VdS brand implementation: from rules to daily practice
VdS brand implementation decides whether a set of rules actually arrives in everyday work. Because design only becomes dependable when others can apply it without asking first. That is what the VdS CD manual is for — along with the tools that carry out its rules.
Rules
The VdS CD manual: written forward chapter by chapter
The rules do not sit in a presentation, but in a manual. It is organised in chapters, each with its own status. Chapters are updated as needed, not reissued as a whole. Those that are stable stay as they are. Others grow with the brand — as they did when sub-brands and co-branding rules were added.
One point of contact instead of a loop of enquiries
For cases outside the rules, there are named responsibilities. Special formats and exceptions are settled by the marketing officer, additional file formats by the VdS corporate design officer. The decision stays where it belongs.
Tools
Templates that carry out the rules
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VdS brand implementation needs specifications, not one-off solutions
A signage system of steles, flags, signs and pylons was developed for the Cologne headquarters. What emerged was not only the execution, but the specification behind it. Further sites can therefore be equipped to the same pattern, without anyone designing from scratch.
The rules carry VdS brand implementation into international markets too
Communication for international markets follows the same rules. Languages, formats and market logics differ, the appearance stays the same. A new market therefore does not require a new design, only an application of the existing one.
Automation
Certificates without detours
Certificates are a high-volume product at VdS with demanding requirements. They distinguish between VdS and PROVE, appear in various languages and carry different levels of detail — within one layout.
The templates were therefore built so that they can be populated from the database. VdS transferred the finished guidelines into its SAP system for this, supported by CRENEO. The documents now originate where the data sits.
A mark that others can advertise with
Anyone who is certified wants to show it. Installers and specialist companies need more than the certificate — they need a mark for their own communication.
This is exactly what the generator was built for. VdS produces the seals itself and sends them directly to the certified businesses. Each seal matches the certification in question and carries an individual QR code leading back to the VdS certification database. The mark is therefore not only compliant with the rules, but verifiable — and it is produced without a detour via the agency.
Result
What VdS has been able to do independently since the rollout
Before the project, almost every application depended on an enquiry. Today the answer sits in the system. That has less to do with individual tools than with their sequence. First it was clarified who is speaking. Rules followed, set down in the VdS CD manual. Rules became building blocks, building blocks became applications. Each level carries the next. Nobody has to start from scratch when something new is needed.
This becomes visible in what has been added since. Business areas gained a face without diluting the umbrella brand. The website grew by modules without being rebuilt. Campaigns and new topics emerged from the rules rather than alongside them.
And the system does not stop at design. Certification seals are now produced in house and go straight to the businesses. VdS brand implementation has therefore achieved more than enforcing specifications. It has moved work to where it belongs.