CAF, short for Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, is a Spanish railway and mobility manufacturer headquartered in Beasain, Gipuzkoa. The company was founded in 1917 as Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, specializing in freight car production. Today it operates as a global provider of integrated mobility systems, including trains, trams, electric buses, and signaling solutions. [1] [2]
Design and History
CAF’s visual identity underwent a significant renewal in recent years, developed by the Spanish branding agency Tacticco. The project aimed to move the brand away from a purely technical, product-focused identity toward a cleaner, more professional, and more ordered visual style. Tacticco’s work included the claim, visual identity, verbal identity, brand style guide, art direction, motion graphics, and brand film. [3]
The new identity was officially presented at CAF’s stand at InnoTrans 2022, a major international trade fair for transport technology in Berlin. Tacticco described this presentation as marking a turning point in CAF’s image. The brand architecture moved toward a flexible monolithic structure, with a shared design system across the company’s various divisions, businesses, and subsidiaries. [3]
CAF publishes its logo files and brand guidelines through its official website, offering vertical and horizontal variants in PNG, PDF, JPG, SVG, and AI formats. The logo package and identity guidelines were last updated on July 3, 2023. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
As part of the rebrand, Tacticco introduced the new claim “TRUST in MOTION.” According to the agency, TRUST refers to the confidence clients place in CAF as a reliable partner for sustainable mobility challenges, while “in MOTION” reflects the company’s commitment to constant innovation and improvement. [3]
The red color has been a defining element of CAF’s identity. In the rebrand, Tacticco reduced the red load to a minimum while keeping it as one of the brand’s most recognizable traits. [3] A European Union trademark filing for the CAF wordmark, registered in 2010, claims the color red as Pantone 485C. [5]
Typography and Design
Tacticco’s redesign introduced a new corporate typography, chosen to make brand applications more recognizable and legible, and to adapt better to digital media. The agency also refined lines and compositions to achieve a cleaner, more professional, and more ordered style. [3]
For the sub-brand “CAF POWER & AUTOMATION,” a separate trademark registration describes a mark consisting of the letters “CAF” in a stylized font, accompanied by a shaded curved line with a shaded circle at the bottom right and a shaded shadow behind the line. [6]
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