Title: Branding identity, development and application: a comparison of rail and road vehicle liveries

Authors: Elaine Mackie

Addresses: Department of Industrial Design, School of Art and Design, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK

Abstract: This paper aims to highlight the design elements and operational requirements that an operator of a transport system needs to take into account when translating the effect of their brand identity into a livery design. This approach will be in terms of its vehicle fleets exterior characteristics and the vehicles| perception by customers regarding brand image. This paper contributes to a gap in the knowledge of branding by building on aspects of Gestalt psychology and the relationship between physical artefacts and emotions to develop a way of evaluating liveries on rail and road vehicles. A case study approach is adopted using two transport providers operating in the UK and North America, as there is a lack of documented case studies of transit identity to contextualise this issue.

Keywords: branding; brand identity; vehicle design; body side; road vehicle liveries; rail vehicle liveries; livery design; vehicle fleets; exterior characteristics; brand image; Gestalt psychology; physical artefacts; emotions; transit identity; rolling stock livery; buses; coaches; trains; light railways; trams; delivery trucks; delivery vans.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2011.040586

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2011 Vol.55 No.2/3/4, pp.256 - 277

Published online: 10 Apr 2015 *

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