Hongkong Post Brand architecture and identity
| Fact |
Value |
| Contact |
Hong Kong |
| Client |
Hongkong Post |
| Project |
Brand architecture and identity |
| Industry |
Government |
| Timeline |
115 Months
Dec 96 - Jun 06 |
| Services |
Brand Architecture
Brand Naming
Brand Identity
Brand Guidelines
Brand Communications and Collateral
|
| Team size |
15 The Brand Union
3 Client |
A Decade-long Relationship
In 2006, we completed a celebratory 10th anniversary signature for Hongkong Post – an organisation that has made its mark with the public through effective, continuous and consistent brand management.
In 1995, the Post Office was granted trading fund status by the Hong Kong Government, giving it greater financial flexibility to pursue new initiatives and enhancements.
The Postmaster General and his senior team believed that a new visual identity would help to convey the postal service’s commitment to "meeting the changing needs" of its staff and customers. Their desire was to clearly reposition the Post Office from a government department to a more customer-centric organisation. We were fortunate enough to have been selected to help them achieve this goal.
Brand architecture
Hongkong Post has under its umbrella several "sub-brands", the best known of which is its international speed courier service, SpeedPost. Logos were created for SpeedPost, The PostShop, and the philatelic bureau called Hongkong Post Stamps. The corporate colour was maintained, as was the proprietary typeface, in order to create unity for the sub-branding architecture.
Posting a new mark
Working to an approved design brief, The Brand Union teams in London and Hong Kong submitted concepts for a new logomark. Among the concepts, the "hummingbird" logo was the unanimous choice because it reflected a sense of friendliness and approachability.
The logomark and logotype were designed to operate as a single unit in English and Chinese. The colour scheme of green and violet also contributed to creating a perception of a progressive and dynamic postal administration. From vans to post boxes, the scope of applications was extensive.
New uniforms were among the most successful applications – well received by employees whose views were solicited to make sure they were comfortable with the outcome.
Hongkong Post is now seen as a success story. Surveys among staff post-launch indicated an approval rating and great satisfaction with the new uniforms in particular. A 'change management' study undertaken by the Poon Kam Kai Institute of Management at the University of Hong Kong in 1998 notes that the programme was responsible for improved internal satisfaction and perceived higher customer satisfaction. The study also stated that the objective of building a more customer-centric and business-like organisation while making it a better place to work had been achieved. In subsequent years, Hongkong Post has repeatedly won the award for Hong Kong's best service organization as voted by readers of local newspaper Apple Daily.
