BANC: The Story Behind the Rebrand
Noticed that things look a little different around here? We’ve made a few changes to BANC, some big, some small – but all with a reason behind them. Like what we’ve done with the place? We’re pretty chuffed with things ourselves. We’ve put a lot of hard work, research, and time into the project, but it’s been worth it. Now we can finally show you what the new BANC looks like, sounds like, and strives for.
Below, we’ve cracked the door ajar for you to take a behind-the-scenes peak into what went into our rebranding, including the reasons for the project, what inspired us, and what’s different about the all-new BANC.
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Why have we rebranded?
Our inspiration
There’s been no shortage of inspiration – some of it inadvertent, some of it deliberate. COVID-19 loomed large, making for a series of commercial, logistical, market-based and personnel challenges that all sped up the need for a new business strategy. We’ll go into this fresh tack in more detail later on.
What else? Of course, our competitors had a part to play. By looking at who we share the market with, we knew who we wanted to be more like – and yes, who we didn’t want to be like.
In addition, a slew of new Banckers joined who had some serious creative skills. Coupled with our experience of rebrand work for clients, we definitely had the knowledge and ability to give ourselves a facelift too. In fact, a large part of what drove the rebrand, even if it was in hushed tones, is that we’ve had a series of websites that haven’t really felt, looked, or captured what we’re all about as a company – or as people.
Our goals
While creating a website that did all the above was an important goal, we knew we wanted more out of this rebrand, a do-over from the ground up. So, there’s a lot of under-the-hood stuff that we wanted to hold a magnifying glass up to and then go about changing. Simply put, our aspirations outgrew our old look.
Previously, we’ve focused on positioning ourselves as the ‘service agency’. Our products catered to client relationships that were one-and-done flings rather than long-term relationships. We fulfilled a need for the duration and prided ourselves on production.
And all of that was fine for a while. But post-COVID, we’ve changed in a big way. We’re growing and growing, our Senior team is stronger than ever, and we’ve got serious knowledge in our ranks. This rebrand marks a shift away from our old product-led offerings, and into one that emphasises our strategy and consulting abilities.
This way, we can truly drive digital growth for businesses with the desire and ambitions to do so, from planning all the way to delivery.
What’s changed?
Our logo
The first thing you may have noticed is that sleek new logo. Like it? We do too. We liked our old logo too, but it looked a bit too Beats By Dre for our liking (or was it the other way round?) The use of it as a logomark was too ambiguous as well. Anyone seeing it for the first time likely wouldn’t have a clue what it meant or represented. But maybe the biggest problem is that it simply didn’t capture the personality and ambition of BANC.
Step forward, our new logo. It’s clear, legible, and confident. It’s beefy and powerful, with a structure that gives it plenty of strength. Perhaps most importantly, the new logomark can stand on its own and still be recognised. Overall, it’s so much more versatile, and can be used in more contexts far easier than our previous logo could.
Our visual identity
Banc’s previous visual identities were never particularly grounded in any sort of philosophy or reasoning. Generally, that meant they were very of the moment – and prone to being out of date quicker than we’d have liked.
Overseen by our Creative Lead Niki Lau, BANC now has a design philosophy for the first time, something that will influence all our visual elements from now on. Not only will it shape the brand experience for anyone navigating our site, it’ll shape every touchpoint – from the moment someone first interacts with us to the minute their product is delivered.
While we can’t be giving away all our trade secrets, what we can say is that our visual identity is driven by three overarching tenets:
Clean, clear, and concise
Inspired by the stripped-back look of Brutalism, we’ve simplified the design in a way that maximises both effectiveness and the end user experience.
Timeless and honest
The new look doesn’t attempt to emulate current design trends, so it’ll be here for a long time. It also nicely represents the values we hold dear on a visual level.
Refined, but make it cool
We’re not smacking you in the face like a Pepsi ad from the 90s. But we are drawing in users with a thoughtful, interesting look that speaks to the head, the site’s usability, and the user’s emotions.
Of course, there’s a new colour palette to go with the rebrand too. And Niki didn’t just pick these out of a hat. Not only do they work in harmony with one another, but they each evoke particular feelings:
- Eggshell: Serenity and calm
- Black: A premium feel that, with the eggshell, means less of a stark contrast compared to the usual black and white
- Blue: Trust
- Coral: Dynamism and excitement
- Pink: Softness and additional calm (‘cos you can never have too much calm these days)
Our tone of voice
Informed by heaps of client and colleague interviews, as well as a ton of competitor analysis, our tone of voice has also had a complete overhaul. Overseen by Senior Copywriter, Oliver Urwin, the new tone of voice captures the refreshed direction of BANC, works in tandem with our souped-up visual strategy and will keep our communication on-brand and consistent across everything our users read.
It also deals with something that previously plagued us for a while. When it came to our own work, we were kind of shrinking violets. It was rare to find us singing our own praises and bigging our work up. We were meek. A bit timid. So instead of letting our successes speak for ourselves, the expertise and knowledge we know we have is going to come through loud and clear. But we’re confident, not cocky. You won’t find us making arrogant, lofty claims – but will find a BANC that’s no longer afraid to put the right amount of attention on our abilities.
We’ve also had our fill of jargon. We’re not naming names, but a lot of competitors we looked at went heavy on the industry buzzwords, almost as if their audience were other agencies. As well as ditching cliched agency talk, we’re not trying to dazzle potential clients with fancy sounding terms and complicated concepts. We’re here to give them clarity rather than confusion, keeping things simple and straightforward so that everyone stays on the same page.
And because we reckon our people are the best thing about us, all of the above will be wrapped up in that same authentic, warm, and genuine quality that we bring to all of our client relationships. As you’ll see, we want to do more for clients than just provide them with products out of the box, and our approach to tone of voice is all part of our aim to be partners with who we work with.
Our direction
As for the less visual aspects of the rebrand, we’ve refreshed and refined BANC’s proposition and strategy too. And while we can’t really just reveal our tactics for nothing, we’ll just say that the new BANC is one which is geared towards:
- A consultant mindset
- Services which don’t exist in siloes
- Total client visibility of our knowledge and expertise
- Not concerning ourselves with the self-congratulatory digital marketing circle
- Acting as a partner, rather than a provider
What does this mean for our business?
As well as changing the way we appear to the outside, the rebrand will ideally bring about changes that affect our business for the better too.
By moving towards a strategy and consulting proposition, BANC will be able to speak the language of the senior decision-makers at larger organisations – the kinds of people who are facing tougher challenges, projects, and growth objectives, with room for accounts to develop into bigger endeavours.
Looking to rebrand?
If you’re thinking of rebranding and doing it yourself, then you can find everything you need to know, including ‘what is rebranding?’ and why rebrand projects might be necessary over at our Complete Guide to Rebranding post.
If you aren’t sure whether to rebrand at this moment in time, we’ve answered the do you need to rebrand question along with loads of other rebranding related queries here.
Don’t fancy taking on the task yourself? Let us do it for you instead! Our talented team can get to work on all of the research, creative work and delivery needed to breathe new life into a flagging brand. Head to our homepage for info or give us a call on 0345 459 0558.
