Jony Ive designs King Charles III’s flora-inspired coronation emblem

Sir Jony Ive has designed the official coronation emblem for King Charles III, depicting flora from each of the four UK nations as a gesture to the King’s love of the natural world.

The rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland merge to form the shape of St Edward’s crown, which the King will be crowned with during the service.

The emblem’s colour palette is informed by the colours of the union flag: red, white and blue. On the primary emblem, the central crown appears in blue, surrounded by red floral patterns, which is encircled by a blue serif typeface.

Secondary versions of the coronation emblem include pairings of pink and red hues, light and dark blue, black and grey and white on a blue background.

Ive – who designed the emblem alongside his creative team at LoveFrom – says the design is “inspired by King Charles’ love of the planet, nature, and his deep concern for the natural world”. He adds that the “natural forms” of the emblem were created to have a “gentle modesty” to them and seek to embody “the happy optimism of spring”.

King Charles III and Ive have a longstanding relationship and have previously collaborated on the launch of the Terra Carta Design Lab when the monarch was Prince of Wales in 2021. Ive and his collective designed the Terra Carta seal, in which flora and fauna weaves itself between the bespoke serif typography.

The former Prince of Wales announced a sustainable markets initiative in 2020, guided by the Terra Carta mandate. The Design Lab is a Royal College of Art student and alumni-led strand of Terra Carta, which seeks to create design-led responses to the environmental challenges faced by the planet today.

The coronation emblem will appear throughout May’s celebrations on everything from events, posters and bunting to retail environments and merchandise.