Futurebrand London and Coutts have been shortlisted for the Transform Europe Awards in the Best visual identity from the financial services sector and Best external stakeholder relations during a brand development project categories. The Transform Awards reward excellence across the whole rebranding process, benchmarking agencies and companies against their peers. The awards ceremony will take place in March.
Coutts is one of the most iconic of banks, with over 325 years of heritage. Despite its strong reputation, the Coutts brand had become rather tired almost a decade after its last refresh and the visual identity lacked standout appeal.
What’s more, the restrained brand expression did not reflect the sheer uniqueness of Coutts. It wished to broaden its banking relationships to encompass investments, driving perceptions of investment expertise and value for money. With its goal to be ‘the best private bank in the UK’, Coutts decided to work with FutureBrand to refresh its brand.
Our research found that one of the most prized aspects of the bank is its family feel and unparalleled service. The updated brand strategy expresses this as ‘The Indispensable Coutts Advantage’ putting the client benefits front and centre. The depth of relationship inspired the design strategy, ‘Welcome to the Family’.
The transformation of the Coutts' identity celebrates changing families – the Coutts family, and Coutts’ extended family of colleagues and clients – bringing stories to the surface and capturing them through enduring symbols of connection from past to present to future.
