Brand History

A company’s brand, or symbol, is the outcome of strict branding
and visual communication studies carried out by strategy,
marketing, and design professionals.

The goal is to give the company its personality and a differentiated image. Petrobras manages its brand in a consistent manner, as it believes it is an increasingly important strategic asset for the company to reach its growth and internationalization objectives.

• 1958

  Petrobras' First Brand was Born

  The company’s first institutional brand was composed of a green-outlined yellow rhombus encompassing the word Petrobrás (still with the accent) in blue. Both shape and colors matched the nationalistic aspirations of the time, connecting the company’s brand to the Brazilian flag’s colors and shape. This early brand conception went into use in July 1958.

  

• 1972

  The reformulated Brand

  With the evolution in the graphical languages and resources, Petrobras’ brand became out-of-date compared to other brands, which were more modern in design. Meanwhile, the company grew, boosted its activities, created subsidiaries, and became the country’s biggest corporation. The logo was no longer appropriate for its new, increasingly complex and diversified physiognomy. This led to an image-fragmentation trend. New individual brands and symbols went into use due to the lack of visual harmony between the holding and the subsidiaries.

  A new brand was approved in October 1972. All Petrobras System companies went on to use this new identification, and the intended visual integration was achieved.

  This brand's manual explained its development as follows, comparing the new to the old brand:

  "The logo is detached from the brand, based on the premise the logo was enclosed by the brand. A characteristic font was investigated. Helvetica, which was scientifically designed and has good optical quality, was selected."

  And it goes on: "The rhombus was analyzed. Its basic elements disassembled. A type of variable "V" angle was elaborated, one which has been used since ancient Greece and Egypt as a symbol of property and hierarchy and is now universally adopted. The V was updated and thickened. The two Vs are assembled, achieving a simple, clear, and strong shape with clear contrasts."

  This brand became known as the hexagon-rhombus and was used for 22 years on tanks, vessels, vehicles, uniforms, publications, correspondence, i.e., in all elements associated to daily life at Petrobras and its subsidiaries.

  

• 1994

  Brands Merge to Strengthen a Visual Identity

  While Petrobras used the hexagon-rhombus brand, in its business, Petrobras Distribuidora started using the word Petrobras and highlighting "BR" – a line placed over the "BR" characters that appear in the word Petrobras itself. This logo was developed in the early 1970’s by designer Aloísio Magalhães. In addition to the logo, he also conceived a way to use the BR as a symbol in order to create an attractive visual identity for the service stations and for products marketed by Petrobras Distribuidora.

  The BR symbol representation became widespread as Petrobras grew in the oil derivative distribution market. The brand gained visibility among the consumers, particularly at the service stations installed on the main streets in all Brazilian cities.

  Since then, minor color and position changes have been made to the BR symbol. In 1982, designer Rafael Rodrigues redesigned the logo completely and conceived the symbol that is known today.

  The merger:

  In the beginning, the service station network preserved both symbols: BR on the service station flags, and the hexagon-rhombus on a plate, beside the Petrobras brand. Later on, the BR became known by and gained prestige among customers. This led the hexagon-rhombus to be abandoned at the service stations. Nonetheless, it remained part of the Petrobras System's institutional communication, while the BR gained space as the symbol used for the company's business activities.

  This decision caused a problem, though, since people started dissociating Petrobras Distribuidora's image from the holding's. The fact is that using different symbols weakens the integrated oil company concept Petrobras seeks to preserve. With its distinct symbol, Petrobras Distribuidora was perceived as a mere subsidiary, not as an essential part of the Petrobras System. Service stations and the distributor both went on to be known simply as BR, stepping away from the Petrobras brand in the consumer's minds.

  Petrobras and Petrobras Distribuidora's brands were aligned in 1994. The hexagon-rhombus was dropped and the BR symbol took its place, solving the separation and complying with the company’s strategic plan objectives insofar as visual identity is concerned: strengthen Petrobras System’s image and preserve the integrated company status.