S P R I N G 20 19
49
TAILPIECE
With new entrants aplenty into financial services, the days of tried, tested and – dare we say it – dull logos are over. But how do you communicate ideas like trust, security and accessibility in this new landscape? Melvyn Johnson and Katy Scott survey some of the emerging trends in the visual identities of financial services brands.
The look of lucre T
he banking crisis of 2008 did more than cause severe damage to the global economy – it changed how the world viewed banks, money and security. No longer could a stuffy aesthetic of serif fonts, modest color palettes, and restrained layouts be associated with security and trust. This breaking of design tradition has given new entrants a chance to reinvent the design language used in the sector to create a new idea of what a deeper and more secure relationship between financial brands and their customers might look like.
Sans limits
Tradition has had it for many years that a financial services brand communicated both how secure it was, and the important place it had in people’s lives, through using a serif font in its typeface. However, the new breed of financial upstarts are challenging this view, with sans serif typefaces predominating amongst younger companies. At one level they communicate that the brands are fresh and modern alternatives to traditional banks. But they also reflect a wider trend, as serifs appear to be falling out of fashion everywhere, especially those companies and sectors where ideas of heritage still dominate. Who needs fiddly bits on your letters when what matters is a clean and simple approach?
