Visa, the global financial giant, has updated its identity as it seeks to reposition itself from a card issuer to a broader financial services and technology platform.
Established more than 60 years ago and with a presence in more than 200 countries and territories, Visa has constantly evolved to adapt to the needs of the global economy; most recently, the forecast for a cashless future, and as the company evolves its services to become a digital platform, Visa wanted to make sure its brand evolved with it.
The new branding includes a redrawn wordmark, updated color palette, a custom typeface and a new marketing campaign called Meet Visa, developed by Wieden+Kennedy.
Strategy: From cards to networks
In recent years, Visa has taken steps to evolve with the rapidly digitizing world of moving money. It has enabled mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, partnered with money transfer startups, and even worked with cryptocurrency platforms to launch crypto-linked cards.
“Our business has become more expansive and includes categories such as B2B payments, crypto, fintech and P2P payments…We wanted to make sure we evolve our brands with our business.”
Danielle Jin, APAC MARKETING CHIEF
I am sure that many of you, including me, did not know all that, and that is precisely why Visa has decided to rebrand itself. The redesign wants to change people’s perception of the brand from a simple form of payment to a powerful tool that moves money around the world and connects anyone anywhere, no matter the context.
![visa blockfi card rewards crypto bitcoin redesign rebrand](https://thebrandinquirer.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/visa-blockfi-card-rewards-crypto-bitcoin-redesign-rebrand.png?w=1024)
![visa apple pay redesign mucho new logo rebrand](https://thebrandinquirer.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/visa-apple-pay-redesign-mucho-new-logo-rebrand.jpg?w=1024)
Identity: A symbol of equality
The new design replaces the wordmark’s blue gradient with a brighter blue and brings back the tricolor stripes used from 1960 to 2005, but this time as a separate brand symbol.
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The new brand symbol, an equal sign in Visa’s colors, redefines Visa’s role as a global acceptance network with the commitment to make commerce accessible to all. The three colors represent the company’s purpose: access, equality, and inclusion.
“We’ve evolved the brand symbol to represent what we are known for acceptance and access and equality and inclusion”
Lynne Biggar, CHIEF GLOBAL MARKETING OFFICER
I see what Visa is trying to do with the new brand symbol. They want to have something recognizable without the wordmark like what MasterCard did with its two circles. But the fact that we haven’t seen these lines since the ’90s makes it even more difficult to associate them with the brand, not to mention that it looks more like a pride flag than an equal sign.
![](https://thebrandinquirer.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/equal-sign-brand-symbol-visa-redesign-mucho-agency-logo-evolution-new-1-1.jpg?w=1024)
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Alongside with the new brand symbol, visa has also updated its color palette and introduced a custom typeface that is “accessible, approachable and optimized for digital”.
My Final Opinion
In terms of repositioning, I think it’s a great strategy to let the world know that Visa is a network and not only a card issuer, especially now that we use more online payments and some are investing in cryptocurrencies.
In terms of visual identity, there is not much to say about the new logo. What is striking here is the new symbol of economic equality, which I am not sure if is strong enough to last.
I’m probably missing applications beyond banners to see how this new symbol will behave in digital spaces, if it is animated, and so on. I think if they can integrate the symbol in more interesting ways, it could become a symbol we’ll remember.
But well… at least that’s my F opinion