A softer diamond

Heritage auto brand,  Renault, turned to its internal Corporate Design Department for a more emotive new visual identity.

Renault now operates in 128 different countries, but its new tagline, ‘Passion for Life’, will appear in English everywhere except for France, where the brand originated, in reflection of the brand’s international ambitions.

Since 2012 Renault vehicles have featured a new design, a fresher take on the traditional Renault brand with all of its historical associations. Renault now owns a 37% share of all electric vehicle sales in Europe and it wanted its new visual identity to reflect the brand’s modernisation and evolution.

The Renault diamond remains intact, though slightly modified, and sits alongside a new typeface on a white, rather than yellow, background. The yellow is visible as a vertical strip to the logo’s right. The changes are intended to make the graphic identity more creative and emotive. Laurens van den Acker, senior vice-president of corporate design, says, “When I arrived in 2009, my mission was to reforge the emotional bond between the Renault brand and its customers. My response was to ask my teams to rekindle Renault’s Latin roots by designing colourful, personalisable cars with sensuous, muscular lines that spark emotions and make everyday life more pleasant.”

Since 2012 Renault has tried to connect with its customers in a more emotional way. Michael van der Sande, senior vice-president of global marketing, says, “More than the words themselves, the slogan is a pledge to our customers that Renault will continue its metamorphosis that will result in an entirely renewed range. In addition to being designed with passion by our engineering and design teams, our new models must make the lives of our customers easier and more pleasant every day.”