Using colours in the 75-year story of Porsche

After more than 7 decades, Porsche is a well known name around the world. Its sportscars – which have included SUVs since 2000 and EVs since – are much desired and ‘visual feasts’ for enthusiasts.

As part of the carmaker’s 75th anniversary celebration this year, a unique vision has been created which makes eye-catching use of some very familiar colours.

“For the 75th anniversary, we looked back of course, but we also looked to the future,” explained Jurgen Aigner, one of the lead creatives behind the project. “And we wanted to bring all this together, involving all of Porsche’s markets and subsidiaries, from the Museum and Exclusive Manufaktur to the international Porsche clubs and fans of the brand.”

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A visual feast, the 1950s colour ‘Strawberry Red’ references Porsche’s early years, arriving in a nostalgic candy swirl to evoke images of diners, drive-ins and the American dream.

Ferry Porsche famously stated that, unable to find the car of his dreams, he decided to build it for himself, and this ambition and determination has been carried through the 75 years of Porsche sportscars to become a defining part of the company’s future vision.

The challenge for Aigner and his team was to articulate this through a series of striking visuals that could be shared and explored by Porsche Centres, agencies and partners around the world. And Porsche’s bold colour choices over the decades seemed to offer the answer.

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Inspired by the Roman god of the sea, this image uses Neptune Blue to align elemental potency with the powerful Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo, which runs only on electrical energy.

The starting off point was a series of 8 ‘hero’ Porsche colours, from Speed Yellow and Ruby Stone to Lava Orange, Neptune Blue and Forest Green. Each colour was then united with an iconic car from Porsche’s past or present and transposed into an individual and highly textural setting to help convey the particular characteristics associated with that shade.

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The vivid hue of Orange combines with a fluid and dynamic background to underscore the striking design and astonishing performance of the rare and coveted Carrera GT.

There followed a series of even more artistic concepts, including a 356 celebrating the early colour Strawberry Red with a distinctive candy swirl and an unforgettable fried egg design. This was a playful reference to the controversial headlight shape applied to the 996 generation of 911.

The 992 Turbo S flagship was also depicted in the midst of a kaleidoscope of historic and modern Porsche colours, capturing the essence of a project the team would call ‘Dream in full colour’.

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Taking inspiration from the natural world, Forest Green grounds the original 911 Turbo in a quasi-organic landscape, redefined by geometric patterns influenced by reptilian skin.

“Porsche has always been colourful, with these distinctive shades across the decades. ‘Dream in full colour’ reflects not only Porsche’s vibrant choice of colours but also its courage and innovation over the years. Colours became a proxy for Porsche’s bravery in our communications, simply because no other sportscar company has dared use such a bright and varied palette,” Aigner said.

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This is another humorous reference to the famous ‘fried-egg’ headlights which puts eye-catching Speed Yellow at the centre of the 996 story.

The ‘Dream in full colour’ programme was successfully rolled out around the world, helping countless initiatives with a recognisable and memorable theme realised in wraps, decals, displays and backdrops alongside numerous digital campaigns.

In China, the Shanghai Skyline was illuminated in the themed colours, the first such event for an automotive brand in the city’s history, while numerous markets created special cars and exhibition spaces with their own creative takes on the initial concept. Personal stories tied to individual colours have also been collated on a special 75th anniversary landing page alongside inspirational films and digital artworks.

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Riffing on the iconic colour of Ruby Stone, this striking image of a 911 GT3 RS suggests strength and complexity, jewel-like characteristics at the heart of every Porsche.

“It’s not about selling cars, but creating feelings,” said Aigner. “The images we created were open to interpretation and designed to encourage people to create their own stories around them. That’s where the idea of dreaming in full colour comes in. Being driven and not being afraid. Those who turn their dreams into reality make the world a richer, bolder and more colourful place.”

The ‘Dream in full colour’ artworks, which can be used as desktop and mobile wallpapers, are available for free download here.

To know more about Porsche vehicles and services in Malaysia, visit www.porsche.com.my.

Vision 357 Speedster pays tribute to the first Porsche sportscar

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