The consulting process behind the FUNKE brand architecture
CRENEO supported FUNKE Mediengruppe in sharpening and refining its brand identity. An 18-month consulting process produced a FUNKE brand architecture that classifies more than 30 sub-brands and over 590 product brands. This laid the foundation on which the FUNKE brand identity can be designed and, to this day, developed further.
18 months of analysis for a structured FUNKE brand identity
In recent years, the steady growth of FUNKE Mediengruppe had led to an inconsistent brand identity across its operating units. The process therefore did not begin at the drawing board but inside the organisation. CRENEO first analysed the existing brand landscape, held conversations with those responsible in publishing houses, editorial teams and specialist departments, and gathered what actually constitutes the FUNKE brand identity. Workshops followed, in which the participants jointly decided what role each unit would take on in future.
This was less about design than about clarification. Many brands had come about through acquisitions, and their affiliation with the group had never been defined in binding terms.
Simplification through a new FUNKE brand architecture
The analysis led to a brand architecture with three pillars. It assigns every unit to a clear level and describes how those levels relate to one another. This makes it possible to determine where any existing and any future brand belongs. The architecture therefore answers questions nobody has asked yet. When a brand is added, its classification is already settled.
CRENEO opted for a monolithic architecture. The FUNKE parent brand takes centre stage, while sub-brands retain their independence and visibly belong. In this way, the FUNKE brand architecture simplifies the brand landscape without standardising it.
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The group anchor makes affiliation visible
To make the architecture work in everyday practice, CRENEO developed the group anchor — a fixed design element that links every sub-brand and every product brand to the parent brand. Wherever it appears, affiliation is recognisable, regardless of how independently a brand otherwise presents itself. Nobody has to decide case by case how closely a brand should sit to FUNKE. The rule answers that.
One identity. One visual unity.
Group anchor for sub-brands
Group anchor for productbrands
The FUNKE brand architecture governs not only where each brand stands, but also how decisions about new brands are made. On that basis, a visual system could be built that works for hundreds of brands at once.