AutoNation • Brand Guidelines

Less stress. More go.

AutoNation is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, with over 300 stores. In an industry that tends to make people anxious and disrespects their time, the promise is to make owning a car as easy and awesome as driving one. The guidelines expand the brand from what it already had — the typeface, black, white and magenta — and the question that led everything was simple: what's the best time of day to go for a drive?

Sunrise, sunset, dusk

Maybe it's early morning, heading out on a trip with the family and the dog. Maybe it's after work, when the sky turns into a sunset. Maybe it's when the day fades into night and the road finally clears. The photography lives in those three moments, when time slows down and driving becomes effortless.

Dawn and Dusk

The sky gave the brand its two gradients: Dawn, from coral to magenta and purple, and Dusk, from magenta to an almost-black wine. Both always follow the same 20° angle, taken from the slant of the logo's slash — the Open Road Mark. That way the colour points forward too.

The AN Window and the Open Road Mark

Two photo frames were born from the logo itself. The AN Window crops the image into the brand's letters and breaks away from the usual car ad. The Open Road Mark uses only the slanted slash and fits tight spaces. In both, hands, hair or the car can break out of the frame to add movement.

Out on the street

The campaign takes the system where people are driving: billboards, street panels and walls. The AN Window and the sky's gradient make the piece.

The guidelines opened the door to overhaul and standardise the brand's whole campaign design system.