I see a lot of freight trucks on the 45-mile stretch of I-5 that constitutes roughly three quarters of my commute. It seems there are far more poorly designed freight identities than well-designed ones. Or perhaps it’s just that I have a hazy recollection (from my many years of researching/teaching graphic design history) of transit identities that set the bar higher than what I see out there today.
My obvious first choice to critique is Oak Harbor.
Some of the oak leaves are colored with distinct color zones outlined in black, some use a subtle gradient; the symbol is often accompanied by the name in a heavy, semi-slab serif face with the first letters called out in red, and sometimes it sits above a sans serif… rule #1 in successful branding: consistency establishes identity. But what I’m really confused about is the color palette – is the company in any way associated with Jamaica or the Rastafari movement?
Another frequent sighting is the Swift Company. The dynamic swoosh says ‘S’ and speed all at once, which certainly isn’t a bad idea. Let’s just say it could stand to be updated.
There are certainly examples of identities created in the 50s, 60s, or 70s that still remain viable today. Hebert Matter’s 1954 New Haven Railroad design program used only typographic forms and harmonious proportions to establish a recognizable and memorable look.
Some other railroad freight companies have followed suit.
For a beautiful rail freight design scheme check out the British company Railfreight’s family of symbols and identification marks.
I do observe some contemporary examples of successful branding on the road…
Yellow Freight has employed a simple but effective strategy to their fleet. (Okay, there’s trucks and graphics are actually orange, but who cares?) Hey, if you really like it you can even get yourself the Yellow collector’s model truck.
Maersk uses a seven-pointed star… lucky or just smart?
There are numerous others I could discuss (in fact, there are actually many folks out there with huge photograph collections of such – who knew?).
What of interest have YOU seen on the road lately?