Polestar

Polestar, long known primarily as a modification provider for Volvo, is an automotive brand jointly owned by Volvo and its Chinese parent company Geely. Since 2017, Polestar has positioned itself as an independent brand for electric cars under its own name and is recognisable by the stylised Polestar logo. The company entered the market with the aim of developing and building cars featuring high-end electric performance engines that push the boundaries of conventional automotive industry conventions. The focus in development and communication is on the performance of the cars, which is also clearly reflected in the overall design. The outstanding technological components and functions of the cars are highlighted in colour and attract a high level of attention. Everything else has been designed with an equally elegant and purist effect, with the designers paying a lot of attention to the smallest details in order to create a holistic high-tech user experience. As of today, the company has released two cars of its own: the Polestar 1 with an electric hybrid drivetrain in 2017 and the five-door all-electric fastback Polestar 2 in 2020. The simple numerical model designation can be stringently continued and thus epitomises the brand’s future orientation. As a new competitor in the fast-growing electric car segment, Polestar has opted right from the start for a holistic branding with high recognition value in order to optimally position itself as a visionary, design-oriented and technology-driven car manufacturer. A reduction to essentials, which clearly dominates the design of the cars, also characterises the entire brand identity – from the corporate design to the architecture of the headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, and that of the production sites in Chengdu and Lugiao, China, as well as the homepage design and all campaigns. Featuring a modular approach, the corporate design is based on clear grids and an equally clear corporate typography that make it work flexibly across a wide range of media and layouts. Last but not least, the Polestar Spaces have emerged as brand experience centres – minimalist monochrome spaces with a gallery-like character and product specialists standing ready to explain the car technology using wall-mounted glossy photographs of high-grade components, as well as monolithic battery exhibits or brakes in glass displays.