2004The first set of signsChange signal
Quotation marks, and the promise of respecting the customer's voice
The first sign system emerged after nearly two months of stagnation. The solution to the bottleneck was not a more beautiful drawing, but a metaphor for how to communicate with customers.
Change component(4)
- Symbol. Two single quotes placed within an ellipse, each stroke transitioning from thin to thick and back to thin.
- Color. Three colors with conventional meanings: blue for sky, yellow for earth, white for people.
- Slogan. Speak your way.
- Font style. Uppercase.
Read at the professional level(4)
- Structure. The handwritten style creates a sense of movement, but it must be accurate only in one format. When scaled down, the thin strokes disappear first, and losing that segment breaks the metaphor. Any sign with varying stroke thickness inherently carries this limitation.
- Relationship between text and image. The symbol stands on one side, the text on the other, combining to form a horizontal block. A horizontal layout requires width to breathe, suitable for signage and printed materials, but is difficult to fit into a square frame.
- Color. Three colors, each carrying its own meaning, mean that a one-color print not only loses color but also loses layers of meaning. Three colors also mean that each background must be recalculated, rather than calculated just once.
- Typeface. Full uppercase for a rectangular block of text. This block stands firm on signage and conveys a formal posture, but the overly uniform outer border makes it difficult to distinguish letters at smaller sizes.
Why change(2)
- Viettel entered the market when the best spots were already occupied. Latecomers do not win by claiming broader coverage, as customers cannot verify this, and the pioneers have already made that claim.
- The metaphor of the quotation mark shifts from network to attitude. Quoting someone within quotation marks is an act of respect for that person's words, and an attitude cannot be reclaimed by competitors through capital.
Within the brand system(2)
- In 2004, the group was still a single entity: domestic telecommunications. The visual identity only needed to represent one thing, allowing for many details. This is the technical reason why this identity thrived for sixteen years before becoming a burden.
- Viettel's overseas networks later all carry unique names rather than the Viettel name, so this sign system has never had to bear the burden of the foreign market.
Trade-off(2)
- The three-color ellipse with varying thickness is a structure with many details. When reduced, it becomes blurry; printing in one color loses layers of meaning, and a dark background requires a separate version.
- In 2004, that price was not disclosed, as the sign primarily existed on signage and printed materials.
Professional assessment(4)
- It can be closed. The quotation mark is a punctuation mark, which belongs to language. The telecommunications industry sells voice transmission, so the sign accurately represents the profession without needing to depict a signal tower or a phone. Avoiding direct illustration is a mark of craftsmanship, as illustrations of devices become outdated along with the devices themselves.
- The metaphor draws from what is already present in life, not a self-created image. Everyone knows the meaning of quotation marks, so the sign system does not cost a dime to teach viewers how to understand it.
- Still open-ended. The structure with many details is a technical debt borrowed since 2004. That year did not require repayment because the branding was visible on signs and printed materials, where the format was always large enough.
- That debt comes due when the small screen becomes the place where customers encounter the brand most frequently. Looking back, it is precisely this that needed to change in 2021, not just the fact that the old design has lost its appeal.
Takeaway(1)
- This visual identity began with a statement rather than an image. Businesses often struggle with the idea of an image because they have not clarified what they want to communicate. A clear statement provides a foundation for the image; otherwise, even the most beautiful image is merely decoration.
SourceiColor BrandingBrasol
2018January 12Change the legal entity name
Change the name first, not yet changing the face
Government Decree 05/2018 changed the group's name, adding the word Industry before Telecommunications. In the market, the sign remains unchanged for another three years.
Change component(0)
No component has changed. The symbol, colors, typography, and slogan remain the same as in 2004. The zero figure is precisely the point worth reading at this milestone.
Read at the professional level(4)
- Changing the name by decree, not by internal decision. The legal name of the state-owned enterprise changes according to a government document, in this case, Decree 05/2018. This means that the timeline for changing the name is not in the hands of the corporation; it follows the pace of procedures. This is a fundamental difference compared to private enterprises, where changing the name is a matter for the shareholders' meeting.
