Automóveis
do Centro
Brand identity design for one of the oldest driving schools in the business
↳ Client:
Automóveis do Centro, Coimbra, Portugal 🇵🇹
↯ Sector:
Education
— Scope of work:
Brand identity
Identity application
Visual positioning
Campaign
Automóveis do Centro is a driving school founded in 1929 by visionary entrepreneur José Pereira, in Coimbra. The history and legacy of the institution was the foundation of our design concept, as the new design strategy would act as a vehicle of education.
The road code provided the starting point of our design work, as we created a series of patterns for each type of drivers license and their technical specifications, such as motorcycle (50CC, 125CC, 600CC), car (vehicles weighting more that 550 Kg) or bus (3.5 tonnes). The typography played a huge part in this rebranding, providing a directive tone of voice while evoking road signage and traffic signs.
Our design strategy leveraged from the legacy that an almost century-old school should have. We decided to bring back an original VW from ’76 – that was used as a driving school car back then – and we designed a stamp with the original symbol of ’28 – a minimal steering wheel. As part of the campaign we also designed overalls with the visual grammar we developed, as well as merchandise.
The main symbol of the identity is formed by four different elements, that relate directly to traffic signs and resemble the initials of the school: ACEC – Automóveis do Centro, Escola de Condução.
