When you push open the door of an Intermarché, the first thing that greets you is not a product. It’s a set of visual signals: the red of the logo, the typography on the labels, the signage of the aisles. All these elements adhere to a graphic charter. In 2024, this charter underwent adjustments related to a very specific context for the brand, balancing commercial growth and the absorption of new stores.
Conversion of Auchan stores: the real test of a large-scale graphic charter
Competitors discussing the Intermarché logo focus on the history of the pictogram or the symbolism of the colors. They overlook a concrete issue that influenced the variations of the charter in 2024: the integration of stores from another brand.
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Applying a graphic charter to a new store designed for it remains simple. Applying it to a heterogeneous structure, with facades, totems, and parking lots designed for a competitor, is a completely different exercise.
Each converted point of sale must adhere to the same rules: logo placement, minimum dimensions, exclusion zones around the pictogram, exact colors of the illuminated signs. The charter provides specific variations for these scenarios, notably distinguishing the logo with signature from the logo without signature, which is reserved for brand communications.
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To learn more about the graphic charter of Intermarché in 2024, the print and digital variations are detailed there.
The monochrome version (white or black) is used on colored or photographic backgrounds. The logo can also be displayed on two lines for vertical or square formats. These variants are not cosmetic: they respond to real physical constraints, such as the width of a parking totem or the height of a banner sign.
Print and digital variations of the Intermarché logo: what changes depending on the medium
You may have noticed that the same logo can look different on a paper flyer and on a smartphone screen? This is because the technical constraints are not the same. The graphic charter of Intermarché manages this duality with distinct rules for print and digital.
Specific rules for print
On printed materials (flyers, in-store posters, catalogs), the charter imposes protection zones around the logo to ensure its readability. The red background remains the main marker. The commercial signature always accompanies the logo when a price or product is highlighted.
- The logo with signature is used for any communication featuring an offer (product + visible price).
- The logo without signature applies to institutional or brand communications, without price emphasis.
Adaptation to digital media
On the web and social media, readability at small sizes becomes the main criterion. The logo must remain identifiable even in reduced format, for example as an avatar on LinkedIn or as a site favicon. The charter specifies minimum sizes below which the logo cannot go.
The digital variations also take into account the variable background. A sponsored post on a social network does not have the same background as a web banner. The white monochrome version then makes perfect sense on dark photographic visuals.
Red and black: why this color duo withstands design trends
Many brands have multiplied color redesigns in recent years. Intermarché, on the other hand, has maintained its red and black duo for over fifty years. Why does this choice last so long?
The red serves a dual function. It attracts the eye on shelves and facades, and it conveys a promise of price accessibility. The black provides contrast and readability. This color pair works well in both large format and miniature, which considerably simplifies variations.
In 2024, the charter did not change these reference shades. The adjustments focused on the contextual use of colors, not on the colors themselves. For example, red is used differently depending on whether it is in a price communication (dominant red) or in corporate communication (accent red).
Visual coherence and commercial growth: the rarely mentioned link
The Groupement Mousquetaires reported a 6.4% growth in its brands in 2024. This commercial dynamic is not disconnected from visual identity. When a brand absorbs dozens of new points of sale, the graphic charter becomes a tool for converting customers.
An ex-Auchan customer entering a freshly converted store must understand within seconds that they are at Intermarché. The interior signage, the color codes of the aisles, the typography of the price labels, all contribute to this immediate recognition.
- The facade and parking totem display the main logo, often the first variation installed during a conversion.
- The interior signage (end caps, aisle marking) follows a template standardized by the charter, adaptable to very variable surfaces.
- The local communication materials (window posters, roll-ups) adopt the signature and color codes without room for interpretation.
This graphic rigor applied on a large scale is not trivial. It reflects an artistic direction that goes beyond designing a logo, but organizes the perception of the brand in every square meter of commercial space.
The evolution of Intermarché’s graphic charter in 2024 is not just an aesthetic facelift. It addresses an operational challenge: maintaining a perfectly coherent visual identity across a rapidly expanding network, with buildings inherited from a competitor. It is this type of ground constraint that distinguishes a functional graphic charter from a mere style guide.