Fixing Fidelity Bank’s cosmetic mayhem
So a couple of days ago, Fidelity Bank (one of the banks that a lot of people know of but would rather put their money else where) decided shed their age old face in favor for something new and fresh.
Here’s where they’re coming from:
Yeah, notice how the logo-mark look like the head of one of those action figure characters kids used to draw in school. Disconcerting.
And after lots of thinking, and an exchange of a rumored mouth-watering fee, they presented this to the world:
How did they come all that to this? Here’s their explanation:
As is typical of the Nigerian design industry, there was an uproar. Who had thought up this monstrosity? What does the logo even mean? In one instance, someone questioned the existence of “D” in the logotype. And the colors, what are they for? Generally, everyone was like:
BEWARE THIS DISCLAIMER:
Beyond this point are basically my thoughts and my thoughts alone. I’m not a brand specialist, just a visual designer who loves to do what he feels is right
Sometime earlier today i decided to scratch that itch that had been at the side of my brain since I saw that logo. Personally, this logo sucks. Not particularly because it’s ugly…mostly because it feels half-assed. It feels like there was a general meh-concensus. I mean, take a good look at it.
Worse still, is the rationale given for this
a.) Those don’t look like no damned arrow tips! And if they were, you should be afraid because the future is looking downwards!!!
b.) That white line is a divider. At what point does a divider begin to “combine” anything.
c.) The message behind this felt vague. “It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it”?! That’s far from reassuring. They could have taken some cues from the meanings of the colors themselves:
Notice how the standout words here are Growth (for green) and Understanding, Knowledge, Power & Integrity (for blue). These are better ideas to guiding the thoughts of your customers to the reasoning behind the brand refresh.
Scratching the Itch
So i set about to doing some digging and inspiration spotting for how i felt the new visual identity should look like. Was I going to reimagine the entire wheel? Or could i just improve on what was already on ground. I mean, it was half-assed….might as well full-ass the entire thing plus, sigh, It’s the weekend and there really isn’t enough time to dedicate full time to this.
So improve I did…
Let’s begin:
Let’s lose that type. Looks flaky. Also, juice up the blue sliiiiigggghhtttlllyyy and remember to remind the people that they’re dealing with a BANK!
I’m going with the one on top. So let’s try logotype placement.
I’m liking the first one, has this nice air to it but second one has more stability, so we’ll go with that too.
Feeling Fresky?
How about we get adventurous with the Logomark? Plus, come to think of it, Fidelity means something/someone dependable and loyal, faithful in adherence to detail/facts. Someone unwavering and strong in conviction.
Getting there, right? Let’s add some kick with the logotype placement
Yes? No? Maybe? Never really got to decide on either. I liked them both. So now, let’s apply some chrome
Some Persona, maybe?
Maybe it’s an after thought thingy but i felt may perhaps we could just…you know….add something-ish
Or maybe not. Not totally sold on them. But anyways, here’s where i’ll stop. Like i said, these are my thoughts on the Fidelity Bank visual refresh. The thing with design is that there isn’t just one right way or interpretation to the end. This is just what i believe works
What about you?
There was a lot of uproar about the logo by lots of designers. This is my challenge to you all: What would have done differently? How would you have interpreted the visuals? Reply with your own version :D
Update: Check out Creative responses to the rebranding Here
A “Recommend” would be nice. What would be nicer is if this starts a conversation that is followed up with concrete action. Nicest still, would be if you visited: www.layrz.net or followed Layrz on Instagram and Twitter: @Layrz_ng
Thank you
