This is what's behind the new illustration system from Victorinox

Victorinox has existed as a company for more than 130 years and has Switzerland and its cultural assets in its DNA, so to speak: precision, tradition and elegant understatement. For Sapera Studios, this was an important basis for the new comprehensive illustration system, which is intended to strengthen the consistency and brand perception of the traditional brand.

The illustration system was implemented in a two-day workshop and the designers were trained to use the system independently. The illustrations can be seen on the website, in catalogs and at headquarters, among other places. The company's long tradition is also reflected in the extensive visual material on the history and development of Victorinox. For Sapera Studios it was clear: Victorinox needs a style that makes the brand clearly recognizable and at the same time is an extension and modernization.

Based on the existing brand identity, an elegant design was created: Icons and illustrations with clear lines and precise shapes. Illustrations, e.g. of people, remain without details, technical illustrations depict objects in a simplified, precise and clear way - with high recognition value. The guideline precisely defines the parameters that make up each infographic, icon and illustration - and how thick the outer line is, for example, which colors are used when, how objects are abstracted.

Advertisingweek.ch has talked to the responsible persons from both sides about the new illustration system:

Veronika Elsener, CMO Victorinox AG

Werbewoche.ch: Ms. Elsener, why did you decide to launch the Illustr.ation system to be revised?

Veronika Elsener: Most recently, there were numerous different styles that had evolved generically over the past few decades, based more or less on the existing brand design. The lack of consistency and brand recognition were two key issues that prompted us to tackle this project. The urgency also increased due to the increased use of illustrative elements at key contact points with our customers. The new illustration system, coherently derived from the existing corporate design, now creates brand recognition and thus contributes to a consistent brand experience.

What were the particular challenges here? 

Wir haben zunächst eine IST-Analyse durchgeführt, die sich aufgrund der sehr hohen Bandbreite von Anwendungsfeldern und diversen Stilen sehr komplex gestaltet hat. Hier ging es in einem ersten Schritt darum, die Datenmenge zu strukturieren, und uns einen Überblick zu verschaffen. Daraus haben wir die zugrunde liegenden Bedürfnisse abgeleitet und die zukünftigen Anwendungsfelder definiert. Diese Anwendungsfelder haben wir bewusst auf ein sinnvolles Minimum reduziert. So werden sie nur dann verwendet, wenn sie einen informativen Mehrwert liefern und nicht zu «Dekorationszwecken». Herausfordernd war zudem eine visuelle Konsistenz zu schaffen durch alle Elemente – Icons, Illustrationen und Infografiken – und Stile hindurch. So arbeiten wir beispielsweise mit drei unterschiedlichen Illustrationsstilen, die kontextabhängig eingesetzt werden, aber trotzdem visuell einheitlich wahrgenommen werden sollen.

What new values does the Victorinox brand stand for, and to what extent does the new illustration language help to bridge the gap between tradition and the future here?

A brand functions like a lighthouse in that it enables trust, orientation and differentiation. It must be managed in a contemporary way, i.e. adapted to the changing requirements of the market, customers as well as the competition, while remaining true to itself. Our global operations, five product categories and different distribution models call for a brand strategy that ensures relevant, consistent and benefit-oriented communication. This is especially true in the context of the increasing number of direct customer touch points such as social media, website or own stores. The willingness to look for simplification and structure in a complex environment while remaining "consistent" is central to this task. This is also reflected in our new illustration language. Based on the existing brand identity, a minimalist and structured design for icons and illustrations was defined, with clean lines and precise shapes and a reduced color palette, derived from our corporate design. In this way, our illustration language not only remains contemporary, but also ensures a high recognition value at the same time.

Katrin Kolossa, Owner and CEO Sapera Studios:

Werbewoche.ch: Ms. Kolossa, what were the particular challenges in developing Victorinox's new illustration system?

Katrin Kolossa: One challenge was to define a style that would stand for Victorinox's broad product world as well as for the various application areas across the board, while at the same time addressing the specifics of these individual areas. We solved this with the categorization into icons, infographics and, above all, the distinction between emotional and technical illustrations.

The new illustration language was developed on the basis of a joint needs analysis, writes Sapera Studios on its website. What were Victorinox's expectations and specifications, and what was Sapera Studios' need in this case?

The complexity of Victornox itself is another challenge in such a task. On the one hand, this carries over to the complex, diverse world of images and areas of application, as well as to general structures and processes. Perhaps the most important question here is: How do you manage to combine the traditional core of Victorinox with a further development of the design language without compromising the brand identity? For the For us, working for a Swiss company also meant very carefully and thoroughly studying and familiarizing ourselves with the culture and design history of Switzerland.

In what ways does the new illustration language pay tribute not only to typical Victorinox brand values such as precision and elegant understatement, but also to the brand's tradition?

The tradition of the Victorinox brand is reflected in various aspects of the design language. These range from rather subtle to very prominent elements. For example, the grid for the icons was developed on the basis of the Cross & Shield, the Victorinox logo. Here, the influence of tradition is subtle. In contrast, the Victorinox red is an elemental and very visible part of the tradition. The right use and combination of the color were essential for maintaining and reinforcing the brand identity.

Agency: Sapera Studios. Creative Lead: Taisia Tikhnovetskaya. Project Lead: Wibke Günther.

This article originally appeared on markt-kom.com - https://www.werbewoche.ch/de/marketing/marken/2023-03-23/das-steckt-hinter-dem-neuen-illustrationssystem-von-victorinox/