Opinion BY Armin
The Cat got Peugeot’s Tongue
It’s not everyday that we begin the critique of an identity prefaced by the accumulated equity of 200 years but… Peugeot was first established in the Montbeliard region in eastern France in 1810 by brothers Jean-Pierre and Jean-Frédérice as a steel foundry manufacturing a bevy of industrial products, from simple saw blades to coffee grinders. In 1885 another Peugeot family member first dabbled in wheeled locomotion by producing a bicycle, and four years later they introduced a steam-powered tricycle and by 1910, Peugeot was fully committed to the burgeoning automobile industry (see video at the end of post for this vast range of products). The rest, well, is history, as Peugeot has become one of the most well known and respected names in the automobile industry (and few names roll off the tongue as fancifully). Last week, among other news like concept cars and stuff, Peugeot unveiled an evolution of its lion identity — designed by Paris-based BETC Design — along with a new tag line, “Motion & Emotion”.
Over 150 years of evolution of the logo, above and below.
The lion was adopted by the Peugeot family and business as it was the coat of arms of Franche-Comté, their birthplace and was first used on their saw blades to represent “the toughness of the teeth, the flexibility of the blade, and the speed of the cut.” Since then it has changed numerous times to varying degrees of success but, undeniably, to a high degree of recognition.
This is one of those cases where neither version, old or new, is better or worse. Structurally both are acceptable, each with its own merits: The front legs of the old one were stronger and more menacing, the stance of the new one is more forward, the tongue of the old one looked as if it belonged to a snake, the paws of the new one look as if they belong to a teddy bear. Etcetera. Stylistically, the new one is pretty awful, with very amateurish renderings of depth and shine, whereas the old one had managed to convey volume with a single change of shade. Tongue aside, the old one was a stronger icon. The typography is now slimmer and extended and neither change is for the better. The “P” and “O” look far too stretched with such high contrast in the thick verticals and thin horizontals. The asymmetric “U” is not very pleasant either, and the rounding of the bottom-left corner of the “E”s is unnecessary. The only redeeming character in all of it is the “G” if I had to force some kind of praise. The new typography, whether strategically on purpose or not, is reminiscent of Citroën, owned by the same parent company, PSA Peugeot Citroën. Overall, this new identity is just another in a long line of renditions of the same two elements and it will probably be changed in another dozen or so years.
New TV ad that shows 200 years worth of product innovation by the Peugeot family.
Thanks to Pierre des Courtis for first tip.
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DATE: Jan.11.2010
POSTED BY: ArminCATEGORY: Automobile COMMENTS: 84
TAGS:
Dale Campbell’s comment is:
I agree with the statement “neither one is better or worse”
But in my opinion, the new option seems like the lion is sleepwalking or turned into a zombie…
Perhaps he got up in the middle of the night and is looking for a glass of water…half-awake?
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:00 AM
Giu’s comment is:
Moonwalk lion.
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:12 AM
Christian Palino’s comment is:
This new rendering of the logomark has physical characteristics more akin to a teddy bear in a George Romero film or the Wizard of Oz than it does to a tough lion. Much heritage and recognition was lost in the generic smoothing-out of the articulation of the limbs.
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:17 AM
John McCollum’s comment is:
I prefer the new type, especially on the print applications. But the 3-d details are distracting in the logo — there’s a weird convexity in the face, and the bevel in-line draws my attention to all the wrong places, specifically the awkward convergence of the tail and the mane.
This having been said, I really like the overall effect of the rebrand.
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:17 AM
David H’s comment is:
The new type is much better. I don’t really have a problem with any of the text.
The logo is now worse, in my opinion (the old one was bad, too). What is most noticeable to me is the back leg that is extended forward. Because of its new positioning on the body, it makes the lion look like a man in a lion suit, and less like a lion standing on its back legs.
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:25 AM
lodenmuse’s comment is:
I’m torn—Creature from the Black Lagoon vs. Wild Things.
But if the US auto industry had just an ounce of the energy in the Motion & Emotion ad—wow.
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:27 AM
buruno’s comment is:
I’m not very fond of extended fonts, but I can understand why they exist. And for a car company logo.. just not the case, IMO.
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:38 AM
Harper’s comment is:
The lion doesn’t look like a coat of arms anymore. I thin that’s what make the old one cool in a race car sort of way. I don’t mind the new logotype I just wish they’d re-drawn it so that the strokes where more consistent.
I really don’t understand the current auto trend to try and render your logo in metal all the time. I almost wish they’d use an actual photograph of the emblem from the front of a car and be done with it.
