CROATIAN TELECOM PRESENTS NEW VISUAL IDENTITY

ZAGREB, Sept 14 (Hina) - Croatia's telecommunications company Hrvatske telekomunikacije (HT) officially presented its new visual identity, brand name - Hrvatski telekom - and logo at the Zagreb International Autumn Fair on Thursday. The new visuals will cover all HT services and products, from the logo to visual solutions for telephone booths. The new basic colours will be orange and grey instead of the former blue and red.#L# The identity change comes ahead of the second stage of HT's privatisation and will strengthen the company's position on the market, HT manager Ivica Mudrinic said. He pointed to the importance the logo has on the world market, saying the change would significantly increase the company's value which was important for the second stage of privatisation. According to Mudrinic, the new visual identity will not diminish but confirm HT's national identity. We remain a Croatian company with a Croatian name and employees, but as of now, HT is no longer just part of Croatia's utility infrastructure, but a company capable of integrating into the world's telecommunications market, he said. HT management board member Armin Schubert said the change was not only on the outside, but inside the company as well. As the national provider of fixed and mobile telephone and Internet services, the company must completely turn to the user, he asserted. HT's new visual identity was conceived by Interbrand Zintzmeyer Lux, which did the same job for Deutsche Telekom, Coca-Cola, BMW, UBS, Sony, IBM, and Ericsson. The first stage of HT's privatisation wrapped up last year with the sale of a 35-percent interest to Deutsche Telekom for $850 million. The second stage, announced for this year, will be done via a public tender. (hina) ha