Everybody in Germany knows Deutsche Bahn, the state railroad company. And everybody has an opinion about it – admittedly, not always a positive one. Our brief: Turn the annoying mother-in-law into a trusted friend – but don’t change anything! Because logo, typeface and the “red stripe on a white train” have become established over decades. The relaunch is an ongoing process that will take place over several years: All business areas with around 300,000 employees need to be converted, taking product cycles and sustainability aspects into account.

Deutsche Bahn addresses a broad target group that can be described in one word: everybody! Everybody in Germany knows the brand and uses its services – and everybody recognizes its characteristic design. This quality had to be preserved. Accordingly, the design relaunch had to take an evolutionary approach instead of developing something radically different.

At the same time, it should enable a massive image change: Our task was to make the company more accessible and approachable. We created the perfect tool for this job: The Pulse. A new brand element that refers to the shape of the logo and the red stripe on the white train. It is highly flexible for all touchpoints and ready to make the interaction between people and brand more individual and emotional.

The Pulse is a new element that looks so familiar, it’s like it was always there. It unleashes its full power in digital interaction at the very touchpoints that are becoming more and more important in today’s digital age of connected mobility: on small user interfaces, in apps for connected mobility, as a quickly graspable call for changing trains, in chatbots or as feedback when submitting forms.

The Pulse becomes a part of illustrations that are strong in communication potential. He can help organizing content and guiding users intuitively.

In addition, we give the established brand elements more leeway to develop more impact and reduce the rules for application to a radical minimum. We bundle all information, design elements and inspiring best practices on a freely accessible portal that becomes the central hub for everyone who wants to work with the brand. An open, partnership-based approach, with a personal touch.

While the implementation is still ongoing, surveys reveal that the new design has empowered Deutsche Bahn to significantly improve its image: Compared to the previous design, consumers rate the brand’s appearance as more accessible and modern. It thus makes a significant contribution to positioning Deutsche Bahn as trusted friend and innovative partner for mobility service.