Banco del Pichincha renews itself with a brand image to attract younger customers.
Historical review
(Est. 1906) “Banco Pichincha is the largest private bank in Ecuador, by capitalization and by number of depositors. The bank has 1.8 million clients in Ecuador, $ 4.5 billion in assets and $ 4 billion in deposits, as well as more than 200 branches in the country. Banco Pichincha has a subsidiary in Peru, Banco Financiero Perú, in Colombia, Banco Pichincha (formerly known as “Inversora Pichincha” and “Banco del Pichincha”, and another in Panama, Banco Pichincha Panama. It also has an agency in Miami, and eight representative offices in Spain, including two each in Madrid, Barcelona, Murcia and the Valencian Community It has just received regulatory approval to convert its network of offices in Spain into a commercial bank, the first Spanish commercial bank in Latin America. Wikipedia )
Logo Redesign: Banco Pichincha
The original symbol of the brand was a monogram that had been used for decades, so it was becoming outdated and presented problems of readability and adaptability to digital media.
Based on the attributes defined during the strategic phase of the project, the idea arose to create a new symbol to represent the close relationship of trust between the bank and its people and their commitment to the development of the region, suggested by the upward movement of the element within the symbol (the simplified expression for an up arrow). Thanks to its reduction to a purely graphic essence, the symbol is perfectly adaptable to all types of formats and applications, since it is recognizable even in its most reduced form.
As such, the inherent concept of the symbol can be summarized as a safe space that embraces the close and trusting relationship (suggested by the curved rectangle) between the bank and its users, driving the development and prosperity of its people (the upward arrow represented by the straight shape in the upper right corner).
Banco Pichincha, with more than 112 years of history, is the largest bank in Ecuador and also has a presence in Peru, Colombia, Spain, the United States and Panama. Throughout these years, they have dedicated their work to the sustainable and responsible development of the Andean region and its inhabitants. The previous brand, unchanged for almost a century, has given way to a renewed image, a symbol of a new era of transformation and innovation. Erretres was chosen as the agency to realize the evolution of the brand after a successful bidding process in which other large international agencies participated.
DESIGN STRATEGY
The project began in 2015, beginning with the bank’s research and analysis, with numerous research trips and meetings with managers from various departments. This was aimed at developing a brand strategy that would work in the different countries in which the bank works, given that each market has different business practices and a different clientele.
At the end of the process, new brand positioning and brand attributes were defined. The historical name of the brand (Banco Pichincha, formerly Banco del Pichincha), which is associated with the volcano and the region of the same name, was also addressed. This region owns the capital of Ecuador, Quito, and also lends its name to the battle during which Ecuador proclaimed its independence.
THE CONCEPT
The original symbol of the brand was a monogram that had been used for decades, so it was becoming outdated and presented problems of readability and adaptability to digital media.
Based on the attributes defined during the strategic phase of the project, the idea arose to create a new symbol to represent the close relationship of trust between the bank and its people and their commitment to the development of the region, suggested by the upward movement of the element within the symbol (the simplified expression for an up arrow). Thanks to its reduction to a purely graphic essence, the symbol is perfectly adaptable to all types of formats and applications, since it is recognizable even in its most reduced form.
As such, the inherent concept of the symbol can be summarized as a safe space that embraces the close and trusting relationship (suggested by the curved rectangle) between the bank and its users, driving the development and prosperity of its people (the upward arrow represented by the straight shape in the upper right corner).
THE BANCO PICHINCHA LOGO
For the brand logo, a high-quality custom logo was designed, consisting of the uppercase sans-serif type letters. Rounded edges were selectively added to evoke a friendly and warning feel, as well as a more modern look.
TYPOGRAPHY
A contemporary and neutral type family was chosen as the corporate typeface, qualities that make it ideal for use in the many diverse applications required by a bank, such as editorial work, signage, digital and other uses.
It is used in its two variants: slab (with a strong character for a unique and recognizable identity) and sans-serif (for optimal readability and use in digital environments), all in order to organize the typographic hierarchy according to the uses required.
CORPORATE COLORS
From the beginning, intuition dictated that yellow should be kept as the main color of the bank to preserve the legacy of the brand, and also because it was highly differential within the sector. Yellow is also present in most of the flags of the countries of the Andean region, and has positive connotations as a symbol of positivity, happiness, light (the sun’s rays are perpendicular to the equator) and prosperity, among others. A brighter, fresher shade of yellow was chosen to rejuvenate the brand, and was paired with a sleek, modern navy (a new nod to the Ecuadorian flag) to replace black, which was too much of a contrast to yellow.
PHOTO STYLE AND ICONOGRAPHY
Continuing with the redefined personality of the bank, a new photographic style was established with which the bank wanted to make clear the pride that comes with helping the personal development of its clients, from small local businesses to young entrepreneurs or private banking clients. Similarly, a custom icon style was designed whose construction is a nod to the arrow within the bank symbol, and which works perfectly in both physical and digital environments.
GRAPHIC ELEMENTS
In accordance with the bank’s positioning, a grid was created which, despite its graphic simplicity, symbolizes two opposing entities, in this case the sincere relationship between the bank and its customers. This relationship takes the form of two triangles that meet and expand through a flexible graphic system, which can be adapted to different platforms and formats, and which acts as a container for images and text.
APPLICATIONS
An essential condition for the new identity that was clear from the beginning was that it should be able to adapt perfectly to all kinds of applications and media, especially digital, since very soon it will be (and practically already is) the natural environment in which it’s found. that the brand works
As such, Erretres has designed a comprehensive project, ranging from corporate stationary to numerous points of contact, including the design of the signage of office facades, interior design, ATMs and their screens, credit cards, checks, packages welcome cards and identification cards. , bank statements, corporate publications, branded applications on the website and mobile application, newsletters, formats for social networks, corporate videos, online and offline advertising, headquarters and much more.
For many of these applications, local adaptations had to be made to meet the specific needs of each country in which the bank has a presence (Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Spain, USA and Panama).