Chevron’s previous brand identity had been built for the world of print, prior to the emergence of smart phones, social media, and the increased ubiquity of digital. The brand elements did not translate well to the digital space, causing additional resource spend to execute on guidelines, and sometimes inconsistent brand expression.

While their visual identity had stayed the same, their brand strategy had evolved. It was now focused on Human Energy – the vital, powerful energy that drives progress and prosperity; the hard work, ingenuity, collaboration and can-do spirit that finds more affordable, reliable, cleaner ways to power the world. Their static brand elements weren’t conveying their new vitality, dynamism, and humanity.

Chevron approached us with a clear set of objectives for their evolved visual identity. Most critically, it had to work well in digital media. It needed to be simple, flexible, and adaptable to ensure efficient and consistent implementation across a diverse global marketing organization. Finally, it needed to portray Chevron as the human energy leader it had become.

We rooted our work in their strong Human Energy brand idea. The Chevron hallmark, with minor modernizing adjustments, became the focal point of a flexible system of visual and verbal components that expressed that brand.

In the new system, the hallmark stands for Chevron. And Chevron stands for energy. Today, energy is at the heart of modern life, so the hallmark is given a central position in every communication. It reflects the pride Chevron has in bringing energy to the world.

The boldness of that central placement is then tempered by lower-case headlines in a bold, modern, sans serif type style. To convey the clarity and authenticity of the brand, each communication utilizes a straightforward, active tone of voice. A vibrant color palette – arranged in tonal triads – was developed to show optimism and humanity, and the image library was updated to give it more vitality and authenticity.

Given the importance of flexibility, the system allows communicators to design a range of simple and visually striking layouts that reflect the brand’s clarity and transparency. Importantly, that flexibility and the strength of the visual system elements allow designers to move seamlessly between print and digital without weakening the design or its distinctiveness.

To get people on board and familiar with the new visual identity, we developed comprehensive templates, guidelines, and trainings that help Chevron achieve consistent application of their new visual and verbal elements. This consistency within flexibility was a major objective for the simple, intuitive system, so that Chevron will be able to save time and company resources in creating effective communications.

With the final system in place, we worked closely with Chevron’s partners to apply our visual elements to key touchpoints, starting with their website. In March 2016, Chevron launched the site as the first major activation of the company’s refreshed visual identity—to positive reception and ready adoption around the world. Subsequent brand activations will be rolled out over time, to ensure the most efficient use of resources.

We set out to create an identity system that truly reflects the Human Energy at the heart of Chevron’s brand and that allows them to build their reputation as the energy partner of choice around the world. With Chevron’s partnership, our result was an easy-to-implement, cost-effective and visually appealing visual brand platform that will translate globally and across digital media today and tomorrow. Ultimately, it’s a brand system that’s firmly grounded in the business—and the spirit—of Human Energy.