Buying a car can be one of the most stressful and intimidating decisions a consumer will ever face. TrueCar is working to reinvent the experience and make the process of buying and selling new and used cars as simple, easy, trustworthy and informed as possible. Pentagram’s Michael Gericke and team have collaborated with TrueCar on a new brand identity that makes the experience of shopping for a car more uplifting and empowering for consumers. Developed with the creative teams at TrueCar, the project encompasses brand strategy and positioning, messaging, advertising, art direction and product design.

Pentagram worked closely with TrueCar leadership on the strategic rebrand, including Interim CEO and President Mike Darrow and Chief Brand Officer and interim CMO Lucas Donat. TrueCar wanted to reinforce its position as a leader in the online automotive marketplace and highlight its convenience, accessibility and ease of use. TrueCar believes truth, transparency and fairness are the foundation of a great car buying experience. It helps consumers consider choices from every angle and offers a wealth of knowledge so they feel like they are getting a good deal. This empowering point of view informs the brand positioning, summed up in a new tagline: “Buy Smarter. Drive Happier.”

Technology is integral to the TrueCar platform, but the company is more than a tech brand. It wanted to appeal to a wider audience as it personalizes the car-buying journey for consumers. The redesign evolves TrueCar into a contemporary brand with a friendly, approachable personality that is straightforward, open and honest. The branding connects people to the experience of finding the car they love, helping them navigate the process.

This idea is captured in the vibrant new TrueCar logo, a custom wordmark that renders the word “car” in dynamic typography that captures a sense of movement, freedom and making a change. The colorful logo evokes TrueCar’s many choices and options, and sets the brand apart from the blue typically used by its competitors.

The new messaging focuses on making an emotional connection with consumers and recreating the feeling they have about their cars and the importance they play in their lives. Advertising campaigns emphasize this relationship using warm, playful photography and illustration. Rather than highlight individual automobiles, the branding shows the special role cars play in the important moments in our lives and how TrueCar helps make them happen.

The friendly look and feel extends to the revamped website and app experience, which features a clean, clear and welcoming interface that is easy to use. The TrueCar experience has been reconceived as a place where shoppers can explore and learn about automobiles, empowering them to make this important decision and find the car they love.