75th anniversary
Electric Macan will be one of the first to wear the new crest
Porsche has revealed the latest iteration of its trademark crest after a redesign process to modernise the famous badge, ahead of its introduction at the end of 2023.
The revised crest features a new three-dimensional honeycomb structure, along with brushed precious metal and newer, more subtle gold colouring. The horse — a symbol of Porsche’s hometown of Stuttgart — in the centre of the crest has also been detailed and redrawn.
Designers at Style Porsche worked in tandem with the firm’s marketing experts throughout the crest’s three-year redesign process.
The crest’s top area has been widened and the lower end narrowed, while the antlers on the badge have been slimmed down and are drawn in finer lines than on the preceding crest. The Stuttgart lettering in the crest’s centre has also been made easier to read – and is in the Porsche typography.
“The time factor is very important in a maturing process such as this,” said Joachim Paetzel, colour and trim specialist at Style Porsche. “A trademark is not designed ‘off the cuff’ within a few days. You have to go back to it again and again, sometimes at longer intervals.
“The second or third look can reveal to you things that you want to optimise, until it finally achieves a harmonious, natural effect. Only then can you say with satisfaction: ‘This is exactly how it has to be!’.”
The future
The updated crest will be formally adopted at the Porsche anniversary show on June 8, where the car maker will celebrate 75 years of sports car production. The crest will then appear on new Porsche models before the end of the year.
Several of Porsche’s upcoming cars are expected to feature the new badging, such as the highly anticipated hybrid-powered 911 that was spotted testing at the Nürburgring circuit earlier this year, and the facelifted Taycan, expected to launch at the end of 2023.
Next year will see the launch of the next-generation Macan, available with an electric powertrain for the first time in the model’s history. The new Cayman and Boxster are also expected to be offered with an electric powertrain, as part of Porsche’s ambition for 80 per cent of its cars sold to be electrically powered by 2030.
“Porsche aims to have a carbon neutral balance throughout the entire value chain by 2030,” Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said in 2021. “We want to be an automotive role model.”
The history
The Porsche crest has been in use since 1952 and was originally designed by Franz Xaver Reimspiess.
Reimspiess’ design came to be after a failed competition was held between German art students to design the Porsche logo, with a prize of 1,000 German marks to play for — however, none of the submitted designs passed muster with Porsche management.
Since then, the crest has undergone light changes, such as a slight enlargement to fit the 911’s bonnet in 1963. The Porsche lettering was made bolder at a later stage and some of the colours — such as the deep red in the lower half of the crest — made darker in 2008.
Michael Mauer, vice-president of Style Porsche, is optimistic about the refreshed design: “With its much cleaner and more state-of-the-art execution, the modernised crest communicates the character of Porsche.”
“We have reinterpreted historical characteristics and combined them with innovative design elements such as a honeycomb structure and brushed metal. The result is an aesthetically ambitious arc that bridges the history and the future of the brand.”
Robert Ader, Porsche’s chief marketing officer, said: “The Porsche crest is an unmistakable symbol and simultaneously a central element of our brand identity.
“For this reason, the modernised crest became the occasion for us to rework our brand design. We will be using the crest in a more targeted way to underline emotional highlights. At the same time, the Porsche lettering will take on even greater significance.”
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