WINTERSTEIGER Goes "Green"
In 2007, the WINTERSTEIGER brand launched its most extensive relaunch to date. What were the reasons behind this move?
10 different colors!
In 2005, the joint showroom displayed products in 10 different colors! Visitors were confused as to whether certain products were actually WINTERSTEIGER products or whether they came from other companies. The history of the various product lines led to this variety of colors. Seedmech products, for example, were blue and white (combines and seeders), Solutions products were dark blue and light blue (frame saws), and Sports products were medium green (ski service machines). Added to this were the colors of the companies that had been acquired by WINTERSTEIGER: SKID = white/red, GRINDRITE = dark red, HEGE = red-orange, etc. This “colorful” presentation carried over into the company’s communications, and a consistent corporate design was barely recognizable. The multitude of colors resulted in high production costs, for example due to the constant need to switch over the powder coating process.
Following a thorough analysis and a competitive bidding process, the Wels-based advertising agency Artindustrial was commissioned to handle the relaunch in mid-2005.
The assignment included:
- Further development of the WINTERSTEIGER logo
- Creation of a tagline for the WINTERSTEIGER umbrella brand
- Development of a base design, including drafts and implementation of the new design for communication, information, and organizational materials, textiles…
- Development of an industrial design to standardize the color scheme of WINTERSTEIGER machines and products
The new “corporate color.” One of the biggest challenges was reducing the colorful range of products to a single, unified color—the corporate color. After numerous brand workshops, the result was found: CMYK: 50% CYAN 100% YELLOW; PANTONE: 376 C / 382 U, RGB: 153/194/29, RAL Design: 1207070—a fresh GREEN. The presentation of the new logo was received with enthusiasm.
The New Tagline
The new tagline, “Thinking about tomorrow,” was intended to embody the shared vision of the entire company and to reference nature and sustainability. The business activities of all divisions are connected to nature in general and the resources it provides. The slogan was created as a statement of ethical, moral, and corporate policy principles and was immediately well-received.
The New Machine Design
Developing the new, unified product design proved challenging at first. The collaboration with the Linz University of Art and Design had to be terminated after just a few months: The designs created by the art students, under the guidance of a renowned industrial design team, were impractical and too “artistic.” Ultimately, the collaboration with the Viennese industrial designer Dietmar Valentinitsch (Valentinitsch Design) brought about the desired breakthrough and the necessary acceptance for the complete redesign of all machines and products. In addition to the new green (RAL 1207070), gray aluminum (RAL 9007) and white aluminum (RAL 9006) were defined as additional product colors, and the color weighting was implemented on a division- and product-specific basis in collaboration with Valentinitsch Design.
Tight Schedule & Major Overhaul
We had just under a year to finalize the new corporate design. The initial presentation for the Group and the Division Sports took place at the ISPO trade show in Munich in February 2007, for the Solutions Division at the Ligna trade show in Hanover in May 2007, and for the Seedmech Division by the end of 2007.
Specifically, the following changes had to be implemented:
- Group-wide logo change on all buildings, signage, vehicles, packaging…
- Redesign of all printed materials, such as letterhead, envelopes, business cards, notepads, folders, and instruction manuals…
- Redesign of approximately 50 brochures in up to 10 languages
- Production of new workwear, trade show apparel, and casual wear
- Redesign of the website, trade show booths, presentations, promotional materials, and advertisements
In addition, in the Engineering & Production department, all WINTERSTEIGER products—a total of around 60 (!)—had to be redesigned according to the new color scheme, including product labeling and placement. For thousands of color-relevant parts, the color had to be changed and updated, and for parts still in stock, a decision had to be made as to whether they should be “repowder-coated” or disposed of.
All in all, the effort was more than worth it. Since 2007, WINTERSTEIGER has presented itself as a brand with a unified corporate identity.