Top 10 Bank Logos

We all know banks are prominent on the list of the worlds biggest — and richest — companies, but does money buy taste?

I present to you the 10 best designed logos from the world’s top 50 banks, as ranked by total assets as of 2007. I found nine from that list and added a local bank that I think deserves a guernsey. Let’s go!

10 Bank of America

Designed over a very short period (three months) in 1998 by The Brand Union, the Bank of America’s effortless use of text — if not its logo itself — sneaks it into 10th spot.

There is alot to be said and perhaps argued about the reliance on an iconic typface to support the logo. Personally, I find the logo itself indecisive and unsure about its position in relation to the text. It’s the text itself — pure and simple Franklin Gothic Demi Condensed — that inspires a ‘no-frills simplicity’ that I want in a bank. I’m sure designers operated along similar lines. Banks store money, that’s it, and sometimes it takes a logo like this to remind us.

9 National Australia Bank

From 2006, this logo is sure to attract criticism for its use of lower-case text and gradients. You’ll find my reasoning below but it’s strong and unique enough to garner a spot at 8.

Red on black — in fact, anything on black — was sure to set the NAB apart from other banks around the world. Black represents prestige. For some, this could be seen as a barrier to consumer relations, especially for the average Joe Banker. I think they’ve managed to counteract that with the use of the lowercase type. Something in me just thinks that the bank will get away with their investment in the medium-term and here’s why: NAB is an acronym, making it important that all letters be all uppercase or all lowercase. One or the other. Similarly, the word NAB is fairly short so the impact of lowercase isn’t as Web 2.0 as it might appear on face value.

8 Barclays

Designed in 1999 by Rodney Mylius and Andy Payne at Newell & Sorrell and modified in 2004, the logo consists of an eagle and logotype. The real reason Barclays nails a spot is for the excellent use of ‘Barclay blue’, which is iconic as the name itself.

The Blue, Pantone Process Cyan, is, like the Bank of America, lighthearted. Meanwhile ,the eagle symbol derived from the company’s 1937 coat-of-arms is authorative and commanding. Overall, the spacing is modern without being too cutting-edge. I can envisage this logo being replaced as soon as the NAB example above, due to the use of gradients, which are probably too trendy to last.

On a sidenote, there was a bit of controversy about the eagle, pending the bank’s takeover from ABN-AMRO. Apparently the Dutch would have been sensitive to the eagle’s similarity to the Nazi Reichsadler.

7 Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo is a bank mindful of its name in American history. So much so, that the company developed a website devoted entirely to its history in 2006. The yellow-on-red logotype continues the focus on a solid tradition.

The bold serif face is from a time before fancy branding strategies, when the die-cast teller’s stamp formed virtually the only link between identity and the consumer. Red and yellow is not a common choice for a financial instituion, mainly because of its warm, humane appeal. For this reason, it sets itself apart from all the banks on this list and I’m a big fan.

6 Commerzbank

The “four winds” logo of Commerzbank came out of a French agency in the 1970s and is without a doubt the most ‘bank-like’ logo on the list. We had to have one.

In its most current form (2008), the smart use of a very neutral san-serif typeface in smart dark grey and a chirpy yellow is visually impressive. It’s fresh; it could have been drafted yesteday for all you’d know. There is a bit of meaning behind the logo, too. It represents the companies that came together to form one, as well as the new dawn ever-so-predictably represented as the sun. It’s professional with a hint of warmth. A good compromise for a bank.

5 HSBC

In terms of instantly recognisable bank logos, it’s hard to go past HSBC’s, designed in 1983 by Henry Steiner.

The “Hexagon” motif was derived from the bank’s house flag, which itself was based on the Scottish flag. It was then developed to symbolise a compass and hourglass, among other things.

Some say the Hexagon is fairly innocuous but acts well as a counter to the traditional ‘HSBC’ serif, offering the tradition/innovation tradeoff that works so well for world banks. This one will age nicely.

4 ING

With the most personality of any bank, the ING logo, again, represents tradition. The blue/orange mix also wins it points.

Despite a history spanning back to 1845 and various name changes and acquisitions, ING has kept its lion. It symbolises safety and nobility. The designer’s use of desaturated orange tends to exaggerate the tangible sense of history behind the brand; it seems faded and well-worn. For added symbolism, the entire logo manages to involved all three colours of the flag of the Netherlands, the bank’s home nation.

3 Landesbank Baden-Württemberg

We’re now into the pointy end of the list and I’m begining to feel it… the next three are barely seprable and all represent the peak of thoughful European graphic design.

The LBBW’s 1999 logo is smart, sophisticated and drenched in the preserving qualities of tradition. Representing the clean and contemporary face of today’s Germany, the combination of a serif typeface and three long blocks is, once more, old and new. The blocks are a metaphor for solidity.

Overall, and I won’t dilute my sentiment, this one just looks bloody nice. It’s restraint says a lot about the company and that’s what I’d want in a bank.

2 Deutsche Bank

The Deutsche Bank logo (1974) embodies timeless simplicity. The pairing of the most basic of logos with the classic Univers typeface in a middle-blue makes it hard to go wrong.

Eight graphic artists were each commissioned to work on designing the logo. Eight. So money can buy taste. The winning designer was the late Anton Stankowski with his “slash in a square“. Of course, it wouldn’t be a bank without allusions to symbolism and this one packs a heap: the security of a closed square, the slash representing the adapatable nature of the bank, among others.

This is a brand that will not have to change for a while.

1 ABN-AMRO

Designed by Landor’s London offices in 1990, the logotype hasn’t aged a bit and is by far the freshest on the list.

The sheild, according to AMRO itself, represents “reliability, tradition, security and protection“. What I like about it is how the sheild is a very simple shape (an irregular pentagon) yet is instantantly and exclusively recognisable as a sheild. For the colour scheme, Landor trusted it market research and decided on turquiose and yellow, which has “subconscious associations” according to the bank. But banks don’t use subliminal technqiues for evil, right?

It’s hard to argue with the winner, but if you can, please do! Be sure to comment your opinions. I must say, it wasn’t easy and honourable mentions go to the likes of Fortis (now defunct), the previous Credit Suisse logo (current one not so much) and some of the Aussie Banks (ANZ and St. George come to mind) that I’ve grown up with.

Posted on July 26th, 2009 in Logo Design | 9 Comments