The IMOCA 60 Charal, the future boat of skipper Jeremie Beyou is currently under construction. With the boat due to be launched in August 2018, the Charal company is unveiling the first visuals of the boat and in particular the decoration chosen and produced by Nicolas Gilles' design agency.
"We wanted the decoration to reflect the ambitions of the partnership and for the boat to be in perfect harmony with the DNA and values of the brand, namely strength, performance and innovation. We also wanted it to reflect our new brand signature "Vivons fort", while being aesthetic, elegant and contemporary" explains Stéphanie Bérard-Gest, Charal's Marketing Director, on the specifications defined by the company.
After a call for tenders involving several design agencies, it was finally the Rennes-based design agency Nicolas Gilles (Agence Désigne) that was selected, as Stéphanie Bérard-Gest explains "Both internally and with Jeremiah and his team, we all fell in love with Nicolas' proposals."
"For us, the boat must be a media in its own right, serving the brand. We need to feel the power of Operation Charal through the IMOCA Charal, with its values of conquest and robustness, hence our choice to put these essential values at the front of the boat: it's an introduction which shows what Operation Charal is going to be and illustrates Jérémie Beyou's determination" explains Nicolas Gilles.
A design that symbolizes conquest and robustness
The headsail will be illustrated with a bull's head, a symbol of this strength and determination, giving the boat a go-ahead that corresponds well to the fighting spirit of Jérémie Beyou. "It's a strong, imposing, yet sober symbol" commented the skipper. This head that we find on the J1 will be accompanied by the slogan "Let's live strong", another of the skipper's commitments, as he confirms "It's a message that speaks to me: in the way I navigate and live my projects, I do things intensely."
Colours of power and innovation
The studio worked a lot on the colours and their distribution. Thus, the black base symbolizes power while the silver metal, symbol of innovation, is present everywhere on the boat. A choice presented as audacious by the brand, which wanted to recall the packaging of its famous Hebdopack, a pouch that protects its products.
"It is a colour that conveys the idea of performance, of high-tech, it is particularly prized in Formula 1 and on the boat, it respects the architect's taut and contemporary forms. In the end, we imagined "our" boat as XXL packaging." comments Nicolas Gilles.
Suggestion rather than demonstration
"A packaging where the brand is more suggestive than demonstrative, hence the choice, once again, of this silver metal rather than white on the hull, compensated by several small red-dominant reminders at different places on the boat, while under the hull are proudly displayed Charal's two slogans, "Vivons fort" and the sound "Hummm Charal!"." explains the mark.
At Bateaux.com, we wonder how this hull bottom is going to age and above all what antifouling will be applied to keep this beautiful logo always clean?
"The brand identity is more in the finishes, but still, the signifiers are very strong. We've got the boat which ticks all the boxes in the specifications, it combines elegance and power, I can't wait to see it on the water! ", concludes Stéphanie Bérard-Gest.
