More than just a logo for the future
When the world’s largest trade fair for consumer electronics and home appliances celebrates its 100th birthday in September, the familiar IFA initials will be presented in a new design. But the anniversary is more than just a visual makeover. Over the past six months, IFA Management GmbH, in close cooperation with its shareholders – gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH, owner of the IFA brand rights, and Clarion Ltd – has initiated a far-reaching redesign process for the entire IFA brand environment. Highsnobiety was commissioned for this ambitious task. The company not only specializes in the field of communication, but also enjoys a worldwide reputation when it comes to lifestyle and fashion. To mark the official launch of the new brand identity, Leif Lindner, CEO of IFA Management GmbH, and Dr. Sara Warneke, Managing Director of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH, share their insights.
A rebranding for the 100th anniversary; is IFA giving itself a present?
LL: IFA is one of the most traditional trade fairs in the world and therefore a venerable brand in the trade fair business. The last logo was refreshed in the early 2000s, so it was time for us to overhaul the IFA brand world. During the briefing, we made sure that the rebranding paid tribute to the brand’s origins, while at the same time being able to carry it into the future.
SW: The previous logo had worked for a long time, but with its many components of IFA lettering, claim, the respective event date and the so-called ‘Funk-Otto’, the striking, stylised red head and previous IFA trademark, it was no longer up to date. We wanted a much simpler design in order to increase the recognition value. The 100th birthday was the right time for everyone involved for a thorough overhaul and also to give IFA this gift.
Speaking of ‘Funk-Otto’ – what role will he play in the future?
SW: ‘Funk-Otto’ will continue to be an important part of the IFA brand family, but it will no longer appear in the main logo. Instead, our exhibitors and trade fair visitors will encounter him on various occasions. Let us surprise you! The iconic head created by Professor Helmut Lortz is also celebrating its 70th birthday this year.
Is there an aspect that inspired the rebranding?
LL: We thought about IFA milestones. And one was the launch of colour television in West Germany. The then Vice-Chancellor Willy Brandt pressed the symbolic red button at IFA 1967. Highsnobiety had the idea of developing a colour scheme similar to the television test pattern that many still know because it was broadcast until the mid-1990s. We were all able to agree on this immediately, because this color palette reflects an important aspect of consumer electronics from the past, yet the choice of colours makes it look current, contemporary and forward-looking.
SW: From now on, IFA will carry its origins into every aspect of the design. It is important to us that the entire IFA family feels addressed. Ultimately, the design is aimed at consumer electronics as well as household appliances, which have been part of our trade fair for over 15 years now.
What about the actual word/image brand? Does IFA still stand for ‘Internationale Funkausstellung’?
SW: The ‘Internationale Funkausstellung’ is certainly part of our origins and is still in many peoples’ minds. We have also had a logo variant created for it. For us, however, the three letters now primarily stand for the claim ‘Innovation für Alle’, which incidentally also works in English: ‘Innovation for all’.
LL: This new claim, which is not only valid this year, signals accessibility and openness. IFA should appeal to a global audience that is as diverse as the city in which it is based. This also applies to the values we represent. IFA should be a place where everyone can discover and experience innovation. And that is exactly how we will communicate: open, approachable and contemporary.
Apart from a bold claim, how do you want to convey this IFA vision?
LL: We are all currently in a dynamic phase, socially, politically, and economically. At the same time, innovation is accelerating at a technical level due to the constant development of artificial intelligence. The mood is currently more pessimistic than it was in the last decade, for example. With our overall brand design, we want to ensure that exhibitors and consumers once again take a more optimistic and positive view of technology and the opportunities it offers. IFA and its new brand should become a place that fascinates and surprises people and gives them a glimpse into their own future – at least in terms of products and applications that will have a significant impact on their lives.
So the I for innovation in IFA takes centre stage?
SW: Innovation has been the reason why IFA has been taking place for 100 years. That’s why it was so important for us to create a rebranding that takes this into account. And the new word/image brand reflects this. This logo clearly sets us apart from trade fairs whose portfolio overlaps with that of IFA. It has a much higher recognition value. This will significantly strengthen the brand. At the same time, the changes will continue to show where we started from.
A total of three parties and the agency were involved in the rebranding. How quickly did everyone agree?
SW: Like the entire IFA project, this one was a very collaborative process. There were employees who had already accompanied several rebranding processes elsewhere and said at the end that they had rarely experienced such a smooth process.
LL: Highsnobiety very quickly understood what we needed to create a new, timeless rebrand. There were two proposals for different routes – and in the end we chose the best of each. That’s why we are so satisfied with the implementation internally.
We didn’t just work on the appearance, right?
LL: We also worked intensively together on the strategy and the so-called Brand House. Everything related to this will be successively implemented in the coming weeks and months, with our corporate design and all activations relating to the IFA. This also includes, for example, the 100Moments, which this year are all about our anniversary, but will also remain part of the overall concept in the future. We will continue to develop the trade fair together with gfu and Clarion and have now set the initial course for this.
SW: Consistent and agile further development was one of the most important aspects for us in the reorganization with IFA Management GmbH in order to be able to react quickly to changes in the industry as well as in the trade fair and event business.
When will the new rebranding be fully implemented?
LL: We are currently rebranding everything. From the email signature to business cards and the website to the sales documents we send out. Our entire marketing campaign will reflect the new rebranding and every IFA-specific element on the exhibition grounds will also display the rebranding.
SW: We are already looking forward to ringing in a new era for IFA with all partners, exhibitors and visitors on its 100th anniversary, and not just visually.