Text from the Hankook Press Release

Hankook Tire Announces
New CI Program

New Logo for Youthful, Progressive Global Corporate Image

World-renowned graphic designer Neville Brody worked on the 1-year project.

Tire has introduced a new corporate identity (CI) as part of efforts to engineer a new growth surge. More than 200 employees and dealer representatives attended the official launch at the corporate headquarters in Seoul on March 2.

The hour-long event, which was conducted under the “Passion, Technology the Future?theme, started out in the main conference room on the 18th floor of the Head Office.
A progress report on the CI development was given, and President Cho Choong-hwan delivered a speech. The participants were briefed on the CI program and viewed a corporate video. A new company flag was introduced, followed by an official unveiling outside the building.

The new logo fundamentally portrays progressive and innovative thinking, specialized technology, passion, sophistication, dynamism, and internationalism. It also visualizes brand individuality. The symbol stands for speed and flight is combined with a mixed-script (upper and lower case) logotype.

At the launching ceremony, Hankook Tire President Cho Choong-hwan said the new CI symbolically embraced the corporate vision as well as the challenges and aspirations ahead. He also explained the change in logo was made to project a brand image befitting a world-class player. The new corporate identity will be used in all visual media TV commercials, printed material, signage and so on.

Neville Brody, a world-renowned graphic designer from the UK, began to develop the new CI program for Hankook Tire in April 2003.
The typography was created exclusively by him. Mr. Brody’s track record includes the famous Kenzo line of Japanese cosmetics and the Adidas-Salomon sports brand.

Hankook Tire today is ranked, in terms of units sold, first in the overall Korean tire market, first in the Chinese passenger car tire market and 9th in world tire industry. In 2003, the company achieved new records for sales revenue (just under W1.77 trillion), ordinary income (W143.6 billion), and net income (W101.5 billion), thanks to robust growth in overseas sales as a whole and surging sales of the high-end tires in the product mix.

Introducing Hankook Tire's New CI

1. Basic Concept:
"Proactive Tireship" The term "Proactive Tireship" has been coined by the company to represent the basic concept for the new corporate identity program. This brand essence expresses innovativeness and a forward-looking posture.

a. "Proactive Tireship" is a pledge to grow with the customers, taking on any challenge to emerge as a top-tier tiremaker in the 21st century.

b. "Proactive Tireship" is also a commitment by every employee to stay ahead of market trends and to anticipate customer needs accurately in order to be the industry leader.

c. Hankook Tire has remained dedicated to the tire business for over 60 years, building up superior technology and maintaining the top domestic position in the process. Now, the company is applying professionalism and technology to improve global competitiveness.

d. The “proactive tireship" brand essence is being applied both internally and externally to make the Hankook Tire brand more consumer friendly and to grow into a more progressive and dynamic organization.

2. CI Explained:
The new CI look represents a change in corporate vision and goals, and distinguishes the Hankook brand from the competition. Thus, the design projects the image of the company with industry-leading technology, and embodies progressive thinking, innovative and specialized technical capabilities, passion, sophistication, vitality, and multi-national operations.

1) Symbol
A tire tread has been geometrically altered to suggest wings, flying, aerodynamics and speed. As such it symbolizes dynamic movement and activity. The main color orange is youthful and represents technology and speed, helping to convey the image of a technology leader.

2) Logotype
The logotype is people friendly and the optimal blend of capital and small letters enhances legibility, projecting the image of products that are appropriate and reliable. Italics liven up the bold gothic typeface for a modern and refined feel. The black coloring represents tires and conveys a message of advanced technology, while the white and silver underscore technical competencies and the sophisticated brand image.

You can read a review of the Hankook Branding at:

www.identityworks.com