A Bright New Day for Dia

Short for Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentacion (roughly International Provision Distributor), Dia is a Carrefour-owned, hard-discount grocery store — meaning, from what I understand, that they can reduce costs wildly by minimizing operations and simplifying their stores — with a vast presence in Spain with more than 2,900 stores and can also be found around the world in Greece, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, and China. Last year, Interbrand redesigned a new identity for Dia, replacing the generic but oh-so-European-looking Avant Garde with a custom lettering wordmark, and in recent months stores have been upgraded to the new look and store design. I really like the new logo, the letterforms are very well integrated and resolved, the “a” is downright great and I will even let go of the missing tittle (thanks for the term Mike), because in this case it does reflect positively on the overall shape. You can see some images of the stores at Dia’s corporate web site.

Thanks to Romeo Calonghi for the tip.

Remy Overkempe’s comment is:

I love it. The lettering is much more specific, the A is (as you also indicated) superb and the logo really stands out from the rest of the text now, without standing out too much. Maybe they could’ve done something with the D also, but perhaps that would have been too much, I don’t know. But overall, great update!

(Also, “oh-so-European-looking Avant Garde”? I’m European, but I don’t see what’s so European about it, personally…)

On Mar.13.2009 at 06:58 AM

Char’s comment is:

I can’t get over how they resolved the type. It looks wonderful.

On Mar.13.2009 at 07:03 AM

Quentin’s comment is:

I simply love it!
Nice…

Also European, didn’t get it too!

On Mar.13.2009 at 07:04 AM

Steve’s comment is:

@Remy Overkempe & Quentin: That’s because we are European, it is harder to see a certain style if you are on the inside looking out.

On Mar.13.2009 at 07:17 AM

Cristian Loghin’s comment is:

Very nice overall, it has good balance. I too believe that something should’ve been done to the “D” (maybe a top left corner diagonal cut similar to the one on the “i”), since just like the “i” and the “a” it has a stem too.
Ps. Name one geometric sans designed by an American :)

On Mar.13.2009 at 07:23 AM

Romeo Calonghi’s comment is:

Sometimes things baked with love talk for themselves. Dia new stores are better and comfortable than before (they were ugly enough, but now you can feel a whole new sensation entering in). This is a real effective redesign work for a refreshed and stronger brand identity. Well done Interbrand.

On Mar.13.2009 at 07:36 AM

Skythe’s comment is:

The icon was TERRIBLE before, with that strange thin border around it. Much better now! Good job.

On Mar.13.2009 at 08:08 AM

Ale Paul’s comment is:

The overall looks is better but in spanish language countries the world “dia” should be write with a iacute so “día” (that means day). I still dont understand why it happens specially when they have mostly all the stores here at Argentina or at Spain…

On Mar.13.2009 at 08:21 AM

Anatoly Vyalikh’s comment is:

Previous logotype to my mind have been many times better. Typeface and percentage symbol worked together great, but in new one all elements looks like they are taken from different places and also they made in different style.
“A” letter is terrible.

On Mar.13.2009 at 08:36 AM

Fish’s comment is:

very nice!

On Mar.13.2009 at 08:42 AM

conkyfilms’s comment is:

Not knowing Turkish, I could be wrong about the significance of this, but my understanding is that the dotless I and dotted (betittled?) one are two different letters. I wonder if this is a concern since they have stores in Turkey? At any rate, count me as a non-fan of the “a” as well … looks too much like an “o” for me.

On Mar.13.2009 at 08:45 AM

Andy’s comment is:

It’s quite…cute!

On Mar.13.2009 at 08:46 AM

Erik’s comment is:

I think the new mark is an improvement over the old. The outline around the ‘%’ was very strange in the previous version, at least to me. Just balancing that made a huge difference for me.

I may not be as in love with the new typography as some of the other commenters are but it’s fine.

On Mar.13.2009 at 09:17 AM

Anonymous’s comment is:

the percentage mark in the new one is much better.

overall I find this to be a nice improvement.

