With more than 15,000 stores in 35 countries generating more than 100 billion Euros in sales, the French supermarket chain Carrefour is undeniably one of the world’s most prominent retailers and purveyors of, to put it simply, good stuff at decent prices.
Its identity design, the icon and typography have remained consistent since 1966 — only nine years after Carrefour’s launch — when the C-in-a-diamond icon made its appearance next to a typewriter-style wordmark. This September 4th, along with a new campaign titled “Positive is Back,” Carrefour has introduced a new wordmark and a slightly modified icon.
Old (yellow) and new (blue) icon comparison overlay, 3 second interval.
Old (above) and new typography.
The resulting shapes from the C eating away at the diamond is instantly recognizable so with such a high-stake operation around the world it makes no sense to introduce something revolutionary.
The new wordmark is friendlier and quirkier, and has a nice flair to it that most serif typefaces lack, so it feels like a good birdge between the blocky slab serif of old and some corporate serif. .
Sample applications.
Gradient combinations, more at Carrefour’s Facebook page.
The biggest change, more than the icon or the typography, is the introduction of a range of gradients for the icon. In application — which, unfortunately, we only have one small image — the concept seems like it could work and gives Carrefour a slightly trendy and upbeat look.
