India Post goes in for an image makeover

India Post has gone in for a makeover. It launched its new logo on September 23; it will soon be displayed across all post offices and postal services in the country. Ogilvy & Mather has worked on the new branding of India Post. Management consultant McKinsey is behind the restructuring of the Department of Posts.

The new logo is designed in red and yellow. At first glance, it appears to be an envelope. A closer look reveals the bold strokes which give the impression of a flying bird. Though there has been a departure from the straight lines in the earlier logo, a certain element of continuity can be seen. The wings, which act as the anchoring element, have been retained, but the treatment is different.

Speaking to afaqs! about the new logo, Nitin Srivastava, senior creative director, O&M, says, “Hopes, dreams and aspirations are the basis of this logo. When they soar, anything can be achieved. The logo of India Post works around this very philosophy. That’s why the wings have been added to the new logo of India Post.”

He adds, “The campaign uses three lines in the wings and creates visual communication that speaks about India Post’s philosophy. We have chosen situations that depict the most innocent dreams, carved with the three lines, and used words such as fly, soar and dream.”

The line, ‘Giving Wings to Your Dreams’, summarises the philosophy of India Post. Piyush Pandey, national creative director and chairman, India and South Asia, O&M, translated the brief supplied by India Post. Srivastava and creative director Jossy Raphael outlined the communication package. Rohit Dhamija and Ritu Sinha conceptualised the logo. Anuj Kala and Ayan Das were also a part of the creative team for the campaign.

Talking about the reason behind the launch of the new logo, Srivastava says, “Government offices in India are seen as old, rigid and lethargic. The perceptions about India Post were no different. The department needed to shed this tag and the initiative came from the Department of Posts itself. It was aimed at bringing the 154 year old organisation to a level where it can compete with companies that carry a modern tag.”

The modernisation of post offices is a part of Project Arrow. The new logo can already be seen in some post offices around the country. In a couple of months, the makeover will be complete. Signages, post boxes, sign boards, letterheads, vans and even the postman’s uniform are a part of the branding exercise.

In an official communiqué, Thiru A Raja, minister for communications and IT, who launched the new corporate logo, says, “The unveiling of the logo marks a new beginning in the journey of India Post. It marks a new commitment in the ethos of the Department of Posts and sets the vision for a world class postal service.”

He adds, “India Post has been repositioned with a focus on customers, technology and business. As a part of the change, 52 post offices sporting the new look under Project Arrow have already been established and more will follow soon.”

The minister has announced a host of new customer services, including express parcel post retail service, gift parcel post service, logistics post air service, sale of gold coins through retail post, express money order service, Speed Post call centres and a range of new international services, all of which will be launched soon.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, minister of state for communications and IT, in an official statement, describes the new logo as a synthesis between service proposition and modernity. “The launch is a landmark and this new corporate identity will unfold a higher level of customer services,” he says.

For the record, with more than 1,55,000 post offices covering the urban and rural populace, the Indian postal network is the largest in the world.