On Mar.13.2009 at 09:36 AM

Panasit Ch’s comment is:

Huge improvement. The design is clearly a winner. However, I wonder if the top of the “i” has to be slanted like that? It makes the top of “a” looks like it doesn’t reach the top of the x-height.

On Mar.13.2009 at 09:50 AM

Dan’s comment is:

Nice evolution! I like the % revision - far more balanced, less constricted, yet strengthened. That thin border vs. massive dots was wacky. I also LOVE how they echo the percent slash in slant at the top of the “i”. Clever, clever, clever.

On Mar.13.2009 at 10:29 AM

soully’s comment is:

Based on what everyone else is saying I’m going to make the assumption that I’m missing something here, as I don’t like the new logo at all. I don’t care for the a, the non dotted i looks strange and the increased stroke on the box around the % was obvious.

On Mar.13.2009 at 10:48 AM

Armin’s comment is:

> (Also, “oh-so-European-looking Avant Garde”? I’m European, but I don’t see what’s so European about it, personally…)

Remy, and all, sorry, that was probably too ambiguous. I’ve just seen A LOT of European-based designers use A LOT of Avant Garde in the last year.

> but in spanish language countries the world “dia” should be write with a iacute so “día” (that means day).

Ale, I thought the same thing, but in this case the name “dia” is a consequence of the acronym, so they happen to be called dia, but they don’t mean to say day. If that makes any sense.

On Mar.13.2009 at 10:51 AM

jRod’s comment is:

well, certainly it is a much more solid logo than the original. One thing that I really appreciate is the fact that they stayed with the exact same color scheme (white on red) and therefore maintained the integrity of the brand. Pepsi/Tropicana could use a lesson in that. well done.

On Mar.13.2009 at 11:18 AM

Angie’s comment is:

With so few elements to the logo, it bothers me that the type and mark seem so disparate, but I do appreciate the update to the type.

On Mar.13.2009 at 11:26 AM

House of Thuan’s comment is:

I love it. The designer(s) made the new mark unique and added more ‘character/personality’ without deviating or losing any equity from the original mark. Well done!

On Mar.13.2009 at 11:50 AM

Rodrigo Müller’s comment is:

the type is really wonderful and now the symbol really makes a difference. way to go Interbrand!

On Mar.13.2009 at 12:02 PM

Allan’s comment is:

I like the update to the type treatment, but I agree with Angie that the mark seems a little out of place. I don’t like the rounded edges on the bounding stroke. I might prefer it with the percent symbol reversed out of a solid shape. Something like this:

On Mar.13.2009 at 12:07 PM

Tinpot Dictator’s comment is:

Great improvement, though i agree with the thought that the ‘d’ could have presented better opportunities. Mirror the a, give it a low rise ascender cut on the same angle? If Dia is an acronym, shouldn’t have been a huge issue to go lower case.
Not sure about the logo, too. Again, much better, but could have been pushed farther…
TD

On Mar.13.2009 at 12:27 PM

Bdziura’s comment is:

@Skythe, I think you may have them mixed up. But I agree with you, I love the type treatment but prefer the old percent sign. The border around it doesnt do anything for me and feels awkward.

On Mar.13.2009 at 01:42 PM

Felix’s comment is:

The only problem I have is that the relationship between the wordmark and the symbol seems to be at lost. All I see is a co-branding rather than a full-signature.

But then again, it is an improvement on the symbol, though.

On Mar.13.2009 at 01:58 PM

alexandra’s comment is:

I find the new marque friendlier, more human, and more contemporary.

I do find the % still a bit unresolved, but it’s definitely an overall improvement.

thumbs up!

On Mar.13.2009 at 02:45 PM

Mike’s comment is:

Heh, for some reason I thought the top of “a” was aligned to the lower point of “i“‘s diagonal cut. Beyond that I like the unique “a” as well. Being that it’s an improvement of the older look, I think adding or taking from how it is now would only hurt it.

On Mar.13.2009 at 03:47 PM

Jonathan’s comment is:

AUTHOR: Jonathan
EMAIL:
IP: 12.111.134.2
URL: http://www.whatisbrutus.com
DATE: 03/13/2009 03:56:47 PM

On Mar.13.2009 at 03:56 PM

Jason’s comment is:

So much discussion over so small a change.

