A Human Touch For Digital

A Human Touch for Banking

First Direct was the original challenger but in a fast-moving fintech landscape it’s difference had been eroded. That’s why we created a modern connected identity system that reflected the humanity and trust the award winning bank has always been about.

First Direct is a fabulous brand loved by its customers, but it had long standing issues with brand awareness and misattribution. The brilliant team at BrandOpus were a critical partner in fixing this. As usual, working with them was collaborative, creative and fun - and the final solution was genius!

Helen Priestley, Brand & Marketing Director First Direct

First Direct’s customer experience has always been its greatest strength. The original disruptor changed the UK banking landscape when it appeared in 1989, but fintech has evolved quickly so by 2019 a raft of digital first brands were shaping the conversations. First Direct needed to remind the world of what makes it great.

First Direct has the advantage of years of poll topping customer satisfaction but brand awareness was low. Our job was to bring out the secret its customers already knew and give First Direct a connected brand identity system that allowed them to increase recognition and expand their customer base. That’s why we brought a human touch to the First Direct identity when we evolved the award-winning bank.

The First Direct refresh is bigger than a logo – the system incorporates warm colours, a fingerprint and a suite of illustrations to remind you of the banks care, trust and humanity. The identity reasserted the modernity and dynamism that First Direct originally brought to the world of banking.

Capabilities

Brand Strategy

Brand Identity

Brand Guardianship