AkzoNobel has been changing. We have a new strategy. We’ve bought and sold companies. And our unified organization has a clear direction for the future. It makes sense to bring together everything we do under a single, inspiring AkzoNobel brand.
The new brand is an evolution from where we were. It presents AkzoNobel as a single, coherent, global brand, distinctive and strong of purpose.
Some aspects of the brand haven’t changed because there was no need. In particular, there was strong equity in the AkzoNobel name.
Our new brand
All the evidence shows that consumers and business customers are more likely to deal with companies with strong brands. Our brand also gives our customers an assurance of quality and purpose. It contains a promise – Tomorrow’s answers today – that motivates us to deliver, think ahead, increase customer satisfaction and drive future business.
There are four main elements to the brand:
Our tagline - We’ll use Tomorrow’s Answers Today across all our activities. The line derives from our values and business strategy.
Brand architecture - All products and brands will now come under the main AkzoNobel brand, and our new logo will appear on all products. This will help to strengthen the recognition and value of the AkzoNobel name.
Visual identity - We’ve kept the logo but have reworked it to be more relevant to the 21st century. Powerful, poised and proud, the logo signals our sense of direction. The visual identity also has a new, bolder approach to typography and color. AkzoNobel is a color company so it’s vital that we use color well. By choosing a palette of pure, dominant colors against a background of white space, we can begin to own the idea of color.
Our values - Our visual identity is designed to reflect our new values and positioning.
Rich history
Our new corporate brand is an evolution of the brand identity which was introduced in 1988 that was initially inspired by a Greek sculpture dating back as far as 450 BC.
This original "bas relief", which is on display at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, features three different symbols of measurements used in ancient Greece: a fathom, a cubit and an Athenian foot. Akzo, as our company was once called, adopted it in 1988 as both a scientific and an artistic symbol, reflecting the values it wanted to express - those of striving and achievement. The image of the outstretched arms was seen as being powerful, all-embracing and future-oriented.
Since then, AkzoNobel has undergone a fundamental transformation. We have moved from one era – that of being a diversified conglomerate - to the era we are just beginning: as a focused coatings and chemicals company. The change in our corporate brand and company values will enable us to build on our achievements and become the undisputed leader in our industries.
The AkzoNobel Brand Center
Our brand is one of our most valued assets — that’s why we built the Brand Center. It’s designed to help you apply the AkzoNobel brand correctly and consistently across all media, providing useful resources such as an image bank, brand guidelines, and a stationery tool so that you can create customized letterheads and business cards.
You can login to the Brand Center, or if this is your first visit, you can create a new account.