Essentials for a life less ordinary
There are those who believe that to establish a global presence, a brand should position itself as being all things to all people, a hold-all solution that cuts across diverse target groups. But when Boubyan Bank embarked on a journey with us to revamp their brand for the world market, they discovered that it was their inherently unique qualities as an Islamic bank that would, at once, give them mass appeal and yet allow them to stand out on the global financial stage.
So instead of shedding their Islamic identity, they embraced it, translating its relevance for the world market. They rejected the perception of Islamic principles as ‘old world’, ‘conservative’ and ‘restricted’, and redefined it as ‘ethical’, ‘individual’ and ‘responsible’ – qualities that are relevant to all people, from all religious and cultural persuasions. Although based on Sharia’h principles, its a completely inclusive offering.
This comes at a time when faith in capitalism is at an all-time low and the world is hungry for a new way to conduct its financial affairs. By unearthing its unique ability to offer just such a solution, the brand found a positioning that it could own as a differentiating platform. Its a platform that says, “This is a bank that understand that life should be spent dedicating oneself to great things.” It’s a system of banking, underpinned by Islamic principles, that abhors the offering of complicated, unnecessary and unethical products that trap people into cycles of debt.
We helped the company translate this unique offering into a modern identity that encapsulates the visual identity concept of ‘one life’ – the quest of the individual for a greater purpose and destiny. Its a principle that makes sense of life, by making it simpler, by focussing on the individual and rejecting a ‘rules-based lifestyle’ which dictates how to conduct our lives, how to look, how to parent, how to manage our time. It embraces the trend towards religion and spirituality as a more authentic and valuable way of living.
To reflect this the visual identity repents only what’s essential. The focus is on the individual, depicted alone, in moments of introspection against a clean and natural landscape. Its a milieu that beautifully reflects Boubyan’s view of the individual as a strong, empowered human being who needs only from their bank uncomplicated solutions that will help them make decisions for a good life.
The strength and solidarity of such images are balanced by the movement of the subtle curved graphic device, which is used as an overlay on backgrounds and photographic elements.
We modernised and refreshed the brand’s existing ‘bridge’ symbol, paring it down to its essentials to give it an elegant, clean and sophisticated appeal, while still retaining the important characteristics of ‘visionary’ ‘partnership’ and ‘progressive’ and to reflect the positioning of the company as offering a new way forward.
