What it had to solve
Move away from the default visual vernacular of financial startups and show the payments firm's boldness, attitude and spirit.
The idea
Skip the logo: an ellipsis device shows the brand is never at the end, always at the beginning, with 'Do More' as the proposition.
How it works
DesignStudio centred the identity on an ellipsis of three dots as part of a 'kit of parts', with three-colour combinations from red, yellow, purple, green and blue. The identity was applied to the website, platforms and apps and launched at Money 2020 in Copenhagen.
What it did
The report gives no results. The new identity launched at the Money 2020 conference in Copenhagen alongside WorldFirst's new World Account facility.
Background
DesignStudio created a new visual identity and 'Do More' positioning for WorldFirst, a payments platform for small and medium-sized enterprises and online sellers. The consultancy was brought in about nine months earlier on the strength of startup projects such as the 2016 Deliveroo rebrand.
Rather than a traditional logo, the brand is a 'kit of parts' centred on an ellipsis of three dots. DesignStudio principal James Hurst said it shows the company is never at the end but always at the beginning, with things to come. The aim was to escape the 'default visual vernacular' and 'sea of sameness' of financial and tech startups.
Instead of owning one colour, the identity uses three-colour combinations of bright red, yellow, purple, green and blue, which Hurst said gives flexibility and avoids relying on a single colour, since colours mean different things in different places. The website, online platforms and apps all carry it. The rebrand followed growth that saw offices open in Amsterdam, Austin, Hong Kong and Singapore, in addition to London and Sydney.
Why it lands
The ellipsis expresses the brand's promise of continuing action instead of a static mark.
Palette combinations let the brand flex across markets where colours carry different meanings.
A distinctive anti-logo gave a payments firm a look unlike other financial startups.
What you can take
A brand does not have to own one logo or colour; a flexible device and palette can carry personality in a category of sameness.
Since then
Design Week's June 2017 report is the only source and gives no later results.
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