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Elegance without Extravagance defines the recent Rolls Royce brand redesign by Pentagram.
The Spirit of Ecstasy, also known as the Female Guardian Angel in Vietnam, has been an enduring symbol associated with Rolls Royce brand design since the early 1910s.
In the year 2020, after over a century of association, this familiar emblem was refreshed by the design company Pentagram. Accompanied by intricate yet understated changes, stemming from the rebranding of the prestigious Rolls Royce brand.
The famous Spirit of Ecstasy emblem on Rolls Royce cars (image: WardsAuto).Rolls Royce brand designThe iconic maiden emblem in Rolls Royce brand design
Crafted by sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes in 1911, the Spirit of Ecstasy flying maiden was originally modeled after Mrs. Eleanor Velasco Thornton - the personal secretary of the Earl of John Scott Montagu, a close friend of Rolls co-founder Charles Rolls.
The Flying Lady emblem draws inspiration from the likeness of Mrs. Eleanor Thornton (image: InsideHook).In the ethereal imagery, the Flying Widow gracefully propels forward, her slender arms extending elegantly behind her in a sumptuous gown. Adorning the hood ornaments of Rolls Royce models since 1911, from the Rolls Royce Ghost to the Rolls Royce Phantom.Undergoing 11 revisions and design transformations within the Rolls Royce brand, the renowned Flying Widow emblem now boasts a considerably smaller size. Complete with intricately crafted springs to 'dance' against fractures and deter potential thieves.
Designer Marina Willer undertakes the responsibility in the Rolls Royce brand design project (photo: Charlotte Philby).Pentagram representative Marina Willer stated: 'The old design was too complex for digital platforms, failing to convey harmony, elegance, or modernity.''So I believe now is the perfect time to refresh it, bringing back the Flying Widow as the symbol of a woman always moving forward.'
This new emblem is expected to lead the Rolls Royce brand design, positioned at the front of the car to replace the easily confused double 'R' logo. Additionally, Rolls Royce's social media representation will now feature the Flying Widow image instead of the previous chrome 'R' emblem.How has the Flying Widow emblem changed?
By shifting the focus towards portraying a woman moving forward, Marina Willer and her team have flipped the Spirit of Ecstasy emblem from left-facing to right-facing.
The Flying Widow emblem has been refined and continues to be used on the car hood (photo: Automacha).Every detail has been meticulously calculated, analyzed, and Mytour-impacted by the design team. The wings, facial features, and even the waistline of the Spirit of Ecstasy have been subjects of debate. As Marina Willer shares:'The smallest details such as waist size are incredibly important. We don't want it too small as it would make the female Flying Widow appear skinny. It conveys an unflattering image. Especially just one small mistake can make that waistline appear disproportionate, even suggestive.'The digital imagery of the Flying Widow in the new Rolls Royce brand design brings to mind the image of delicate satin ribbons. This is the result of a code snippet from the design team, creating a series of parallel lines then curving them.
The traditional image of Rolls Royce on the Instagram social network (photo: Dezeen).Crafting soft curves evokes the silhouette of a woman. According to Ms. Willer, this idea stems from the Rolls Royce brand design team's desire to convey a positive brand image.Boldly discarding old images and values, aiming towards the future of design thinking and embracing advancements in science and technology.A new wordmark has emerged in the Rolls Royce brand design
In weighing the options between continuing to apply, completely removing, or refreshing the intertwined double 'R' emblem, the Pentagram team attempted to rejuvenate this symbol by altering perspectives or slightly resizing each letter.However, as Ms. Willer noted, every smallest change seemed like 'we are just copying that symbol.'The ultimate conclusion is to retain the entirety of the old design of the intertwined double 'R' emblem, instead, a completely new wordmark will be created for the Rolls Royce brand design.
The new wordmark design for the Rolls Royce brand name (photo: Dezeen).Ms. Willer and her team have changed the brand's wordmark, transitioning from the old Gill Sans Alt font to the new Riviera Nights font. With the sharp edges of the letters 'L' and 'E' to create a sense of motion, directing the brand image towards elegance and Mytour.Each letter in the new wordmark is also capitalized, rather than just the first letter as in the old Rolls Royce brand design.This time, the two 'R' letters are also favored with larger sizes, a gesture of compensation that Pentagram wants to offer for the farewell to the intertwined double 'R' emblem.The new Rolls Royce brand design was introduced on September 1st, 2020.This article includes some information and images from DeZeen - an architecture and design website based in London. The VU team would like to express their gratitude and together hope that brand knowledge in general and brand design in particular will continue to be freely shared with everyone.Sincerely,Article source:https://vudigital.co/3-major-changes-in-rolls-royce-brand-design.html
