Rolls-royce refreshes brand identity

Pentagram has refreshed the brand identity for Rolls-royce, a company formed by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce in 1906, to develop and sell cars. While the motor car business subsequently separated in 1973, Rolls-royce remains one of the world’s leading names in engineering, aerospace, power systems and nuclear technology.

Pentagram worked closely with the Rolls-royce leadership to develop a brand strategy, tone of voice and refreshed visual identity that presents Rolls-royce as both authority and innovator.

The new work is centred around a succinct brand vision that acts as a statement of purpose for the company: 'Pioneering the power that matters'. A rich collection of brand elements has been introduced, including a refreshed badge and tagline, newly defined colour palettes, a specially commissioned custom typeface, and a new approach to icons, infographics and motion graphics. Retaining the iconic double ‘R’ that is synonymous with Rolls-royce, Pentagram simplified the company’s badge by removing the external wordmark. While the composition of the badge has been kept in place, Pentagram redrew the letterforms and finessed the details of the inherently complex logotype, to render it in a bold, clear way that functions at both a large and small scale. The iconography is drawn from the geometry of the double ‘R’, building on an extraordinary 114 years of brand equity. The result is an enhanced simple and clear brand ecosystem that reinvigorates Rolls-royce’s visual identity, optimising its performance across digital platforms and environmental applications.