- Two names, two lifecycles. The legal name exists in contracts, seals, and records. The trade name exists on signage, packaging, and applications. Changing the former does not automatically lead to a change in the latter, and that is why this milestone does not generate any design work.
- Where the two names meet. Only in the legal name block placed alongside the visual identity on official documents and the headquarters sign. If that block adds one more word, it must be resized in relation to the visual identity, but it remains out of the customer's view.
- Six unchanged letters. The entire collective memory resides in the six letters of Viettel, not in the full name. Keeping those six letters intact means the cost of rebranding is nearly zero, even though the legal name has lengthened by one phrase.
Why change(2)
- The production sector, especially in defense technology, has grown to the point where the old name is insufficient.
- The legal name is a document, and documents must match what is being done. The addition of the word Industry is for recognition, not to sound more impressive.
Within the brand system(2)
- The legal name initially indicated that the group stood on two legs, not just one. In terms of brand architecture, this was a preparatory step on paper for branches that had not yet been named, three years before the visual identity had to support them in reality.
- This name change does not touch any markets outside Vietnam, as overseas networks operate under unique names for each market.
Trade-off(2)
- The new name is longer and harder to pronounce in everyday life.
- However, the legal name is not what customers call. Customers refer to Viettel, and the name Viettel remains unchanged. The actual cost of this milestone is nearly zero because it does not affect what customers see.
Professional assessment(5)
- Can be separated. Distinguishing two tasks that most businesses combine. Changing the legal name is a management task, while changing the identity is a market task. Combining them means you must finalize the image while still figuring out who you will be.
- The unchanged zero component at this milestone is a choice, not an oversight. Knowing what does not need to be touched is also part of the profession.
- It remains open-ended. The three years between the two milestones appear to be a strategic discipline, but part of it is the rhythm of procedures rather than entirely intentional. How much of that gap is due to calculation and how much is due to waiting for documents is not clearly delineated by any source.
- Three years between two milestones seem like strategic discipline, but part of it is the rhythm of procedures rather than a complete intention. Some is due to calculations and some due to waiting for documentation, making it impossible to separate them.
- That price has not been disclosed, so this is a place to read but not yet measure.
Takeaway(1)
- The three years between the name change and the identity change are not a delay; that is the correct order. Identity should only change when you are certain of what you will become. Doing the opposite often requires a second revision after just a few seasons, and each revision means customers have to relearn their identity.
Similar case(1)
- LPBank 2023 Change the name first, change the face laterTwo reasons for the name change are completely different: the act of surpassing the name, compared to a name that cannot be called.
SourceVTVQuân đội Nhân dânDân Trí
2021January 7Change signal
Red color, lowercase letters, and a shorter slogan
This is the second repositioning after nearly seventeen years. The new branding discards most of the visual elements from 2004 but retains the most valuable aspects, and where it conceals those elements is the most noteworthy part of this milestone.
Change component(5)
- Color. Yellow and white transitioning to red and white.
- Font style. Uppercase letters changed to lowercase.
- Symbol. The three-color ellipse is no more. The quotation mark has detached from the main symbol, becoming a dot on the letter i in the form of a dialogue box.
- Slogan. 'Speak Your Way' has been shortened to 'Your Way'.
- Structure. The symbol has been reduced to just the text.
Read at the professional level(5)
- The metaphor has been relocated, not discarded. The quotation mark does not disappear. It has moved from being the main symbol to becoming a dot on the letter i, taking the form of a dialogue frame. Professionally, this is the most challenging aspect of the entire set: maintaining the old meaning while completely discarding the old shape. Most identity changes lose their old assets because they only focus on preserving the form.
- Focusing on typography. Removing the combination of symbols and text to have a single text block. This text block is flexible in one direction, fits into any frame, and does not require a separate version for dark backgrounds like the previous three-color design.
- Uppercase to lowercase. Lowercase letters have a higher protrusion at t and l, so the outer contour of the block of text is jagged, making it easier for the eye to catch the letter shape quickly in small formats. Uppercase letters create a uniformly edged block, formal but difficult to read when only a few dozen pixels remain.
