“I love banks.” - said no one ever. The world of financial services has a reputation for being cold, impersonal and full of Ts & Cs. When M&S Bank asked us to review the existing credit card brand identity, it felt like it lacked the vibrancy and magic of the rest of the business. So we set out to transform the brand to better reflect their ambitions, and make it more relevant to the customer, starting with a new strategic positioning - be less financial services, be more M&S. 

 

Be less cold, formal, shouty, impersonal, and ordinary. Be more bold, relatable, innovative, delicious, stylish, joyful, aspirational and MAGIC. The idea was to lean into what people love about us already. We built on the iconic black and white palette, by adding a confident teal to the mix with a fresh mint accent for energy. We also moved the messaging from simply trying to sell the product, to show the emotional benefit, creating a messaging framework filled with feeling. 

 

The newly-designed card is used flexibly and playfully to give it prominence. Joyful photography adds a human touch and a suite of icons help convey the extensive benefits of the card in a more visually engaging way.  

 

We also gave Club Rewards (the subscription that gives customers even more for just a small fee) a premium glow-up. The rich black palette, underpinned by a silver texture, elevated the look and we also created a hero signifier ‘seal’ to represent the product in place of a card. The new identity is modern, joyful, vibrant and completely true to M&S.