FutureBrand develops US financial identities

FutureBrand is helping to launch two global financial services branding projects, which it has developed in the US.

Following the merger of Fleet Financial Group with BankBoston Financial, the FleetBoston Financial Group is adopting a combined visual identity using a sail from the Fleet logo and an eagle from BankBoston.

The identity was launched last week in the US and will be rolled out globally from next year. FutureBrand has also been commissioned to develop design systems to implement the relaunch for the group’s retail banks.

“The new logo combines elements and colours from both predecessor companies, acknowledging the success and heritage of each,” says FutureBrand’s New York-based chief creative officer Claude Salzberger.

FutureBrand is also assisting ScudderKemper Investments to restructure its brand portfolio, creating new identities for the main corporate brand, two business brands, and five product brands. Identities have been designed, consisting of a name and a logo for each.

The main brand now features a crewmark symbol (a rowing team) and the newly linked ScudderKemper brandname.

“To make our longer brand names more memorable and distinctive we have linked the first two words in our brandmark only,” says a spokesman for the finance group.

FutureBrand is also designing corporate stationery, computer templates, a brandmark tool kit for applying the new identities, and full identity guidelines.