BrandFormula

The brief
NIG, simultaneously owned and hindered by the negative press garnered by RBS, came to brandformula in early 2011 asking for a refreshed brand identity. The brief requested that first up, before the wider branding was even looked at, a new logo was needed – and urgently – it was to showcase at BIBA 2011.

The logo needed to respect the past identity but feel more contemporary and engaging. The overall process was complicated by the fact that the logo needed the approval of both the NIG marketing team and the parent company, RBS Insurance.

The solution
We produced a logo that suggested several desired characteristics and had a connection with the old identity. We retained the purple theme, but expanded it creating a gradated colour block featuring several hues of dark blue, purple and magenta to give a warm and contemporary feel. A flag device coming off the 'i' conveyed the idea of a forward thinking and purposeful organisation and the angled block suggested a challenging brand. The logo passed the approval process with flying colours!

The result
We produced the logo in a very tight time schedule so that it was ready for BIBA 2011, where it was to feature prominently on a fairly simple exhibition stand. However, brandformula went one further – we created a massive 4-sided plinth with the new logo emblazoned on each side that was positioned right outside the venue. It attracted the attention and publicity that the official BIBA sponsors were hoping for and was one of the main talking points of the exhibition.