Page 12 - Sphere No.15 (Nov 2005)

3 G H O T S P O T
IT’S A DRAGON, a football, a guitar or even a racing car
accessory, depending on the mood or the occasion. The 3
brand logo has certainly come a long way since it was
launched in 2003.
The original logo was an innovative three dimensional design
with a cool titanium outer shell representing key qualities such
as reliability and usefulness. The ever-changing animated inside
represented all the fun and entertainment that 3G technology
has to offer. It was designed to be different, not a name but a
number; not flat but 3D; never still, always moving.
Of course it couldn’t be animated in all applications such as
print, so it was decided to take six snapshots at different stages of
the animation, producing six colour versions. The logo was
also designed to only appear on white and a keyline
version was created for tricky applications where
the colour logos couldn’t be reproduced.
As the business has developed, the
International Brand Group, part of Hutchison
Whampoa Services, has focused on a more
iconic version of the logo that allows much
greater flexibility in application, reducing the
original coloured versions to the now familiar
keyline. The keyline logo has become the single most
important version.
This is a creative business. 3 is not simply a new telephone net-
work, but a rich multi-media service distributing a wide range of
information and entertainment as well as state of the art commu-
nications that includes video calling and downloads, web access
and TV. In Italy, 3 is the country’s biggest digital distributor of
music and offers several TV channels as well as opportunities for
customers to contribute content they make themselves. To reflect
this rich and diverse service the brand identity needed to develop
so as to have greater resonance with customers.
We began to look at how the logo could come alive in three
dimensional form. An early example was a version created to
help promote a new game on the UK service called Dragon
Island. Suddenly the logo became a fire-breathing dragon. We
started to see that this modern brand could break with con-
vention and present itself more like a multi-media business
than a conventional telephone company. Other examples
include the logo in the form of a tennis ball or football for
promoting sports, or more recently in the form of a car tyre
and wheel for motor racing.
Today we have more than 100 versions of the logo. The spe-
cial logos are created for specific purposes and never “just
because we can”. Each has a particular relevance. For example,
3 offers customers various music related products and services
including audio and video downloads. What better then than
to have 3 represent itself as a guitar, a “special” version that
has been used around the world. Taking on the form
of a music icon helps demonstrate that 3 is as into
music as its customers; 3’s passion for music
sets it apart from competitors that merely sell
music because they can. Italy has taken this
version a stage further and has made four real
rock guitars in the shape of the logo.
The International Brand Group comprises a
group of talented specialists. The team continues to
develop the brand working with all the operating com-
panies, including creating new versions of the 3 logo as they
are needed and making them available on line to all brand users.
A specialist designer in the creative team creates full three-dimen-
sional computer models, adding textures and details as required.
A powerful computer helps reproduce images of the highest quali-
ty, even at the scale of an advertising billboard.
Currently the International Brand Group is developing a
creative platform for presenting 3’s content across the hand-
set, in retail and in communications, so the identity will stay
fresh. A living brand evolves constantly and helps us stay
ahead of the competition by demanding that we always
remain relevant to customers.
We are always different but always 3.
SPHERE 10
We began to
look at how it could
come alive in three
dimensional
form
3 has evolved into a new kind of brand for a new kind of business By Keith Kirby
Keith Kirby is Director of Branding and Culture of the International Brand Group, part of Hutchison Whampoa Services.
ONE LOGO,
many faces