Coutts is a big household of their heritage-led rebranding
It is the first rebranding for the private bank in ten years and is taking place in a rapidly changing financial landscape. Fintech companies like Monzo have given up the sober branding that is usually money-related, choosing a more playful look and tone that more traditional banks have had to catch up with.
So it's interesting to see how Coutts takes a different path. FutureBrand did not focus on a similarly talkative tone, but on the bank's 325-year history. The studio went back to the principles of Thomas Coutts, who apparently founded the company with the idea of ​​maintaining and understanding a close relationship with its customers.
FutureBrand has taken a similarly personal approach to rebranding Coutts, focusing on individual stories of people, portraits of the "extended family" and a warmer, more welcoming tone that positions the bank as a kind of home.
FutureBrand hasn't exactly explained why it was time for Coutts to change its branding, but the subtext may be the impact of younger, more digitally led companies. The studio reports that the updated identity has helped to strengthen the bank's perception of being "more caring", "modern" and "innovative".
All in all, Coutts clearly addresses a certain niche. Perhaps the strategy here is to emphasize the personal nature of this relationship instead of competing with others. In any case, FutureBrand has done an elegant job – creating an identity that feels more contemporary, but preserves the centuries-old legacy that Coutts has built.
futurebrand.com