Iconic Brand Signals New Era for Conran Design Group

Conran Design Group, Havas’ flagship brand and design consultancy, has unveiled a distinctive new offer, positioning and brand identity. 

It today announces that it has become Havas’ flagship brand and design network, with a compelling new proposition: design to inspire progress. 

This proposition influences every element of Conran Design Group’s new identity, with a bold new typographic approach from French type designer Jean François Porchez – of Le Monde fame.

The new marque places design at the heart of everything – as foundational to business as it is to life – while bold photography elevates and celebrates the craft of thoughtful design and captures the regional character of Conran Design Group’s global locations. 

Conran Design Group’s heritage is celebrated in the iconic, rounded marque – designed to deliver cultural iconicity and reflect an outward-looking perspective and attitude to the world around us.

The launch of the global network, which brings together Conran Design Group and French agency W – now W Conran Design – is driven by an evolved proposition: thoughtful design to inspire progress for business, people and society. 

This proposition is delivered through a refreshed offer that includes brand strategy, design, experience design, and communications and engagement, with a focus on meaningfully integrating sustainability services throughout. 

Thom Newton, Conran Design Group’s global CEO, said, “We’re fortunate to have two great brand and design businesses in the Havas family – Conran Design Group and W, the agency responsible for creating the brand for the Paris Olympics."

“Both offer decades of heritage and an established place in their relative markets. Bringing them together to form this network creates a new force that will compete with the very best in the industry. But not only compete – but offer something new. Something bolder and more thoughtful, and critically, driven by a long-held belief in the power of great design to drive people, business and society forward.”

“We’re delighted and proud that W, which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary, will be leading Havas’ new brand and design network in France and rebranding as W Conran Design. The international reach this network provides will amplify the agency's strategic and creative influence for our clients and expand opportunities for our teams. It is a testament to the central place of design in brand strategies at a time when progress depends on balancing meaning and business,” said Denis Gancel, president, Conran Design Group and W Conran Design and Gilles Deléris, executive creative director, Conran Design Group and W Conran Design.

Lee Hoddy, global executive creative director, said, “Fundamentally, the new brand places design at the heart of the offer; it’s central to our name, our history and our future, and reflects an unwavering belief that progress needs to be designed. The new marque, with the D at the centre of the C, is at the core of the identity, and a shorthand for our positioning. It feels confident, full of personality, and culturally relevant.”

“We knew we needed to create a brand that gave us stand-out in the market – but that also offered some degree of play and variability in conveying the breadth of our offer. We believe the new Conran Design Group brand delivers on both fronts.”

Conran Design Group’s rebrand coincides with the launch of Citizen Brands, a new study and framework to find balanced growth in an unbalanced world. The study includes a brand and design framework to help leaders deliver brand experiences that meet the needs of both the individual and wider society.