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:45 AM
Julio’s comment is:
i love the big lion head over the hood on the late ‘30. Very jaguar looking.
The new brand?…. mmmm the logo has that modern look, but the lion… every change they made to it, it look less and less a lion.
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:49 AM
i2h’s comment is:
the new one looks like a kid in lion pajamas going ‘rawr!’. i think it’s the lack of body definition that makes it look dumpy and unrefined. but as mentioned, the old logo wasn’t much better (or worse)
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:51 AM
smirker’s comment is:
Motion and Emotion - amateur hour at the think tank
New typeface - Quite nice actually
New lion - He kinda looks like he’s lurching forward like Frankenstein now, plus he’s put on a few pounds… not that bad as a physical badge, but they shouldn’t have got the work experience kid to render up the print logo in photoshop.
On Jan.11.2010 at 08:59 AM
Jacob’s comment is:
I like the shape of the old lion, but the treatment of the new lion is quite nice.
Also, please never use videos that automatically start by themselves. I was quietly reading when all of a sudden there was loud, “dramatic” percussion music. I nearly jumped.
On Jan.11.2010 at 09:04 AM
Vincent’s comment is:
Thundercats hooooo !
On Jan.11.2010 at 09:13 AM
Paul’s comment is:
Totally agree with the comments in your review.
It is sad that the lion has lost all its heritage, its energy and force, its very ‘lion-ness’, and been reduced to a cross between a bear and a Poodle.
And the trend of 3D metal effect car brands is rapidly becoming over done.
A good illustration of the evolution of the Peugeot logo at:
On Jan.11.2010 at 09:14 AM
Adam Bestwick’s comment is:
Where’s the body of the lion gone??
Looking at the old brand, the head sweeps into the chest and legs with the front legs working off this… I see a traditional upright stance of a lion
Now with the new execution I see an unfortunate ‘X’ shape - a clumsy meeting of legs - with the head appearing as an after thought at the top. The front leg sweeping into the hind leg gives the illusion that the body is missing!?
And now, with the introduction of the ‘me too’ ubiquitous chrome, they fall in line with many of the other marques.
I commented on the Audi rebrand that they should have kept their distinctive matte aluminium rings. Audi having rebranded to a chrome aesthetic too are now positioned alongside Peugeot with a very similar execution.
I wonder which brand is the happier with that?
On Jan.11.2010 at 09:23 AM
sukisouk’s comment is:
In traditional heraldry, the upper arm of the lion is always in the back. That should have stayed the same, not only because of traditions, but because it proofed through the ages to be stilistically superior…
I don’t even see this icon last „a dozen or so“ years.
On Jan.11.2010 at 09:23 AM
Rx’s comment is:
looks awful. ruined the whole heraldic aspect..
and and these lights and shadows… no, just no.
I don’t think the simplification of the icon is necessary in this case.
simplified and complicated at the same time.
On Jan.11.2010 at 09:30 AM
John Hinds’s comment is:
The giant head looks like a puma or leopard wearing Darth Vaders helmet.
It doesn’t look like a lion at all.
On Jan.11.2010 at 10:04 AM
Youssef Sarhan’s comment is:
There are elements of the new I like, but I think the stance doesn’t look fierce. In fact it looks somewhat comical. I really think they could have done a much better job.
What was done with pfizer is all that was needed here, subtle changes that work.
On Jan.11.2010 at 10:19 AM
Alphonse’s comment is:
Robot zombie lion.
Looks fantastic in metal, but it doesn’t translate into a fake technique.
On Jan.11.2010 at 10:31 AM
grubedoo’s comment is:
Not a big fan of the new mark or the old one for that matter.
Bestwick sums it up best. The only thing I might add to the conversation is that the new logo feels like it was designed by committee.
On Jan.11.2010 at 10:38 AM
Alex P.’s comment is:
The heraldic beauty was lost in 1975, when the original godzilla-robot-dancing lion was introduced. Still, I don’t hate this new mark which actually looks really good on the car itself, don’t you think?
On Jan.11.2010 at 10:39 AM
christina’s comment is:
damn, that’s ugly. have these people ever seen a lion?
On Jan.11.2010 at 10:50 AM
valt1’s comment is:
I think neither one is better with a bigest mane, i agree with the old one had managed to convey volume with a single change of shade.
But i was been change lion’s direction. And why adopt an engligh tag line “Motion & Emotion” it’s a French Brand, it do « Mouvement & Émotion »… globalisation…
On Jan.11.2010 at 10:54 AM
@openfunk’s comment is:
is fat xD
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:00 AM
Hibryd’s comment is:
They’ve completely removed the body; now all the legs and head just sort of convene in one place, like a misshapen sea star. They should have taken a look at sports logos to see how you can make a lion slick, simple *and* intimidating.
