CONNEX: Connecting N's and Romanians

A use of identity, by a leader?

New:  logo

Launched:  January 11, on a redesigned www.connex.ro, without comment.  In December 2004, it was “previewed” in the company’s electronic Christmas card. 

Story in brief:
“Connex” is the nicely-named brand face of MobiFon, a leading provider of cell phone service to Romania. (MobiFon, in turn, is owned principally by Montreal-based Telesystem International Wireless (TIW),  along with sister company Cesky Mobil in the Czech Republic, whose brand is Oskar. All very complex.)

 Frankly I don’t know, and can’t find out, what’s going on here.  Romanian designers alerted us to this new mark, and report that it was designed by the Madrid office of Saffron (the Wally Olins affiliate, which also designed 2004’s Mabe).  Saffron confirmed this; based on Orange experience they were chosen to audit Connex in June 2004 and in September, to redesign everything.

 Connex however, through PR Director Lidia Solomon, told me in December “your information is wrong as we are not doing a rebranding” and then, shown the card, “It is just a refreshment of the Connex logo and we are very pleased to preview it in our Christmas cards.”

Incidentally the current mark was designed just four years ago, by Kit Paul (in the Bucharest office of D’Arcy DMBB), working with Connex’s  Marketing Communication Director Aneta Bogdan. Inspired by this experience Aneta and others, including Kit, then founded Brandient.  To see Kit’s rather touching farewell to his Connex logo, click here. 

 We will have to wait for public comment, if it comes, to hear what COE Tolstoy (or COO Ted Lattimore) want to achieve with this new identity.

Credits:
C.E.O Alexander Tolstoy
C.O.O. - Edward Lattimore
Identity counsel - Saffron (Madrid)
Design - Nameless Design Ltd., London, for Saffron

First Impressions:
It’s clearly a change, not just a refreshment.  While I agree it’s clean, and perhaps more elegant, as a brand presence I’m not sure it’s stronger.

But it’s not that big a change; and why the change? Intention matters; we must wait and listen. (And if indeed there is reason to signal change, why not go with something with real character, like the Czech sister company’s appealing “Oskar” face!)

A quibble: the N and X diagonals are so close to matching; a missed connection?

 Other comments:
 If the new Connex uses the “glued” letters to communicate some sort of one-to-one relationship… and the “too clean” type announces a simple but friendlier communication… I’d say they are back again, alive and kicking. Victor Buta