RENFE: streamlining the trains in Spain

New:  logo, color and the newly focused Renfe company

Launched:  Announced 13 December 2004, to take effect 1 January 2005

Story in brief:
At year-end, for reasons having to do with the European Union which I don't fully understand, Spain's railroad company R.E.N.F.E. split in two, separating rail operations from infrastructure (which will be ADIF, for Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias).  This provided an opportunity to rethink and refresh "Renfe," the rail operations brand.

Renfe's leader wanted  a break with the past, and a more dynamic future. Interbrand replaced the 1972 symbol-based mark with a clean, simple wordmark. According to Interbrand's Roman Perez, the new mark will also replace a number of service or regional brands in the company's portfolio, thus anchoring a simpler, more coherent brand architecture.

Credits:
CEO -  José Salgueiro Carmona
Identity counsel and design - Interbrand (Madrid)

First Impressions:
It's simple, elegant, and fast-moving. The old two-arrows symbol was indeed dated, and was never exactly beautiful. (It's  interesting that the new 'f'' says the same thing, just more abstractly.) The new color is more distinctive and can surely anchor a freshly designed brand presence.

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