DHL deliver joy
Brand Overview
In 1969, DHL ushered in the era of the express international courier, parcel and mail, becoming the world’s largest logistics company.
In 2018, the logistics company had outgrown the brand. To better position itself as a leader in the overly competitive market, the company came to Bilzen for consulting and rethink their brand, including new visual directions.
Bilzen's Services
- User Interface
- User Experience
- Website Design
- Iconography and Illustrations
- Mobile Web
- Front End Development
- Interaction Design
The Challenges
Print is expensive. DHL was spending absurd amounts of money on marketing and sales printed material. While static PDF files have been the norm when it comes to sales material, they were looking for a scalable way to not only remove inefficiency in the printing and distribution process but also manage brand style guide and positioning.
The new visual style had to reflect both the service and the brand: energy, simplicity, friendly, and humanity. It had to work equally well for a utility service used by millions and a company worth billions. Plus it had to be friendly to see, touch.
The Approach
Because it involves so many elements, a website is often the clearest distillation of a brand. For DHL’s new website, we created several different photographs and illustrated directions with delightful animations for the in-house team to work with.
With a brand new responsive website, we decided to introduce the use of iPads in the chain of DHL's employee training. This would decrease the cost of print packaging and eliminate physical damage and deterioration of the brand's image.
The new illustrations would follow suit: bold and energetic, but also playful and human.
The Impact
Our composition system is elegant in its sheer simplicity of use. By defining the grid, the system stays flexible and beyond easy to apply.
Our typography is as unique and easy to use as we are. Inspired by the world’s best used transportation examples, it was designed to maximize its impact across all applications while keeping it easy to read, ownable, and highly recognizable.
The Sales team was satisfied with the abundance of information in a single place. Frustration due to handling of various documents and piles of paper was gone. Sales collateral saw a growth of 55%.
We did our research and approached some agencies, and Bilzen amazed us with their work. It was amazing and beyond beautiful. When we launched our project, the response was just awesome. I am grateful for the support and excellence they have provided.
Sarin Nair
Head - Marketing Communications, DHL Express