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:01 AM
Robert Anthony’s comment is:
I have to agree with John McCollum’s comment, that the 3-d details are distracting in the logo. Other than that I say maybe not the greatest but it works, and I’m assuming the client was happy?
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:04 AM
coda’s comment is:
That is hilarious! What a sorry excuse for a lion. I bet his friends laugh at him.
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:13 AM
Clive Butler’s comment is:
That first video is slightly ridiculous.
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:14 AM
jj’s comment is:
EARLY LOCK ON WORST LOGO OF 2010?!?
Man that is one terrible lion. Why not just steal the Detroit Lion? It’s not perfect, but it’d look better in aluminum than that sad thing.
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:16 AM
jj’s comment is:
EARLY LOCK ON WORST LOGO OF 2010?!?
Man that is one terrible lion. Why not just steal the Detroit Lion? It’s not perfect, but it’d look better in aluminum than that sad thing.
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:17 AM
defaulterror’s comment is:
ZOMBIE-LION FTW!!!!!!!!111one
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:32 AM
Anonymous’s comment is:
ummm… lions don’t stand like that! it looks like a kid in a lion costume, walking… like people do
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:45 AM
Aaron A’s comment is:
The new one is better but not by much.. Also the video is cheese-tastic
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:55 AM
David B.’s comment is:
Style heritage people…
On Jan.11.2010 at 11:56 AM
Marcy C’s comment is:
I think this is a solid improvement.
The logotype is quite elegant, though still robust enough for an Auto brand. No mean feat.
Yes it is reminiscent of Citroen’s logotype, though I think the Peugeot logo is superior.
On Jan.11.2010 at 12:24 PM
Mark’s comment is:
That cat is wearing a onesie.
On Jan.11.2010 at 12:36 PM
Req’s comment is:
He is wearing a onesie! Mark, that’s exactly what I came to say. Awful. Like the type better though.
On Jan.11.2010 at 12:50 PM
Andrea’s comment is:
I, too, thought zombie-lion.
To the comment that it looked like Frankenstein…you mean Frankenstein’s MONSTER. I happen to be reading the book now, and Frankenstein is the creator, not the monster. The monster doesn’t have a name.
On Jan.11.2010 at 12:56 PM
Rob’s comment is:
It’s the attack of the UPS shield.
On Jan.11.2010 at 12:58 PM
Danielle ’s comment is:
It looks like most of us are in agreeance on not liking this ‘improvement.’
With the new logo, Peugeot has totally lost its heritage. You would think having a history like theirs, they would want to convey that in the logo somehow; not go for the sleek, modern look like they have. Even the old logo, though modern, still had a coat of arms style to it. To me, the new logo looks more 1980s inspired than anything else.
Although the lion is lunging forward a bit more, any attack they were trying to achieve was lost when they decided to smooth the design out. It really does look more like a lion costume than the actual animal.
On Jan.11.2010 at 12:59 PM
-’s comment is:
Logo history
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u244/mad_mau/car-logo-peugeot.gif
On Jan.11.2010 at 01:00 PM
Fatso’s comment is:
Lion in galoshes > Zombie lion
On Jan.11.2010 at 01:04 PM
Geoff Ponnath’s comment is:
I think the thing that makes the new one look more like a man in pajamas is the loss of the kink on the rear leg. Thats how an animal’s leg actually works, not how it is in the new one.
On Jan.11.2010 at 01:12 PM
Nathaniel’s comment is:
The lion looks like it is wearing pajamas.
On Jan.11.2010 at 01:25 PM
Blaze’s comment is:
I kinda like it..
On Jan.11.2010 at 01:33 PM
Francisco Torres’s comment is:
I like the redesign, I don’t think the old logo was that good.
On Jan.11.2010 at 02:17 PM
Nate Maggio’s comment is:
Looks so cheap!
On Jan.11.2010 at 03:07 PM
San Antonio Employment Lawyers’s comment is:
Not a bad logo but I’m not a huge fan of the overall product. Thought the first one was better.
On Jan.11.2010 at 03:22 PM
rondolini’s comment is:
Nice logotype! very sexy.
On Jan.11.2010 at 03:32 PM
J’s comment is:
The lions roar looks much better without the gagging tongue.
I think diagonal line through the middle is too pronounced on the print version, looks more integrated and subtle on the car badge.
A standing lion is always going to look odd, but that decision was made well before BETC Design were onborad, so criticizing the ‘zombie’ look is a little unfair.
