The iconic Christian Dior logotype had long lived. The charming yet slightly out of place rough-edged appearance didn’t feel like the right match of a luxury brand any longer. What’s more, it lacked the addition of the “couture” signature as the brand Christian Dior itself had been swapped with a more effective, yet visually unrelated “Dior” mark.
Such an evolution left more room for the news Christian Dior Couture logotype to breathe. The original design, redrawn in 1995 by Carré Noir’s Albert Boton from the Nicolas-Cochin typeface, was due for a refresh. The typeface Nicolas-Cochin was released in 1912 as a rough-edged, looser variant of the face “Cochin” by type foundry Deberny & Peignot, itself informed by the 18th-century practice of steel-engraver Nicolas Cochin. After some explorations around what constituted the DNA of Nicolas-Cochin’s style, it was decided to steer away from the expressive yet grunge aesthetic of the initial wordmark and to offer it a crisper, slicker look.
Art direction: Elif Oğuz with Lenthal.
