Burberry Logo Design: History & Evolution

Image Courtesy of Burberry

The story of Burberry logo design offers a fascinating chapter in fashion and luxury logo history, shaped by British heritage and modern minimalism. Since Burberry was founded in 1856, its visual identity has evolved from the iconic Equestrian Knight emblem to increasingly refined wordmarks, with each redesign reflecting changing ideas about luxury, fashion, and branding.

This article explores the history and evolution of Burberry logo design, highlighting its major transformations and the design decisions that helped the brand remain recognizable while adapting to new eras.

The Origins Of The Burberry Logo

Thomas Burberry And The Birth Of The Brand

Burberry was founded by Thomas Burberry in 1856. Its early identity was rooted in practical outerwear and innovation rather than the image-driven luxury branding we associate with fashion houses today. Over time, however, a growing company needed recognizable visual elements that could distinguish its products and reputation.

The most important development came around 1901, when Burberry organized a public competition to create a new logo. The winning design became what is now known as the Equestrian Knight Design, or EKD. Burberry still identifies this competition as the origin of one of its most significant visual symbols.

The First Recognizable Brand Identity

The introduction of the knight gave Burberry something much more distinctive than a simple company name.

Unlike today's highly simplified fashion logos, the early emblem was detailed and illustrative. A mounted knight, shield, lance, horse, and flowing banner created an image that communicated an entire story.

This complexity suited a period when trademarks often worked almost like seals of authenticity. The logo was not simply identifying Burberry. It was establishing a set of qualities the company wanted customers to associate with its name.

That symbolic approach would make the Equestrian Knight surprisingly durable, even as Burberry's typography and overall branding changed around it.

Burberry Logo Design History

1901 - 1968

Introduced in 1901, Burberry’s first major logo featured a detailed red equestrian emblem depicting a knight carrying a pike, shield, and flag. The banner displayed the Latin word “Prorsum,” meaning “forward,” while an ornate letter “B” appeared on the shield. Together, these elements expressed strength, nobility, tradition, and progress.

Beneath the emblem sat a bold uppercase serif wordmark, reinforcing the brand’s confident and established character. The logo remained largely unchanged for decades, becoming an important visual representation of Burberry’s heritage. Its combination of symbolic imagery and traditional typography laid the foundation for the later history of brand logo design.

Image Courtesy of Burberry

1968 - 1999

Burberry modernized its identity in 1968 by making the wordmark more prominent and simplifying the Equestrian Knight. The once-detailed emblem became a smaller black silhouette, removing much of its intricate imagery while retaining its recognizable form.

The lettering shifted to title case, accompanied by a delicate “Of London” tagline in a matching serif typeface. This redesign created a cleaner balance between British heritage and contemporary sophistication. It preserved enough of the historic identity to remain familiar while giving the brand a more streamlined appearance suited to its growing international presence.

Image Courtesy of Burberry

1999 - 2018

The 1999 redesign restored greater prominence to the Equestrian Knight while refining the typography. The emblem became larger, and white contours returned detail to the rider and horse.

The Burberry name appeared in uppercase serif lettering resembling the elegant proportions associated with the Bodoni family. The previous “Of London” tagline was simplified to “London,” displayed beneath the main wordmark in smaller lettering.

This version successfully combined heritage imagery with polished contemporary typography. It projected experience, prestige, and sophistication while retaining the distinctive knight that had long defined the brand.

Image Courtesy of Burberry

2018 - 2023

Burberry made one of its boldest identity changes in 2018. The Equestrian Knight disappeared from the primary logo, and the traditional serif typography was replaced with a clean, bold sans-serif wordmark.

The simplified identity reflected a more youthful and digital-friendly direction. The wordmark was generally used alone, although a “London England” tagline occasionally appeared beneath it. While the knight was removed from the main logo, historic imagery continued to appear across packaging, clothing, and other brand applications.

The redesign demonstrated Burberry’s willingness to modernize dramatically while keeping selected links to its past.

Image Courtesy of Burberry

2023 - Present

In 2023, Burberry moved away from the stark minimalism of its previous identity and returned to a more expressive, heritage-inspired direction. The new uppercase wordmark introduced elegant serif details and slightly flared letterforms, creating a livelier and more distinctive appearance.

The typography combines contemporary refinement with a nostalgic quality, reconnecting Burberry with its historic character. This redesign demonstrates how the brand continues to move between modernity and tradition rather than committing permanently to either extreme.