The logotype (as mentioned by most) is quite good.
I think the reviewer was a little harsh, particularly the ‘amateurish’ comment. I agree it’s not great, but it’s not that bad either.
C+ - B-
On Jan.11.2010 at 03:46 PM
Glen’s comment is:
I don’t know if it was intentional, but the old logo had a simple graphic “flame” in the negative space between the mane and the tail, which I would assume is a nod at the company’s origins as a steel foundry.
Now, it just looks like a cheap clipart with some chrome elments thrown in.
The old symbol was much more royal.
On Jan.11.2010 at 04:37 PM
Chris Thorpe’s comment is:
I was driving behind a new Peugeot this morning and looking at that old logo the whole way—I agree with Armin that neither one is better or worse than the other.
What I will say is that the new logo reflects the direction that Peugeot have decided to go in. Their cars have a much more bevelled look, with different body panels at different angles. In that sense, this logo is a much better fit. While the rendering on the lion is overworked (especially in print) I can see this working quite well as a three dimensional object on the car itself.
The typography is probably where the mark falls down (again, especially in print), but it is worth remembering that the trend in car design has been to “blind emboss” the brand name into the car. And that their target market is those who don’t yet own a Peugeot, and will only really see it while driving behind one on their way to work. It also seems as though they are trying to come across as more of a luxury brand—the tracked out type certainly hints at this.
They have lost some of the speed and racing pedigree of the old logo, certainly, but if they are trying to target those in the market for an everyday car, you could certainly do much worse than this lukewarm attempt.
On Jan.11.2010 at 05:06 PM
Arena’s comment is:
The transformation of the lion has a good looking head but fatter body shape and has a tail cut off. And may be the lion is so hungry,
it looks like starving and what to hunt something.
On Jan.11.2010 at 06:39 PM
tobias b köhler’s comment is:
Yawn ….
…. they should have gone back from the pseudo-heraldic distortions to a more naturalistic lion (perhaps simplified in details, but natural in proportions!) It looks like Peugeot logo designers have forgotten long ago what a real lion looks like. (How would the logo lion walk on four legs? Run? Jump? Sit or lay down? Hard to do without a body!)
Even crazy poses like this
would look better as a logo ….
On Jan.11.2010 at 07:22 PM
Genn’s comment is:
They’ve just overworked on type to make it look more like Citro?n or something. If they’d just remove those curving and make “u” symmetrical that would be much better.
On Jan.11.2010 at 09:51 PM
Julie L’s comment is:
Cat in PJs. Someone has no idea of basic anatomy. No, you don’t need to make it look like a real lion, but that diagonal to the front paw makes absolutely no sense.
Unless… it’s a cat in PJs.
As they say: FAIL.
On Jan.11.2010 at 09:54 PM
wii games ’s comment is:
This is an awesome design.I was wondering new logo of peugeot only.Speaking of redesigns, nice redesign! Very clean-looking. I can dig it.Thanks for sharing such a great post within us….
On Jan.11.2010 at 10:22 PM
Alexander Greyling’s comment is:
Lost in translation with a heavy price tag
Whilst the intention makes sense, the execution does not. The typeface in the old logo has not dated and hence there is no need to replace it. With a bit more generous space the type (and some brand equity) could have been retained.
The old logo could have been updated with some 3d polishing that hints of how the actual badge appears on a vehicle. Lamborghini did that very successfully in 2000 when Audi bought the supercar manufacturer.
However in Peugeot’s case, the evolution has been taken too far. With the adult lion turned into an adolescent, it resulted in a brandmark that looks like it belongs on a range of toy cars for children.
This is definitely a case of the baby being thrown out with the bath water. I do not agree with the six of one or half a dozen of the other sentiment either – what a waste of money, especially in the current economic climate.
Alexander Greyling
Author of Face your brand! The language of visual branding explained
On Jan.12.2010 at 12:57 AM
nashekrashe’s comment is:
Tonque was very bad idea both from the point of graphical presentation and the concept.
On Jan.12.2010 at 03:00 AM
binoygopal’s comment is:
graphical execution of lion - good i think
On Jan.12.2010 at 04:11 AM
Jan A’s comment is:
Look’s more like bear!
On Jan.12.2010 at 04:13 AM
Alex Dima’s comment is:
Man, a refinement of that 1931 logo would look so bad-ass.
On Jan.12.2010 at 07:00 AM
Jeff’s comment is:
That video of the logo progression needs a new voice over:
“This is the story of the super force of space explorers, specially trained and sent by the Alliance to bring back Peugeot, Defender of the Universe!”
