Porsche has unveiled a version of its iconic crest in celebration of its 75th anniversary. Much like the automaker’s philosophy on building sports cars, the Porsche logo has slowly evolved but largely stayed the same. But for the biggest of Porsche fans, the changes are some of the most significant that Porsche has ever made to its crest.
I only say that half-jokingly. Yes, it’s basically the same logo as before. When you have an icon like the Porsche crest, there isn’t much you can change that would make it better while maintaining the mountain of brand equity that it enjoys. And the changes are only significant because Porsche has barely changed the logo in 75 years, and has maintained some design features until this update.
Every little bit of the crest was changed, which is amazing considering how little it has actually changed. The biggest of the changes is the deletion of the stippling that forms a background texture behind the whole crest, which the logo has featured since the very beginning. With the deletion of the stipples, the crest is now backed by a smooth satin.
To add some visual interest back, the red stripes within the coat of arms has a honeycomb texture. The most subtle of design work was done around the edges of all the features of the coat of arms, adding bezels and chamfers all around to prominently display what used to be outlined by the stipples. Finally, the “Stuttgart” script in the middle is now painted black instead being of relieved into the metal.
Basically, there are a lot of small changes that add up to a very medium change. It’s subtle and respectful of what the crest has always been, and there was never a need to revolutionize the unbelievably strong brand identity here. At least Porsche knows to stick to what works.
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