High energy monogram for V8 Supercars

V8 Supercars is Australia's leading car racing competition and one of the most watched sports in the country. Last week, it unveiled a new visual identity, developed by Sydney-based Hulsbosch.

Extensive research was performed to find a visual expression and strategy that would allow the sport to grow. Hulsbosch developed an iconic symbol that can stand on its own, representing the energy of the sport in the form of the stylised initials SC.

Current logo.

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From a press release, sent out by Hulsbosch:

The Hulsbosch brand and visual identity reflects the V8 Supercars business growth strategy and successfully communicates an ability to cut through as a populist brand with a broader appeal for current and future fans.

V8 Supercars is the corporate endorser brand of the sport with a calendar of 14 events each with a unique DNA. The masterbrand represents the brand as a whole and will be actively integrated within each race event. The refreshed brand identity will be part of all marketing strategies and consolidates a brand framework for the future of the sport.

Hulsbosch pursued vigorous consumer testing and contributed to research groups across Australia. An online survey and extensive key stakeholder interviews provided a detailed and in-depth understanding of the evolution of the sport.

The research and insights revealed a clear set of attributes and values for the brand – extreme energy, visually stunning, teamwork, respectful, relentlessly progressive, passionate - that have all been carefully integrated into the creative outcome. These reflect how V8 Supercars is perceived as one of Australia’s most physically challenging sports with elite athletes engaged in brutal combat, driving the world’s toughest racing machines.

Hans Hulsbosch, Executive Creative Director, Hulsbosch, said today, “An unforgettable and exhilarating race experience, touring car’s new icon colouring of ‘red’ displays a notion of fast and furious speed. Thrilling trackside showdowns are represented in the curvature of the ‘S’ and combines with a signature of intensity to drive through the ‘esses’. From the side positioning, the ‘C’ represents the strategic-thinking and power of the V8 Supercars Championship. Primarily the unique brand is a reflection of the courage of our Australian-based speed heroes.

“The ‘SC’ moniker is a simplified identification and will generate a genuine presence as a stand-alone icon for the sport, developed as an enduring brand to stand the test of time.

Similar to successful identifiable icons Hulsbosch have created for Woolworths, Masters, Rebel and Qantas.”

The Hulsbosch brand solution is a strong and relevant mark, which provides clarity for the passionate V8 Supercars fans, stakeholders and importantly the V8 Supercars teams and drivers.

It will promote the V8 Supercars Championship as the premier motorsport category in Australasia and acknowledges its position as one of Australia’s biggest sports. In addition, maintaining the series recognition globally as the best touring car category in the world and as a leader in motorsport entertainment.

V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton prioritised strategies to transform and reinvigorate the sport including a relaunch of the sports brand. Warburton commented today, ““The time is right for a striking and dominant identity as we head to the next phase for the sport, on and off the track. V8 Supercars is dynamic, aggressive and intensely competitive. The sport needs an identity that represents these characteristics on a global stage.”

Before the first calendar race in February 2015, the V8 Supercars rebrand will be integrated into all corporate and marketing collateral, events, digital, sub brands and special programs; including the Dunlop V8 Supercars Championship.