The Softening of Citroën
Citroën’s previous and newly-updated logos
French auto maker Citroën have unveiled a new logo, designed by Landor Paris. I hesitate to say the word ‘new’ because it’s a classic Landor maneuver, the slightest change regarded as a seismic shift.
The new version of the logo is softer, rounder, more lowercase, more approachable, but in my eyes, less car-like. Is there not a classic and timeless sensibility that has to do with sharp lines, precise cuts, and that certain machine aesthetic featured in the previous logo?
According to the article from Design Week, “The company is hoping the new identity, car models and showrooms will help lift it out of a downturn in the car industry, caused by a slump in sales and a continuing dearth of credit.” Will that be accomplished by the new logo? Does softer and more approachable automatically translate into a renewed sales effort? I would be pleasantly surprised if they do, but I fear that of all the reasons people hold off on buying cars, or buy another brand altogether, the old-ness of the logo is very low on the list of priorities. Citroën has spent a reported 7-figure sum on the identity refresh, which is quite a fee for a leap of faith. Logos matter, but when buying big heavy things, they don’t exactly make or break the decision. (Plus, we’re not exactly talking about the jumping Jaguar hood ornament here.)
earlier Tropicana logo and the new version
There is another softening of a classic logo that we’ve seen recently — Tropicana. The identity and packaging redesign has earned much scorn from the design community, as well as from mainstream sources like The New York Times. In this case, it’s a similar story — change the logo to make it softer, rounder. But in both cases, it’s really a case of fixing and retooling what I feel is thoroughly unbroken.
If it’s a question of branding, dear friends, go back to the basics. Reexamine your core values, focus on carrying out your main business and producing your best product. Invest in your staff and most loyal consumers. Softening your logo is really just lipstick on that old pig.
// a tale of brands & branding, design: packaging
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