Bugatti, the French hyper sports car manufacturer founded by Ettore Bugatti in 1909 in Molsheim, France, is known for two distinct visual identities: the classic oval “Macaron” badge that has adorned its vehicles for over a century, and a simplified corporate identity introduced in 2022. The Macaron remains on the front grilles of Bugatti vehicles, while the newer EB monogram serves corporate and marketing purposes.
Design and History
Towards the end of 1909, Ettore Bugatti attached an oval badge made of enamelled metal onto the radiator grille of the Bugatti Type 13, the first official Bugatti. The idea for the oval shape with white lettering on a red background originated from Ettore Bugatti himself, who had already developed a similar logo for his previous employer Deutz in Cologne. Bugatti intentionally chose a flat but high-quality brand badge, believing that the popular radiator figures of the era would have spoiled the design of his vehicles. The only exception was the dancing elephant on the Bugatti Type 41 Royale from 1926, a replica of and tribute to a sculpture created by his deceased brother Rembrandt. According to the design instructions, the shape was formed by cutting a cylinder with a diameter of 45 mm at an angle of 30 degrees.[1]
In July 2022, Bugatti unveiled a new corporate identity and corporate design, marking the first major change to its logo in the brand’s 113-year history. The new identity was developed in partnership with Interbrand, a branding consultancy. The redesign removed the oval frame and the 60 red dots, leaving a simplified sans-serif “BUGATTI” wordmark and an “EB” icon. The new identity was created as Bugatti evolved from an exclusive hyper sports car manufacturer into a wider-reaching luxury brand.[2] The new logo was not intended to replace the red oval badge on vehicle grilles, but rather to be used on social media, events, and other marketing purposes.[3]
The new corporate identity won a Red Dot Design Award in 2023 in the “Brands & Communication Design” category.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The classic Macaron badge features the easily legible name lettering in white on a red background, the initials EB (for Ettore Bugatti) above this in black, and 60 red dots on a white surrounding border. According to Bugatti, red stands for power and passion, white for elegance and nobility, and black for excellence and courage. The 60 dots, according to legend, symbolise pearls or threads in a style that conformed to the “Art Nouveau” fashion. In those days, they were used like splints to produce a permanent connection on mechanical parts, reflecting Ettore Bugatti’s lifelong commitment to the reliability and durability of his vehicles.[1]
The 2022 corporate identity introduced a new vibrant “Bugatti Blue” which references the brand’s French origins, alongside the iconic “EB” logo created out of Ettore Bugatti’s initials.[2] The blue colour draws on the heritage of “French Racing Blue,” which has been a core part of the Bugatti identity since the early motorsport successes of the Bugatti Type 35.[5]
Typography and Design
The new wordmark is a simplified sans-serif uppercase “BUGATTI” lettering, with the oval frame and red dots removed. The new EB icon received subtle refinements compared to the previous version, including adjustments to stroke width consistency and smoother curves on the B’s right-side semicircle.[6] Interbrand also developed three custom brand fonts based on the new wordmark: Bugatti Display, Bugatti Text, and Bugatti Mono, for use across different applications.[6]
The modern Macaron badge is handcrafted by Poellath GmbH & Co. KG Münz- und Prägewerk in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria, which has produced the emblems for Bugatti since 2003, initially for the Veyron 16.4. Development of the Macaron for the Chiron started in 2014, with the badge increasing in width by 14 millimetres and in height by 8 millimetres compared with the Veyron version. The badge is made of 970 sterling silver, weighs 159 grams including enamel and fastening screws, and takes around ten hours of handwork spread over several days to produce.[1]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
