B&R: rebranding process to align with the ABB Group
CLIENT
B&R
INDUSTRY
Industrial automation
CAPABILITIES
Rebranding
Brand Identity
Motion Design
AWARDS
Set up in 1979 in Austria, B&R is a world leader in industrial automation, combining cutting-edge technologies with advanced engineering designs. It provides components for machines to automotive giants such as BMW, Daimler, and Volkswagen.
In 2017, the company joined the ABB group. As the ABB's trusted partner, we helped with the B&R rebranding process.
Background
‘Orange blood runs through our veins’ – this is what B&R employees proudly say when asked about their bond with the brand. The company is seen as an excellent, caring employer and many employees work for the company throughout their career paths until retirement. So, when approaching the rebranding of B&R, we knew that expectations were extremely high.
Challenge
Our main duty was to reimagine and refresh the logo and update the visual identity. This, in turn, required the preparation of new principles for using the brand in different layouts. In addition, the new brand identity had to fit in with the ABB group while keeping the spirit and feel of B&R.
Solution
Our team approached the logo transformation in an iterative way. We started with a gentle facelift and, based on our working sessions with the B&R team, expanded the design into completely new territory. The result is fresh and modern, a perfect match for the parent company’s aesthetic. The orange bar is a reminder of B&R’s heritage and at the same time allows it to better fit into the structure of ABB’s layouts.
Before delivering the new design, our team developed a comprehensive brandbook with over 160 pages that includes principles and guidelines on how to use the refreshed logo (specific margins, grids, and details).
We also designed more than 50 ready-to-use templates for various branding and marketing formats, both online and print, as well as over 200 slides for company presentations.
For the visual system, we added an orange bar to B&R’s brand toolkit so that even without the logo, everyone would know that it was the brand’s resource.
We also built a brand portal where all brand assets are organised. Since we set it up, more than 2,000 B&R and ABB employees have visited it.
To promote B&R’s new image, we created a short video clip illustrating the brand’s transformation.
Outcome
For us, customer satisfaction is always a top priority. In this case, we met the needs of the ABB group.
After the new brand identity was presented, the B&R team expressed enthusiasm for the design, concluding that it captured the character of their iconic brand, while adding a new sense of modernity and openness. We believe that the new identity will also be much more practical to use when it comes to preparing branded materials. What’s more, through a brandbook, a brand portal and training, we ensured greater B&R brand consistency and recognition in the future.
