“They’re quite soft,” Page told Autocar, “and what we’ve related it to, actually, is an owl, in its soft feathers on the bottom.
“I like to pick characters or animals to reference things, and what I looked at then was the peregrine falcon, which has a sharper, more edgy wing profile. We’ve taken away the tail feathers to give it that speed. It was about purifying and simplifying the wings.”
Page added that he took inspiration from luxury watches in refreshing the look of the central B element: “Instead of just a flat surface, it’s got a glass piece and a three-dimensional ‘jewel’.”
He said it was important that the B can be used on its own, without the feathers attached, so that it is as clear as possible on digital platforms.
As for what the new badge reveals about Bentley’s future designs, Page highlighted how the company’s emblem has evolved over the years with its cars.
“If you look at form language, these [old] logos match very well the form language of the time. They’re a lot about solid chrome surfaces,” he said.
“We’re moving into a more progressive front now, with sharper diamond shapes, triangles and light illuminations, so the new logo matches that form language.”
The original Bentley logo of 1919 was created by renowned automotive illustrator F. Gordon Crosby, who at the time was chief artist for Autocar magazine.
Briefed by Bentley founder WO Bentley to create an emblem “that summed up his quest to push the boundaries of performance”, Crosby chose to “represent the exhilaration of motion” with a pair of wings – also thought to be a nod to WO Bentley’s background as a designer of fighter plane engines.
The wings were designed to be asymmetrical, with a different number of feathers, to better protect against imitation – and they remain so in the latest interpretation.