Brands
ITC Hotels unveils an ‘Epiq’ new chapter in luxury
MUMBAI: ITC Hotels is spelling epic with a ‘q’. The hospitality giant has unveiled its newest premium brand, Epiq Collection, marking a fresh chapter in its growth story and adding sparkle to its ‘Asset-Right’ expansion strategy.
The first destinations to host this new brand are two of India’s most culturally vibrant cities, Puri and Tirupati. The 118-key Epiq Collection Puri, an owned property, and the 201-key Epiq Collection Tirupati, a managed hotel, are set to open within the next two years, both joining the Club ITC rewards programme. Together, they signal a refined blend of modern sensibility and soulful Indian hospitality.
“The launch of Epiq Collection marks an important milestone in the evolution of ITC Hotels’ brand architecture,” said ITC Hotels Limited managing director Anil Chadha. “We are curating experiences that are contemporary in sensibility yet timeless in their connection to place.”
The brand aims to add around 1,000 rooms in the medium term and will feature premium hotels and resorts, each with its own distinctive character, design language and culinary identity. Staying true to ITC Hotels’ reputation for sustainability and culinary excellence, the Epiq Collection will celebrate regional cuisines with a modern twist, where local inspiration meets global sophistication.
Designed to host both new builds and repositioned premium properties, Epiq Collection promises to be a reflection of social vitality, service finesse, and that unmistakable Indian warmth that defines ITC’s hospitality ethos.
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
