The old TNT | post logo and the new PostNL logo
As TNT announced in it’s press release on the 7th of April:
“Our new name PostNL symbolises the reliability and down to earth approach of our company. This name does justice to our past, something we are very proud of. By the same token we emphasise that we are a true Dutch company, with ambitions that go beyond mail and operations that reach beyond our borders. Our three-sided logo symbolises the heart of our company, with mail, parcels and e-commerce at the core.”
TNT Post through a foreigner’s eyes.
As a foreigner, who has been living in the Netherlands for almost five years I can tell that the orange Royal crown logo of TNT | Post has been quite an iconic brand for me. A logo that has welcomed me every time I was receiving a parcel with delicious goodies from my Greek grandmother or postcards and mails from my friends all around the globe. Besides the weird name that reminded me more of Wile E. Coyote than of a post office, I had start to love and trust the brand.
Wile E. Coyote
Old PTT Post logo, used until 2002
Old TPG Post logo, used between 2002-2006.
So, I thought this was a great opportunity to test how the new logo scores and how do people really perceive it, so we can see beyond the usual flamboyant press releases.
Testing the two logos
To get a first impression of how do people perceive the two logos I set a quick Usabilla test. Through Twitter I recruited 47 participants. In the test I asked participants to click on the three words they think that characterizes each logo the best (out of 18 words in total).
Heatmap: Which three words do you think characterize this logo the best? Click to enlarge.
Heatmap: Which three words do you think characterize this logo the best? Click to enlarge.
Heatmap: Click on the logo you prefer the most. Click to enlarge.
Comparing the two logos
Analyzing the results, the TNT | Post logo is considered by most as a boring logo, but also a serious and professional one. The crown, a strong Dutch symbol, inspires reliability and responsibility, as some of the participants noted.
“They don’t have a crown in their logo for nothing…”
(Responsible) Because of the crown! They have a Dutch symbol in it so they need to be responsible otherwise they wouldn’t have it.
Graph: How the two logos scored
On the other hand, the PostNL logo scored very high as a modern and friendly logo, but also a fussy one. Looking back at the press release, where TNT states:
“Our new name PostNL symbolises the reliability and down to earth approach of our company.”
“(Loud) i think the orange faded background is a little nasty and over the top”
“(Ugly) to me this does not say ‘post’, i wish i could explain it further”
“Weird (just the triangle-like shape)”
“I don’t mean modern in a good way, i mean modern like trying too hard i do like the font choice”
” (Loud) Too big. Background color is taking over the text”
Photofinish: Click on the logo you prefer the most.
Conclusions
It’s always very exciting to see the effects of big rebranding efforts from huge institutions like the Dutch postal service for instance. The TNT | post was an established logo that certainly had an equity and an important place in the Dutch visual landscape. It didn’t excite people, but did inspire trust and reliability. Essential factors for a postal service. Now, the new logo carries over the orange color, the crown, and the lowercase typography. But with the three-pointed holding shape tries to become friendlier and more modern. The typography is a good evolution from the old one, however dressing it up in shading and placing an unfortunate stroke around it makes the logo weaker and fussier. In the end, both logos scored almost the same, and now we only have to wait how the new logo will fare in contrast to the familiar TNT Express fleet and packages that will still roam the world.
What do you think? Share your opinion at the comments thread below 
Photo: The new PostNL carriers that will deliver our parcels.
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Nice post!
In my opinion ‘PostNL’ is a weird name, but I couldn’t think of anything better. The logo is nice thought. I will probably won’t be their last name and logo. I’m betting they’re going to be acquiered by a great optimist before they die in a lack of relevance…
Two Little typo’s:
1. under the Wile E. image. You wrote: ‘PPT Post’, this should be ‘PTT Post’. Besides that, great post.
2. Above the photofinish-image. You wrote (51% against 49$)’. should be 49% i guess..
typo: I mean ‘It probably won’t be’…
Hey Jan,
Thanks a lot for your kind comment and the small corrections. It seems a little typo Demon lives in my keyboard
Have a nice day,
Loucas
Nice little study.
I like the new logo as compared to old one better, it’s indeed more modern.
To me, the new name is an improvement it 1)does its job of emphasizing the dutch origin of the brand and 2)it coincides with the web address of PostNL (www.post.nl) so that’s a plus I think
But I, too (as a foreigner living in the Netherlands)will miss the comical TNT Post logo on the mailboxes that has greeted my on my way to Uni nearly everyday…
Hi Vera!
Thanks a lot for your reaction. It’s nice to hear different opinions
It’s true that the logo coincides with the web address. Good point!
Best,
Loucas