Paragon makes virtue of new brand

Lloyds of London insurance broker Paragon unveils its revamped identity today, underwritten by Brandfabric, as it moves to develop a platform for further growth.

Brandfabric’s six-figure project ranges across identity applications to interiors, signage and trade press advertising, with the central brand idea being ‘the power of the possible’.

The logo is based around a stylised thought-bubble that conveys ‘smart thinking’ through quotations from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Winston Churchill.

‘The levels of the pitch [can be] dialled up or dialled down depending on whom the brand is playing to,’ says Brandfabric director Simon Mottram. ‘For example, Samuel Johnson is more appropriate for UK solicitors, whereas we target entertainment lawyers in the US with a quote from [boxer] Marvin Haggler (pictured).’

Brandfabric creative director Martin Skeet adds, ‘The new brand touches all parts of the organisation. Along with external communications, we’ve covered office interiors, and everything from mugs to gifts such as umbrellas, taking the Paragon brand off the page, into the office space and on to the streets.’

Founded in 1996 by James Kalbassi and Tara Falk, Paragon was spun out of one of the top five Lloyd’s brokerages, Willis, and has since built its business mainly through giving US architects and entertainment businesses access to the UK insurance market.

Recent pushes in the property sector and the UK have encouraged the firm to rebrand.

‘Our brief was to capture what [Paragon] is and [communicate] the breadth of brand,’ says Mottram. ‘Paragon’s next priority is cracking the US.’