CPB creates an eye for business

The launch of a new corporate look designed by Coley Porter Bell for renamed investment house Henderson Investors, has this week underlined the increasing importance paid to branding and visual identity in the financial marketplace.

Brand development consultancy CLK researched the market and found consumers presented with a mass of similar images. Henderson itself looked particularly staid and out of touch. CLK reformulated the brand and created the new name, Henderson Investors.

The new “progressive and contemporary” identity, designed by CPB assistant creative director Stephen Bell, aims to reinforce the message that Henderson Investors, which manages 15bn of funds, is focused single mindedly on investment management, with the symbol representing an eye or a target.

Strong colours make the identity stand out from the crowd, says a CPB spokeswoman: “Most financial institutions rely on staid, classical and reliable imagery.”

Henderson Investors’ marketing director Lindsay Firth-McGuckin says: “I am a very strong believer that design has a role to play in communicating brand values both internally and externally.

“Our new visual identity is very powerful and communicates our values in a fresh and distinctive way,” adds Firth-McGuckin. “It will be a major influence in helping us to achieve our business objectives.”