EDF

EDF, the French energy producer and supplier developed a new positioning: Leading energy change. The brand needed to translate this positioning across the business and deliver the brand message consistently to various audiences.

Interbrand’s first response was to understand and decode the question of leadership for EDF: How can the brand establish itself as a credible leader and inspire the necessary change in energy consumption, by setting an example? EDF needed to communicate its competence as a comprehensive producer, distributor, and innovator of energy products, with a strong presence in nuclear energy. Our first mission was to create an identity system for EDF, to develop base guidelines for print and web applications and to build and upload all content to a brand center. The biggest challenge was to create a system that could flex for different market needs, all the while building a more consistent and unified image for the brand.

Similarly, we needed to create a solution for EDF’s affiliates, which would allow them to integrate elements of their own identity and create a visual connection to EDF. The new EDF Group identity system, composed of three colors, a library of pictograms, and a new tone of voice, marked a clear break from the existing system. The updated color palette, with confident use of white, modernizes the look and feel. Tone of voice principles direct the attitude of all communications that differentiate EDF from the competitors. Recognizing that consumers need guidance to change their energy behaviors, a library of dual pictograms was created to connect energy production with the environmental benefits and usage principles of EDF’s energy mix. To guide usage of the identity system itself and to align with the energy efficient business policy, an interactive, updatable, and bilingual online brand center was designed and constructed to centralize all things brand EDF.

The brand project for EDF has had the support of the whole business, and all stakeholders have successfully adopted the new identity as part of a wider commitment to “leading the energy change.” Interbrand has partnered with EDF to design its brand communication strategy at events on an international scale.