On Jan.12.2010 at 07:00 AM
Jeffery Wright’s comment is:
The old one looks like a more traditional coat-of-arms element.
The new one just looks like a zombie lion on the prowl for brains.
On Jan.12.2010 at 07:48 AM
Claudio’s comment is:
It lacks of the simplicity and straightforwardness of the logos from the last three decades. The new symbol is actually an identity crises: “Am I a lion or I am a bear?”. The illustration looks a bit rough, almost unfinished. It resembles more a logo study made by pencil.
On Jan.12.2010 at 08:46 AM
Luke’s comment is:
Its no doubt been said - but ‘nice bear’
On Jan.12.2010 at 09:42 AM
Yves L.’s comment is:
When you look only the arm and the leg of the lion
you think about the JAGUAR identity !!!
But Jaguar is just more legitimate…
On Jan.12.2010 at 10:09 AM
MSGDS’s comment is:
I like the old logo. The redesign is bad, it doesn’t look like a lion, it looks more like a puppet.
On Jan.12.2010 at 12:55 PM
damon’s comment is:
it’s weird, because it’s better and worse at the same time.
the style is more sophisticated, but in doing so the pose looks zombieish and rigid. it loses a bit of its lionness while gaining something in the style department.
ultimately it’s not as good overall as the old one, but there are still improvements.
rigid and lifeless, I agree, robo zombie lion….
On Jan.12.2010 at 03:51 PM
Steven Wardell’s comment is:
The smooth curve from the back leg to the front is just plain wrong.
you can’t put a roar sound to that, it looks to rounded and cuddly, almost bear like.
I think the very first logo of a lion on an arrow was the best.
On Jan.14.2010 at 07:02 AM
Luke’s comment is:
http://vimeo.com/8739695 - they’re using it here quite nicely.
On Jan.15.2010 at 09:16 AM
sheboygan car accident lawyer’s comment is:
Doesn’t seem like they changed a whole lot for the new one. Not going to rail against it, becasue I think it works the same as the last one.
On Jan.18.2010 at 03:07 PM
Misterfolkertsma’s comment is:
I really liked the logo’s from the past that they showed in the video, why not go back to that?
Even in it’s somewhat abstract form, the proportions of that lion are afwul to me. I don’t like that it looks like a large X.
On Jan.19.2010 at 07:05 AM
Raja Sandhu’s comment is:
Change isn’t always good, that onesie and teddy bear comment made me laugh.
The stance of the lion shows something that has reached it’s stretching point, as if, he were to stretch his arms out any further, something would break or tear. The lion’s position lacks the appearance of agility and flexibility, never mind ferociousness.
The typography works well.
On Jan.19.2010 at 08:21 AM
Christopher Pace’s comment is:
It’s the wolfman!
On Jan.19.2010 at 10:42 AM
James’s comment is:
Great. But… this version of the logo is a bitmap, right? How can you create a logo like this? Using 3d software? Is it possible to create using a vectors possible? Thanks!
On Jan.20.2010 at 12:37 PM
mike B’s comment is:
WOW! I really like their new mark - a Werewolf…very cool!
oh, wha…? a Lion? really…
Perhaps not so much then.
On Jan.20.2010 at 06:46 PM
Picturo’s comment is:
Typography is very good but Lion is not. Lion is shiny. I prefer before version with hard corners.
On Jan.24.2010 at 04:59 AM
cj howareya’s comment is:
Does Nicolas Anelka drive a Peugeot?
Great typeface, but why is the lion wearing mittens?
On Jan.26.2010 at 11:27 PM
raybkchan’s comment is:
The biggest criticism is the poor outline of the lion (which is more like a styalised human) made worse by the bevel that crosses the ankle straight to the paw. Think the designer should have tried doing more life-drawings of lions to improve the design.
On Feb.05.2010 at 09:01 PM
Cordless Radar Detector’s comment is:
Three things drive a man outdoors smoke a leaking roof and a scolding wife.
On Jul.11.2010 at 08:08 PM
Baseball Mitt’s comment is:
Peugeot may want to add an elegant, modern and high tech aura. Cause if you want to make new logo. You must create new logo that look like the last logo. Never to rail against the original logo. I thought it looked more like a bear.
On Jul.15.2010 at 12:39 PM
Mark’s comment is:
Reminds me of Mutant Enemy Productions GGGGRRR RAAAAWRRR indeed.
I wish they kept the sharp cornered legs of the previous logo, I miss the tongue too.
On Jul.15.2010 at 04:29 PM
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