Continuing its journey from automotive manufacturer to House of Luxury, Rolls-Royce has announced its new brand identity, seeking to further modernize the classic marque for the new era.
The new brand identity echoes the changes seen in company’s portfolio, client demographic, and the luxury car market in general.
Rolls-Royce boasts a faster evolution than most, thanks mainly to its significant assets. The brand’s portfolio of cars have now expanded to five models, including the Rolls-Royce Dawn, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Wraith, and Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Looking to serve a more diverse and discerning crowd, the global average age of a Rolls-Royce customer today is 43 years old, down from 56 less than a decade ago.
The new brand identity is Rolls-Royce’s way of remaining true to its heritage while speaking to its bright and contemporary future.
“As the marque's digital presence increases, there has never been a more important time for the visual language of the company to reflect our standing as the leading luxury brand in the world,” commented Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce. “We have embarked on a fascinating journey of modernizing our brand identity to echo those changes seen in our portfolio, our client demographic, their lifestyle and the luxury world that surrounds them."
To develop its new brand new identity, Rolls-Royce tapped on the talents of Marina Willer, partner at Pentagram—a multi-disciplinary design studio highly revered within its industry. Commissioning Willer to create a presence that could move beyond the mechanics of being the ‘Best Car in the World,’ Rolls-Royce wanted its new image to appeal to the new demographic of clients and all that they represent both digitally, and physically.
As someone from outside the company, Willer was able to give Rolls-Royce the fresh perspective it needed to define the very pillars of luxury that the company is known for.
"I do not come from an automotive background,” Willer commented. “This vantage point provided me with the opportunity to observe Rolls-Royce as a manufacturer of luxury products. My ambition was to celebrate the luxuriousness of the brand while providing it with the means to visually communicate with Rolls-Royce’s younger, increasingly diversified audiences.”
Under Willer’s guidance, Pentagram then undertook a deep exploration of Rolls-Royce, including its products – both new and old, its design philosophy, its designers, signature sacrosanct items, and the marque’s unique relationship with its clients. The group even spent time in the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex manufacturing plant to understand the very essence of Bespoke and how this was key to the establishment of the contemporary Rolls-Royce name.
“What soon became apparent is that Rolls-Royce has evolved from being regarded as an automotive manufacturer into a leading light in the world of luxury “It was essential for us to ensure that the brand's new identity reflected this shift. We needed to present Rolls-Royce in a forward-facing, fresh and relevant way - speaking to new audiences while respecting the company’s loyal clients,” she added.
Willer chose The Spirit of Ecstasy figurine as the springboard from which to launch the Rolls-Royce’s new brand identity.
Willer had Pentagram’s Chris Mitchell, rework The Spirit of Ecstasy, originally drawn and sculpted by British artist Charles Sykes. In homage to this historical commission, Mitchell created the distilled form of the iconic sculpture.
Aside from the figurine, Pentagram also gave Rolls-Royce a new color palette that focuses on purple’s deep and majestic hue, complementing it with shades of wooden brown and graphite-colored shades for “a more expressive, luxurious color palette, appealing to both male and female clients.”
A new typeface, Riviera Nights, replaces Gil Sans Alt as the brand’s choice for in-car wordmarks.
Pentagram thought it wise to leave the double ‘R’ Badge of Honor intact.
These new branding instruments are set to appear in the upcoming Ghost, scheduled for release next month.
Photo/s from Rolls-Royce
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