On Mar.13.2009 at 04:51 PM

Paul Riehle’s comment is:

The a not extending below the baseline is bugging the hell out of me. I can’t get passed it.

On Mar.13.2009 at 04:56 PM

Sean’s comment is:

I wish they would have made the percentage dots the same as the counter of the A. Add me to the leagues of people that don’t find the A too thrilling. It’s an improvement, but there’s room for more.

On Mar.13.2009 at 05:10 PM

matt’s comment is:

I could see the ‘a’ turning into an ‘o’ if the type is too small - but if the ‘%’ icon has enough recognition, it would probably negate that - and I suppose what’s really important is that they recognize the branding, not whether they think it’s pronounced ‘dia’ or ‘dio’.

On Mar.13.2009 at 05:11 PM

Mark’s comment is:

uh…yeah…

I don’t think this is quite an improvement.

I don’t like that slanted-ness of the letters, they look broken and jagged. Plus I don’t see any meaning for the enclosure of the percentage symbol.

I like the previous one better.

It needs more work.

On Mar.13.2009 at 06:20 PM

Mark’s comment is:

I sincerely apologize for the previous remark.

It does work in it’s environment, I was wrong by judging the logo on it’s own, it looks more like a logo instead of a line of text.

On Mar.13.2009 at 06:23 PM

Filipe’s comment is:

“conkyfilms’s comment is:
Not knowing Turkish, I could be wrong about the significance of this, but my understanding is that the dotless I and dotted (betittled?) one are two different letters. I wonder if this is a concern since they have stores in Turkey?”

I was going to comment that… i lived in Turkey for 4 months and always went to Dia :) and the dotless I actually is a different letter, with a different sound, so it should be a little weird now, i´m pretty sure turkish people will still pronounce Dia, with the dotted I, but the actual name wont have the dot on it…

PS: we have Dia in Portugal too, its called Mini Preço (it means mini price :P) and the logo is

On Mar.13.2009 at 06:43 PM

Lindsay’s comment is:

The out line on the percentage is something that doesn’t fit into this peeled back stylised mark.

Reminds me of 100% store logo, can’t find the older one, only the more recent 3d/stainless steel one. Although only really combination of red and light text with %.

On Mar.13.2009 at 08:10 PM

R Berger’s comment is:

How come the ‘a’ is great here, but was awful as Quark’s logo?

On Mar.13.2009 at 08:33 PM

Xav’s comment is:

It’s an improvement but it could have been better. I like the wordtype but the device lets a lot to be desired. Could have been more dynamic, as it is it looks like a logo for a mortgage lender.

As for the european looking avant-garde comment I wasn’t aware there was such a thing as “european looking”. When it comes down to design there are different schools of thought in Europe. Most of the time you can tell the difference between them. For example German logos are usually very geometric, simple and pure, whereas spanish logos are colourfull and dynamic. Italian logos can go against accepted colour rules (blue on red, red on green etc…) and british logos can be very complex and intricate.
In essence, something can be swiss/german looking or nordic looking or spanish looking… but I don’t think there’s such a thing as “european looking”. No offence.

On Mar.13.2009 at 09:04 PM

markj’s comment is:

@Bdziura - Skythe was saying that he prefers the new logo. If you look closely at the old one, there is a *very* thin border around the %.

Personally, I don’t care for the new type at all, but I’ve never really liked this style of type. The new % is definitely an improvement, though I like Allan’s version better. (If anything, they need to sharpen the 90-degree corners.)

On Mar.13.2009 at 11:37 PM

Lara’s comment is:

typo is an improvement, yet the slantness in the ‘i’ is just out-of-place. it could’ve been balanced out by sharpening the perentage box sides, or cut at the same angle mirroring the ‘a’ serif.. the percentage element is diturbing..

again , i find allan’s version of it much better.
cheers

On Mar.14.2009 at 07:56 AM

Bdziura’s comment is:

@markj, Wow, I couldnt even see that thin border on the monitor I was on! That is awful.

