TotalEnergies is the visual identity adopted in 2021 by the French energy company formerly known as Total. The rebrand, approved by shareholders on May 28, 2021, paired a new name with a completely new visual identity to reflect the company’s strategic transformation into a broad multi-energy company.[1]
Design and History
The new identity was created by Carré Noir, the global design agency of the Publicis group.[2] The agency named the concept the “Chemin des énergies” (Energy Journey), which serves simultaneously as the logo, the identity, the history and the transformation of the group toward a multi-energy company.[3]
The logo is built from the capital letters “T” and “E” of TotalEnergies, which together draw a symbol described as the energy journey.[4] According to Carré Noir, the line is in motion: it draws a transformative, chronological path that starts from the company’s origin, Total, and leads through the plurality of energies to the new TotalEnergies brand.[2] The “T” represents the origin, while the “E” stands for electricity and for all the energies of the future.[5]
The identity was developed and deployed in a compressed timeframe: the decision was taken on March 9, 2021, and the new identity was revealed on May 28, 2021, then rolled out across 108 countries, 250 sites, 16,000 service stations and 195 websites.[5] The work earned a Janus de la Marque award from the Institut Français du Design.[6]
Before this identity, the Total brand had used a red flame with a blue circle since 1955, following the trademark deposit of the name “Total” in 1953.[7] After the mergers with Petrofina and Elf in 2000, a new logo was introduced in 2003.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The logo uses seven colors, each representing one of the seven energies in which the company operates: oil, natural gas, electricity, hydrogen, biomass, wind and solar.[8] The color progression is a chromatic path that moves from one energy to another. Red, the historical color of the brand, is the starting point of the transformation, advancing through chromatic transitions “from red-oil to yellow-solar through the blue of gas,” with solar-yellow as the arrival point.[2]
The progression works by addition, fusion and the revelation of new colors, with the red of the historical brand modifying to make new colors and new energies possible.[3]
Typography and Design
The TotalEnergies wordmark is set in lowercase typography that draws the name as a single, unbreakable word.[4] According to Carré Noir, the letter-spacing is tightened to bring proximity, connection and density, while the lowercase styling places the brand “at human height,” expressing humility and humanity in the face of the challenges ahead.[2] The name is a single word in the plural, intended to convey all energies and all talents.[4]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
