Citroën

New:  Brandmark

Launched:  February 5, 2009

Story in brief:
Going on offense, Citroën is dealing with the global crisis with a show of confidence. It  has used the launch of a new brand logo (on the birthday of founder Andre Citroën) to dramatize the unveiling of a new model, the first of a promised six, together with a commitment to redesigned showrooms and stronger customer service.

Since Citroën is a subsidiary of PSA Peugeot Citroën, strictly speaking this is a car-category brand rather than a corporate identity; and as such, it should be judged primarily for its appeal to car buyers.

Credits:
C.E.O. - Christian Streiff, C.E.O. PSA Peugeot Citroën
Identity design - Citroën design teams and Landor
 

First Impressions:
There are tradeoffs. This redesign follows the trend (enabled by computers) set by Ford and Chrysler, among others, to render marks as illustrations of three-dimensional badges complete with shadows and highlights. On the plus side, on cars the actual badge thus illustrated, sans wordmark, will almost certainly look better (blending well with product design while still functioning to identify) than would a 3D replica of the old red symbol. 

In print and on screen however, flat media, the old mark remains (at least functionally) far superior. Aesthetically, I must confess I never warmed to it; but then the new version is no better in this regard.  The shiny chevrons, which evoke oddly shaped drawer pulls, bear no graphic relationship to the red wordmark, which competes with them for attention (yet lacks the robust strength of the old wordmark).

Other Comments:
As for the corporate brand, let's just say there are opportunities for greater clarity, starting with the name (wherein PSA means Peugeot S.A., designating yet another entity which, in typically layered European complexity, appears senior to PSA Peugeot Citroën).
 

Thank you Stefan Liute and Tom Vanderbauwhede