On Mar.15.2009 at 10:27 AM

Mongoose’s comment is:

An unambiguously *nice* update, indeed. Three very nice, crisp, distinct letters; the old logo looks very squished compared to it, while in the new logo each letter has a little breathing room. That’s how to smooth old to the new.

Also with more breathing room are the bar and dots of the percentage sign, and the white border around the percentage sign is more eye-catching as well. That thin white trace on the old, ugh. I’m not even sure it needs the thick border, but the balance of it all is pleasing.

I give it an A: Three better letters, one better symbol, one better frame puts this one in a high percentile indeed for a rebrand.

—Mongoose

On Mar.15.2009 at 09:54 PM

Tim’s comment is:

My very first post on this site… So here I go:

I do like the rebrand and the new type. But for some reason the letters seem to be in conflict with each other.It looks like they couldn’t figure out what to do with the D. Maybe it would’ve been a good idea to cut the left top corner of the “D”. That also would have rhymed more with the “i” and “a”. Not to forget they are cutting corners to offer those cheap prices… :P

The percentage sign is a very big improvement, although I agree more with Allan’s version. It seems to bring more balance to the whole.

I think the overall style works very well in the stores. Looks clean and fresh.

In my humble opinion a pretty good rebrand…

On Mar.16.2009 at 07:01 AM

Nathan McKinney’s comment is:

Is it just me or does the entrance way give anyone else this foreboding sense of walking into a dangerous trap?

I don’t know if it’s just the red color or the enclosing shape of the rectangular graphic around the door, but I feel uncomfortable about stepping through it. I might actually avoid shopping there because the doorway is so uninviting.

I admit that the look definitely brands the building, and will make the shop very distinguishable in even the busiest environments, but I can’t help but think they could have found a design that was a bit more inviting while retaining the same brand impact.

Customer psychology should always be taken into account when it comes to design, and to me, this ignores it a bit. Maybe the impact of the color red is different in other countries.

On Mar.16.2009 at 10:31 AM

Ben Peck’s comment is:

The type is beautiful. The only thing I don’t understand is why they chose to put rounded corners on the percent symbol. Everything else has sharp clean corners. But over all its very nice.

On Mar.16.2009 at 11:13 AM

Daniel Campos’s comment is:

This rebrand is very old guys. Anyway, I really love the type, is so pretty!

On Mar.16.2009 at 12:17 PM

oragetiki’s comment is:

Not a fan of the “a” but all around much better cleanup. Well executed and implemented

On Mar.16.2009 at 01:11 PM

lyndi parrett’s comment is:

i really am loving the new “a”, refreshing and new and how it relates to the % next to it is great. % could be smaller, similar to the older one. the top of the “i” how it angles would of been more cohesive if it slanted similar to the top of the % or catching the slant of the bottom of the “a”

On Mar.16.2009 at 01:22 PM

markj’s comment is:

I looked at the type again, and I decided that I like it after all, except for that “a”, though I can’t say why…that little pointy bit doesn’t really appeal to me. On the other hand, it does look like it would fit in well in Europe (I’m American).

On Mar.17.2009 at 10:21 PM

Iskender’s comment is:

cute than before, but in Turkey these stores are enough ugly, I’ll never go there, feels like they don’t have anything to sell but the products out of date and stores are dusty. Would you go there if it changed only a logo?

On Mar.19.2009 at 05:54 AM

Mango’s comment is:

The logo’s nice enough, but the stores are horrid and not all that inexpensive when you take the lack of selection convenience and customer service into account.

On Mar.31.2009 at 12:01 PM

Mokokoma Mokhonoana’s comment is:

I think it’s a good (re)design as it still kept all the old logo’s elements but presented them in new and better way.

So the new logo would still get to keep the ‘familiarity’ factor that people had with the old logo.

On Apr.08.2009 at 05:10 AM

r4i software’s comment is:

Thanks for the very nice post.I also think the new mark is an improvement over the old. The outline around the ‘%’ was very strange one in the previous version. Just balancing that made a huge difference for me.Good going.

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