An emblem revisited rather than rewritten
On 25 January 2023 Porsche introduces a refined version of its heraldic crest as part of the celebrations marking 75 years of Porsche sports cars. The redesign is developed by Style Porsche, the in-house design team led by Michael Mauer, and it represents the first crest update since 2014. In the longer history of the emblem, which first appeared on a Porsche steering wheel in 1952, the 2023 work is the most thorough revision yet, although the changes are calibrated to register as evolution rather than as a break with the past.
The 2023 crest reaches the public for the first time on the front of the Porsche 911 Sally Special, a one-off charity vehicle inspired by the Pixar character Sally Carrera, presented at Pebble Beach in 2022. From January 2023 the refined emblem rolls out from spring across vehicle bonnets, dealerships, communications and digital surfaces, with a multi-year transition window for the existing fleet and retail estate.
Geometry, finish, texture
The refinement of the crest centres on three editorial decisions. First, the geometry of the shield is tightened. The proportions are made more upright, with subtly reworked outlines that hold their reading at small scale on a steering wheel and at large scale on signage. The "PORSCHE" wordmark above the shield is reset in a slightly bolder, more compact lettering, and the spacing inside the bar is opened to give each letter additional visual weight.
Second, the finish is recast. A brushed gold replaces the previous flat gold tones, and a new bronze shade is introduced for selected applications. The brushed treatment carries an artisanal register that points to the hand-finished quality the brand associates with its model lines, and the bronze shade allows for a more discreet variant in dark interiors and on muted exteriors. Both finishes are designed to behave well under both natural light and the warmer lighting typical of dealership and motorshow environments.
Third, a honeycomb texture is introduced into the red areas of the crest. The texture references lightweight construction and motorsport heritage, with allusions to honeycomb sandwich panels used in racing chassis. The pattern is fine enough to read as texture rather than as an additional graphic element, and at small scale it resolves into a flat colour, preserving the legibility of the crest at distance.
Heraldic history kept in view
The Porsche crest has always been an exercise in heraldic borrowing. The shield references the coat of arms of the Free People's State of Württemberg, with its red-and-black bars and antlers, and the prancing horse at the centre is drawn from the coat of arms of Stuttgart, the city in which Porsche was founded. The combination originated in conversations between Ferry Porsche and an American Porsche distributor in the early 1950s, and the first applied version, attributed to Erwin Komenda and Franz Xaver Reimspiess, appeared on a Porsche 356 steering wheel in 1952.
The 2023 work treats this lineage as a continuous document. The proportions of the prancing horse are redrawn, the antler and strip patterns are given a more refined silhouette, and the shield is rebalanced to sit comfortably alongside the wordmark. The refinements are positioned by Style Porsche as an editorial polishing rather than a redesign in the technical sense. None of the constituent elements is removed or replaced, and the crest remains immediately recognisable as the same emblem that has appeared on Porsche bonnets for seven decades.
Application across product, retail and digital
The first volume application of the new crest sits on the bonnet, steering wheel and key of the Porsche 911 model line, with subsequent introductions on Cayenne, Macan, Panamera, Taycan and the wider portfolio. Retail spaces are rolled out progressively, with the new emblem appearing on facades, signage and printed collateral as locations enter their refurbishment cycles. Digital touchpoints, including the configurator, Porsche.com and the My Porsche app, adopt the refined crest in coordinated waves to keep brand consistency across the customer journey.
The brand's print and motion communications use the refined crest as a closing sign, with brand films of the 75th-anniversary year ending on the new emblem rather than on the older variant. Sponsorship properties such as Formula E and the Porsche Carrera Cup move to the new emblem on cars and trackside graphics through the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Anniversary capsules with the Porsche Design subsidiary and selected lifestyle partners carry the emblem onto eyewear, watches and small leather goods.
Continuity as a brand strategy
For Porsche the refresh codifies a broader posture toward brand evolution. Where many automotive brands have moved toward flat, two-dimensional emblems built for screens, including Volkswagen in 2019, BMW in 2020 and Mercedes-Benz in 2025, Porsche keeps a heraldic, three-dimensional crest at the centre of its visual identity. The 2023 refinements give that crest a vocabulary that reads cleanly on digital surfaces without sacrificing the metallic, sculptural register that Porsche owners and prospective buyers associate with the brand.
The communications around the refresh emphasise restraint. The work is presented as a moment of stewardship rather than as a strategic pivot, and Style Porsche frames the project as a service to a continuous design tradition. In a year in which the company also celebrates the 75th anniversary of its sports cars and continues the rollout of the all-electric Taycan family, the refined crest functions as a calm centre, signalling that the marks of the past are tuned for the surfaces of the present.
