Featured cases

2007


old logo

You never heard of CVRD either, did you? It is Brazil's largest company, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce. And by acquiring Canada's Inco in 2006, it became the world's second largest mining company (to BHP Billiton).  CVRD's rebranding as Vale is intended to break it out of anonymity,  instantly to become a proudly "a gigantic Brazilian company present everywhere," in the CEO's words.  Other goals were to replace the somewhat brutal, almost militaristic look of a once state-owned company with a more open public personality, and "to bring together all employees in one family."

To most of us, it looks like a name change; "Vale" reads like the English word that it is (for valley), used creatively as a name. But in parts of Brazil, 'Vale' was already the everyday communicative name of "Companhia Vale do Rio Doce" which elsewhere in Brazil, and in the U.S. and Asia, was called CVRD and in Europe, was known as Rio Doce.  Clearly this was dysfunctional branding, and CEO Roger Agnelli fixed it.

The beautifully simple symbol, a "V" monogram, evokes a landscape, and Brazil in its colors.  Agnelli sees in it a heart, mining and geographic elements, the green of nature and the gold of wealth.

Asked how much this cost, Agnelli  said both "too much" and "cheap," considering the opportunity "to unify the company, to give this new face to its vision, to give a name that can be used as the last name of all employees... we are investing in pride, motivation, vision. It is a huge investment."

In addition to typography and palette, the visual system features a landscape-like pattern of rolling color fields. Units were grouped in generically named competence areas (like Energy, Logistics, Mining) uniformaly signed with the new symbol, with one nomenclature exception, Vale Inco, in respect for its Canadian equity. 

The launch event was said to have featured many musicians and dancers and required a large tent.

Lippincott (NY) in collaboration with Cauduro Martino (Sao Paolo)

Submitted by: Tony Spaeth, 19/12/2007
Status: Confirmed by Lippincott NY, Hilary Folger, Sr. Associate - 19/12/2007
Category: Mining
Country (HQ): Brazil