From a price breaker
to a heartbreaker
ŠKODA From the beginning of our collaboration, the ŠKODA brand was synonymous with value for money. This was great from a rational perspective, but not emotional enough to inspire customers. We also knew that ŠKODA had so much more to offer. By returning to its history and continuing this into today’s digital age, ŠKODA was able to revive the entire potential of its identity. How was it possible to do all of this with design?
The ŠKODA Superb from 2015 was a prophet
It showed what ŠKODA is really capable of. We applied this opportunity for a new era to the entire brand. As a strategic partner for ŠKODA’s brand management, we positioned the brand as a strong personality in the market and within the Volkswagen Group – one with an impressive history shaped by Bohemian design culture, Cubist roots and a forward-looking aesthetic. We used these characteristics to develop the basis for the design: the »Kaleidoscope of Life«.
You can bring a brand to life with an idea that everyone understands. We dove deep into the legacy of the brand to achieve this goal.
Synchronising the product and brand
The new ŠKODA corporate design is as emotional as it is functional, translating the brand into even the smallest element of the brand identity. The values, »simplifying, surprising, human«, are transformed into a clearly defined, tangible design vocabulary that is applied to every aspect of the brand. Today, the product and brand design both speak the same language.
Boosting value through design
The new ŠKODA corporate design creates a sense of identity, elevating the brand into a new dimension of values: for customers, who show self-confidence and emotion with ŠKODA, as well as employees, who are more motivated and generate better ideas because of their stronger identification with the brand. Finally, ŠKODA is also positioning itself as a more attractive brand in competition with other players in the market.
Implement identity more efficiently
We supported the global roll-out of the new visual identity with a new, intuitive brand portal. It fundamentally simplifies processes, which ensures top quality while saving both time and money. Advanced software tools automate work steps, generating the correct logo endings and openers for all formats – including partner logos and calls-to-action that can be designed as desired.
The success story continues
Beautiful automotive brands are expensive – and affordable ones have terrible design? ŠKODA proves the opposite in its products and the overall brand identity. The new visual identity returns to the fascination the brand once had in the earliest days of its history. With this fresh impetus, ŠKODA is making strong inroads into the market and winning industry awards. KMS TEAM is still in the passenger seat as global lead agency CI/CD, helping the company to reach its ambitious goals for the future.
Style guide and library for illustrations
We developed a characteristic illustration style for the brand based on the ŠKODA icons. It is quick and easy to create various on-brand illustrations based on elements such as landscapes, objects and people.
With a striking, flexible design culture, ŠKODA is meeting society’s new expectations as a low-frills brand. In the end, today’s customers shape their own brand universe.
ŠKODA
In addition to Daimler Benz, the Czech brand ŠKODA is among the oldest automobile brands in the world. It has been part of Volkswagen Group since 1991, and has even become one of its most profitable brands*. ŠKODA makes around 9% in profits on each vehicle, and even marked record sales in April 2018: With a total of 107,000 deliveries, the brand sold 10.1% more than the previous month. In 2019, ŠKODA sold 1.2 million vehicles world-wide.
* Source: University of Duisburg Essen, CAR Center Automotive Research
Meet the team
![Kms team knut maierhofer 01 4 3]()
Knut Maierhofer
Managing Partner / Founder
![Kms team markus sauer 01 4 3]()
Markus Sauer
Digital Design Director
![Kms team gabriel weiss 01 4 3]()
Gabriel Weiss
Motion Design Director
Services and results
- Our branding and consulting approach for ŠKODA was designed to give the brand a clearer, more emotional positioning – both internally and externally.
- We highlighted genuine, authentic brand values at the heart of a progressive corporate design and corporate font for a successful realignment.
- The newly created brand experience is sustained by a brand identity that unites all channels, touch points and the UX/UI design under one strong design concept.
- We created a brand portal with automated design tools and consistent global templates to implement the new visual identity. These valuable assets have helped ŠKODA achieve its transformation goals very quickly and efficiently.
