NatWest
A fresh and vibrant system fit for our digital future
Introduction
National Westminster Bank was created by a 1968 merger of three banks. The famous arrows represented money circulating between them.
Pioneers of credit cards, mobile branches and contactless payments, ‘NatWest’ became the modern face of retail banking.
In 2000 the bank was acquired by RBS, who were damaged by the banking crisis. By 2016 NatWest had lost its edge.
Challenge
The brief was simple and ambitious. Visible, transformational change for a household name.
A new identity that would signal the seismic shift in NatWest’s positioning, from faded British icon, to loved brand built around people’s lives.
Differentiation in a category being reshaped by challenger brands and digital start-ups, where customers are looking for proof that banks are changing for the better.
Solution
If we could build our own bank, it would perfectly fit our lives. It would know what we needed and when. It would be able to anticipate our needs and move in advance to solve our problems.
The new brand isn’t flat. It’s three dimensional, like people. It's not stationary. It’s agile, like we need it to be.
The new three-dimensional graphic language is as recognisable as it is bold, colourful and new. It takes the overlooked cubes from the heart of the original identity and enlivens them to move, express and invent like a true 21st century brand.
Results
“FutureBrand helped us learn from the past as we look to the future, reminding us of the original symbolism of the logo and using it to provide a fresh and vibrant system fit for our digital future.”
- client quote
“With its bright colours and animated elements, the graphic system feels more akin to one created for a digital banking startup than a longstanding high-street bank... Many high street banks look staid in comparison, with identities based on graphic representations of security or remnants of the heraldry that was once common in the sector.”
Awards
