MUMBAI: Formula 1 has unveiled a new logo, the first step in a complete brand redesign for the glamour sport being made after a gap of 23 years.
The design, unveiled after Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, sets in motion a process that will be completed in March next year ahead of the 2018 season opener in Australia.
The rebranding will feature new graphic packages and production elements for the world feed, a new web platform and the introduction of a live and non-live Over The Top offering, ESPN reports.
The logo’s visual identity was created by Wieden+Kennedy London and “echoes the shape of a Formula 1 car: flat, low to the ground, suggesting top speeds”.
Speaking at the logo unveiling, F1 commercial chief Sean Bratches said: “We are going to relaunch the brand, and we are going to introduce a new graphic package for our television production.
“We are going to outline a new production concept – unveil a brand new responsive web platform, new social capabilities, a live and a non-live OTT platform.”
ESPN further quotes Bratches as having said: “We are trying to re-position Formula One from a purely motorsport company to a media and entertainment brand with the heart and soul of a race car driver in the middle of it. I think your brand and your mark represents the spirit of where you’re going, it’s an identifier for consumers in terms of how they represent the company or the brand. The number of brands, particularly in this day and age, who are trying to simplify their mark to enter the digital space. If you look at Starbucks as an example, or Coca-Cola, which has taken the condensation off its logo to enter digital. We felt we had to go a little bit further to re-tool it to position us on a going forward basis.”
