Bentley sharpens its century-old ‘Winged B’ emblem in bold refresh

Bentley Motors has unveiled a revamped ‘Winged B’ emblem, marking its most significant brand update in more than a century, as part of a broader design overhaul set to define its next chapter.

The reimagined logo will make its full debut alongside a futuristic concept car on 8 July, coinciding with the opening of the marque’s new design studio at its headquarters in Crewe, England.

Crafted in-house under Bentley’s director of design Robin Page, the emblem reflects the brand’s shift towards a cleaner and more progressive visual identity, while still retaining iconic cues such as the central ‘B’ jewel. The design was selected from an internal competition, with the winning concept submitted by interior designer Young Nam.

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Compared to its predecessor, the updated wings are sharper, more dramatic, and draw inspiration from the angular wings of a Peregrine Falcon. The lower feathers have been removed entirely, and the centre jewel now features refined detailing reminiscent of luxury watchmaking, complete with bevelled edges and a three-dimensional "B" set beneath the surface. The jewel is also designed to stand alone as a graphic element for future applications.

The updated emblem is only the fifth iteration in the brand’s 106-year history and follows previous redesigns in 1931, the 1990s, and 2002. The most recent version, introduced with the launch of the Continental GT, was inspired by the original 1919 logo, featuring asymmetrical feathering to prevent counterfeits and signal motion.

The reveal of the new concept car, while not intended for production, is expected to signal the direction of Bentley’s future design language, which will draw from the marque’s heritage while pushing into new aesthetic territory.

"If a luxury brand is the product of the stories it has created, then its emblem is its signature. In more than a century of history, this is only the fourth evolution of Bentley’s iconic 'Winged B', and redesigning it was a formidable task for which we’ve taken great care," said Robin Page, director of design for Bentley.

She added, "In an era of ever-increasing complexity and fidelity from digitalisation, an exercise of simplification and refinement is a modern necessity, and so the new emblem is cleaner, sharper and more impactful than its predecessor. The new 'Winged B', and the concept car that introduces it, both symbolise a powerful, exciting future for this company and its exceptional, handcrafted products."

The emblem was officially unveiled on 7 July during the opening of Bentley’s new state-of-the-art design studio. Built within the company’s original 1938 headquarters, the three-storey facility is set to become the creative hub for future Bentley vehicles.

Bentley’s brand evolution comes at a time when logo redesigns and visual identity shifts are under more scrutiny than ever, especially in the luxury automotive space. Just last year, Jaguar rolled out its own bold brand refresh, underpinned by a design philosophy it dubbed "Exuberant modernism". The new identity was meant to recapture the spirit of founder Sir William Lyons, with sleek visuals, geometric forms, and a “copy nothing” mantra designed to make Jaguar stand out in a crowded field.

Instead, it sparked a backlash. According to media intelligence firm CARMA at the time, Jaguar’s sentiment scores plummeted from 23.1% positive and 21% negative to just 8% positive and 40.3% negative following the rebrand.

Netizens slammed the update for its “lack of innovation and creativity”, while others questioned whether the brand’s new look aligned with its core identity. Some were particularly frustrated by the absence of actual vehicles in the brand’s hero ad, prompting Tesla’s Elon Musk to cheekily comment, “Do you sell cars?”

Jaguar gamely replied, “Yes. We'd love to show you. Join us for a cuppa in Miami?”

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