Image Courtesy of Burberry

The Equestrian Knight And Its Symbolism

Why Burberry Introduced The Knight

The Equestrian Knight Design gave Burberry a visual identity capable of standing apart from competitors. Rather than relying exclusively on typography, the company could use an emblem that was instantly connected to ideas of tradition, movement, and prestige.

Its origin is especially interesting from a modern branding perspective because it was not developed entirely within the company. The original EKD emerged from Burberry's public logo competition around 1901.

The result became one of the most enduring elements in the Burberry logo history.

Meaning Behind The Design

Every major element of the Equestrian Knight contributes to its message.

According to Burberry, the knight represents honor, while the shield represents protection and the lance represents reform. A banner attached to the design contains the Latin word “Prorsum,” which translates to “Forward” or “Forwards.”

That combination gives the emblem an interesting tension. Visually, the medieval knight evokes history and tradition, but the motto looks toward progress.

This is particularly appropriate for Burberry. The company has repeatedly built its identity around heritage while presenting itself as innovative and forward-looking.

How The Knight Reinforced Burberry's Identity

The knight also gave Burberry something that a straightforward wordmark could not provide: a narrative symbol.

A customer did not need to understand every historical reference to recognize that the emblem suggested craftsmanship, authority, protection, and British heritage.

Over time, that association became increasingly valuable. The longer the emblem remained connected with Burberry, the more meaning it accumulated.

That is one reason its later revival felt significant. The knight was no longer merely an old graphic. It had become a visual shortcut to more than a century of brand history.

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Why The Burberry Logo Evolution Matters

Reflecting Brand Transformation

Burberry's logos provide a compact visual record of changing ideas about luxury branding.

The historic knight emphasized symbolism and storytelling. Later identities became increasingly streamlined, culminating in the highly minimal 2018 wordmark. The 2023 direction then restored a stronger relationship with heritage.

None of these approaches is universally better. Each responded to different creative priorities.

The important point is that a logo does not exist independently from the brand using it. Typography, symbols, and visual complexity all influence how people interpret a company before they interact with a product.

Burberry's evolution shows how dramatically those signals can change while the underlying brand remains recognizable.

Lessons From Burberry Logo History

Designers can take several practical lessons from Burberry's changing identity.

First, historical assets can become enormously valuable. A distinctive symbol such as the Equestrian Knight is difficult for another company to imitate without immediately recalling Burberry.

Second, simplification should have a purpose. A cleaner logo can improve flexibility and digital usability, but removing unusual characteristics may also reduce distinctiveness.

Finally, heritage does not have to mean designing exactly as people did a century ago. The revived Equestrian Knight works because Burberry treats it as an active brand code rather than simply displaying it as a historical artifact. The company continues to use and reinterpret the knight within its contemporary identity.

That balance between recognition and reinvention is arguably the most useful lesson in Burberry's logo evolution.

FAQ

What Does The Burberry Knight Symbol Represent?

Burberry explains that the knight represents honor, the shield symbolizes protection, and the lance represents reform. The banner contains the Latin word “Prorsum,” meaning “Forward.” Together, these elements create an identity that connects traditional imagery with Burberry's long-standing emphasis on innovation and forward movement.

Why Did Burberry Change Its Logo In 2018?

The 2018 redesign accompanied a new creative period under Riccardo Tisci. Burberry worked with graphic designer Peter Saville on a cleaner logo and a Thomas Burberry monogram. The new identity replaced much of the traditional visual character with a flexible, contemporary system suited to modern luxury branding.

Why Did Burberry Bring Back The Equestrian Knight?

Burberry reintroduced a refreshed Equestrian Knight Design as part of its new creative expression under Daniel Lee in 2023. The move allowed the company to strengthen the connection between its contemporary visual identity and one of its most recognizable historical brand codes while still presenting the emblem in a modern context.

Has Burberry Always Used The Same Logo?

No. Burberry's identity has evolved considerably. The Equestrian Knight originated around 1901, while later decades brought changes to its typography and presentation. A minimalist logo appeared in 2018, followed by an archive-inspired wordmark and refreshed Equestrian Knight in 2023.

Conclusion

The Burberry logo history shows how a heritage brand can repeatedly change its visual language without completely losing its identity. From the symbolic Equestrian Knight to the minimalist 2018 wordmark and the heritage-focused revival that followed, each stage reflected a different interpretation of what modern luxury should look like.

For designers, the evolution offers a particularly useful reminder: successful branding is not simply about making a logo newer or simpler. It is about recognizing which visual elements carry genuine meaning and deciding how those elements can continue to communicate with a new generation.

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Burberry Logo Design: History & Evolution

The Origins Of The Burberry Logo