- Three colors down to two. With two colors, each background only has one problem to solve instead of three, and a one-color print does not lose any meaning, as meaning is no longer tied to each individual color like in the old system.
- Red has a history. Red is announced in connection with the national flag, and Viettel is a military enterprise. Choosing a color based on its origins allows it to endure longer, unlike colors chosen based on seasonal trends.
Why change(3)
- The challenge in 2021 is completely different from that in 2004. Viettel no longer needs to prove it is different from other carriers; it needs to convey that it is no longer just a carrier. This is a sector shift, not a message shift.
- The mission has shifted since 2018, from popularizing telecommunications services to pioneering the creation of a digital society. The face lagged three years to ensure real work caught up with the declaration.
- Lowercase letters serve that purpose well. Uppercase letters represent the voice of an organization, while lowercase letters represent the voice of a technology company speaking on equal terms with users.
Within the brand system(3)
- By the end of 2020, Viettel consolidated its operations into six platforms of the digital society: digital infrastructure, digital solutions, digital content, digital finance, cybersecurity, and high-tech industrial research and production. The 2021 set of signs had to create a common face for all six branches, not just the telecommunications branch.
- This is the real reason to revert to the text. An ellipse made for a telecom company becomes cumbersome when adding any branch name, while a block of text can smoothly incorporate the branch name behind it. The ability to run on a small screen is merely a supplementary reason.
- The overseas branch stands apart in this rebranding. The ten markets Viettel invests in operate under their own names, without the Viettel brand, so creating a unified identity for the entire group is only accurate within Vietnam.
Trade-off(3)
- The price paid is not a metaphor, as the metaphor is preserved. What is paid for is the shape that has been in the collective memory for sixteen years: Vietnamese people recognize the three-colored ellipse from afar, and once a shape is embedded in the collective memory, money cannot buy it back.
- What was acquired is a system that works in all formats, remains readable in one color, serves as a clear app icon, and supports six branches of work instead of just one. For a company that thrives on digital products, this is a necessary condition, not a preference.
- Core values retain interest and creativity, adding desire. The verbal part remains cohesive while the visual part is completely distinct, allowing old customers to find familiarity while learning the new face.
Professional assessment(5)
- It can be closed. The most challenging part is what they accomplished. Transferring the metaphor of the quotation mark to the new set without needing to retain the old shape is a higher level of craftsmanship than simply redrawing it neatly. Retaining the meaning while discarding the shape is the only way to modernize without completely burning the old assets.
- The order of the three milestones is correct and not delayed: the mission change in 2018, the consolidation into six branches at the end of 2020, and the rebranding at the beginning of 2021. The final change comes when it is clear what responsibilities must be shouldered.
- It remains open-ended. The dialogue frame is located at the dot of the letter i, which is the smallest detail of the entire set. In the exact formats that the new set was created to serve, the part that carries the metaphor is the first to fall away. The new set has acquired the ability to function in small formats, but its deeper meaning still requires a sufficiently large format to be read.
- When it comes to the text, there is no longer a single element that can stand alone within a square frame. With a system of six branches and a series of digital products, that need is real, and the 2021 announcement did not address the solution.
- Two brand tiers, domestic and international, still follow separate paths. This change does not close the question of whether ten foreign markets will come together under one face.
Takeaway(1)
- Discarding old identity assets is only correct when you clearly know what you are purchasing with that amount. The question to answer beforehand is not whether the new sign is more beautiful, but whether the old sign hinders what you are about to do. If it does not hinder, keep it. If it does hinder, changing it early is cheaper than changing it late.
Similar case(4)
- Vinamilk 2023 Remove old identity assetsThe same issue of discarding an identity asset accumulated over decades, in a different industry.
- MoMo 2024 Changing sectors, not changing messagesThe same issue of declaring a career change, but MoMo has retained its old color and mascot.
- Highlands Coffee 2022 Streamline to be functionalThe same sign issue must work across all formats, but Highlands has maintained the old design.
- Vingroup 2026 Remove old identity assetsIn contrast to the same question, Vingroup retained most of it because the old sign posed no issues.
SourceTuổi TrẻVietnamNetDân TríCông an Nhân dânPR NewswireBáo Đầu tư
