Big banks, they’re just like us.
Or so they say. Financial institutions have long been seen as faceless entities, but lately everyone from major credit card companies to online banks like Chime have tried to change their image by communicating a friendlier, more human approach. Virgin Money UK is the latest (and perhaps most successful) to follow that trend.
The newbrand identity, crafted by Pentagram partners Luke Powell, Jody Hudson-Powell, and Domenic Lippa, aimed to bring a human touch to Virgin Money UK that would help it stand out from other major banks. It follows a more than $2 billionmergerbetween Virgin Money and Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank Group (CYBG) last year, which created the sixth-largest bank in the U.K. with 6 million customers and more than $92 billion in lending,according toBankrate.The result is a stark divergence from the staid and assertive all-caps sans serifs of banks like Chase or American Express. Looping lines and bright colors give Virgin Money UK personality. “Money plays such a pivotal role in our lives, and having a large bank that actually wants to be approached is a positive thing,” Hudson-Powell says.
All in all, the type’s asymmetric and surprising curvatures become a motif for the bank’s visual identity, anchoring the brand in a way that reads as contemporary, approachable, and accessible to the everyday banking customer—even if the bank itself is a corporate behemoth.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.