Aston Martin gets new wings: The British marque unveils its first new logo in 19 years
Aston Martin’s new logo, designed in collaboration with British graphic designer Peter Saville, is only the eighth update in its 109-year history. It's crisper and more contemporary, but you’d have to squint to spot the differences.
Aston Martin's new logo in 19 years was redesigned in collaboration with British graphic designer Peter Saville. (Photo: Aston Martin)
It’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it subtle, the differences to Aston Martin’s new logo. To the untrained eye, that is.
The iconic wings remain, and what’s immediately apparent is the curved linework under the “Aston Martin” wordmark has been done away with.
Overall, Aston Martin’s first major update to its marque in 19 years feels crisper, cleaner, and certainly more aesthetically pleasing. Most importantly, perhaps, the new version is unlikely to incur the ire of brand loyalists.
Less apparent, however, are the delicate refinements that altogether evoke a sense of greater modernity in the mind’s eye. And yes, you will have to squint to spot them.
“Actually, it’s a lot more change than that,” offered Marek Reichman, executive vice president and chief creative officer of Aston Martin, in an exclusive interview with CNA Luxury.
“It’s a lot of very refined changes; in terms of the proportionality of the ‘Aston Martin’ that’s embedded in the wing, and in terms of the forms and shapes of how the linework meets the edge of the wing,” he explained.
“Part of the design brief was to change the logo but not have it be unrecognisable. So it’s very much an evolution; a simplification of the wing and what you now get is clarity.”
The typeface of the “Aston Martin” wordmark has also been changed.
“The graphic language of the script is also new; we created our own new version of the old script, and even the spacing of the wording has been slightly adjusted as well. These finer details are incredible changes that appear imperceptible, but your mind does actually see them. And if you now look back at the old wing – which is a great exercise to do – the old one looks really old,” he noted.
This logo update – only the eighth in Aston Martin’s 109-year history – was created in collaboration with acclaimed British art director and graphic designer Peter Saville.
Weighing in on the final design, Saville said: “The Aston Martin wings update is a classic example of the necessary evolution of logotypes of provenance. The process was one of clarifying and emphasising the key feature of the Aston Martin marque; subtle but necessary enhancements that keep forms fresh.”
BOLDER, EDGIER CREATIVE IDENTITY
The refreshed logo is also part of a larger, new creative campaign titled “Intensity. Driven.” that’s a step in a much bolder direction than the brand has ever been. So why not design a radically new logo to complement the new, edgy creative identity?
“The wing is something treasured. And if you have a brand with a 109-year history, then you need to cherish that as well,” Reichman said.
“Yes, we’re bold with our new brand messaging and marketing campaign, but the company is still the same and from Day One, Bamford & Martin (Aston Martin’s founders) made cars for racing and today, we still make cars that race in F1. So in terms of what the company stands for, it’s very much the same and the wings reflect that,” he said.
“We did think about it: Do we do something radical but risk losing the benefit of history? Of course, we don’t want to look backwards but we have 109 years of heritage and it’s a foundation to look forward from, so the decision was made to make an evolution, not a total revolution.”
This strategic repositioning and new brand identity also signals the largest investment in the Aston Martin brand that the company has made in more than a decade.
The new logo, which will feature on the next generation of Aston Martin sportscars, will debut on the livery of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team at the French Grand Prix on Sunday (Jul 24).
And to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the manufacturer’s first Grand Prix entry, Aston Martin will also symbolically race with its original button logo on the nose of its cars, mirroring the marque featured on its first Grand Prix entries in 1922.
“Building on our return to the pinnacle of motorsport in Formula One, the launch of ‘Intensity. Driven.’ marks the next phase in our evolution of the Aston Martin brand, as we unleash its global potential and maximise our unique position at the cutting-edge of ultra-luxury and high performance,” said Renato Bisignani, head of global marketing and communications for Aston Martin.
“Our intent is to ensure that the image association – what Aston Martin stands for – is very clear in the hearts and minds of our customers and that is what has led us to the brand repositioning,” he added.
Now what would the British secret service agent most famously associated with Aston Martin think about the new logo?
“He’d be happy that we’ve evolved. Just as James Bond has evolved over time, when you have a really strong brand, you evolve the brand and you need to make it relevant – relevant to our new products, to our customers, and to the expansion of the brand in terms of its portfolio. He – or she – would look at it and say, ‘I think it’s brilliant,’” Reichman surmised.
