Abbey right as rain as it divorces brolly stalwarts

So the ‘umbrella couple’ have finally gone up in smoke and Abbey National has become Abbey in a swirl of Tate Modern-ish technicolour (see News, page 7).

At the launch, chief executive Luqman Arnold didn’t quite hold up his hand and say ‘call me Luqman’, but his ‘look, I’m an honest kinda guy’ patter was almost pitch perfect.

Though he admits there’s a long way to go, the brand has certainly made its intentions clear – and full credit to Wolff Olins for ensuring the revamp isn’t facia-thin. The identity is ‘more an atmosphere than a corporate symbol’, according to the blurb.

Perhaps that’s why it reminds us of Casper the Friendly Ghost – the Christina Ricci film version, that is.