Two years ago, the car rental company Hertz arrived at an insightful conclusion: no one really enjoys the experience of renting a car. Working with the Jackman consultancy, Hertz completely revamped the process and the aesthetic of car rental to embody three key concepts: “fast, easy and most valued.” The streamlining of the process involved eliminating lineups and counters and moving to a concierge-style service model. Jackman and Hertz worked with our design team on the redesign of three of Hertz’s airport locations and 15 of its off-airport locations. Each location’s architecture, fixtures, finishes and signage work together to define a consistent, recognisable environment that sets Hertz apart from competitors who are still thinking inside the conventional—and unloved—car rental market.
Instead of having to stand in line, Hertz’s customers meet immediately with agents at an open conversation bar, or are handed pagers and can sit and relax until an agent is available. Gold Membership clients can bypass dealing with an agent altogether and complete their car rental on a mobile device or simple head to their vehicle. To reflect the speed and ease of the new process, Hertz changed its signature colour to a more vibrant hue of yellow and gave our team the challenge of designing a more free-flowing interior using the new signature colour and streamlined graphic. The result includes speed motif chevron shapes, directionality, ‘yellow brick road’ floor accents, bold graphics, and open floor plans featuring modern, streamlined furniture, and kiosks.