Studio Brief 01 - Production

For this treatment, I wanted to produce a strong, upper-case serif logotype that communicates wealth, importance and enhanced exclusivity through an aspirational aesthetic. 

I began by searching for a typeface that had a distinct visual language that I could manipulate to best communicate the "Premier" identity. The typeface I found was Foglihten Petitecaps. This typeface features larger counters and bowls, creating a fuller-aesthetic and greater sense of power, suitable for the communication of the largest, most dominating UK bank. I believe for the use of the Premier identity however, the original state of the letterforms appear over-embellished with unnecessary serifs, gaps and shaping. It was my desire to strip-back this typeface to a much more dignified set of characters, as the bank does not need to overcompensate for anything. Below is the process I went through in achieving the standardised logotype:

The process involved extending lines, removing over-embellishments, re-shaping and finding a kerning solution to the problem caused by the leg of the R next to the E. The solution I found was to extend the leg of the R down below the baseline and remove one of the serifs found on the bottom horizontal bar of the E. In doing this I believe the characters have been instilled with a more bespoke-looking aesthetic, which in turn makes the logotype appear much more exclusive and therefore appropriate for the rebrand - considering C.E.O Antonio Simones' aims for the company. 

Having previously established purple as the most suitable colour for the communication of the new bank logotype as a result of its connotations of nobility, power, ambition and wealth, I then turned the logotype type white before setting it on a purple background. By featuring the white type within dark ground, the eyes will instinctively be drawn to the bright letterforms. 

I then supplied the slogan to enhance the success of the logotype through its influential and suggestive presence, convincing in its communication that Premier is and will continue to be "the bank of choice" - as desired by C.E.O Antonio Simones. I have chosen to feature the slogan in red in subtle homage and connection the the previous HSBC identity, as well as the harmonious visual created between purple and red. The slogan is featured in an all lower-case, sans-serif Helvetica Neue to supply a contemporary aesthetic to the logotype whilst contrasting to the upper-case type above. I changed the word "bank" to upper-case for a bold emphasis to the word in order to enhance the prominence of the sector - allowing for the eyes to initially read "Premier Bank" before the gaze returns left to consume the slogan in its entirety. 

As I renamed HSBC using an established sector of its business for ease of identification and establishment after the rebrand, here I have extended the purple and red visual language to illustrate a possible compensation to the now nameless sector. I have re-named what was the premier sector of HSBC to "elite." This way, the company are still able to supply a more tailored service to specific qualifying customers - who instead of receiving a "premier account" - will receive an "Elite account."
I featured the type in  the upper-case, sans-serf Helvetica Neue typeface. The red upper-case type forms cohesion with the upper-case logotype, whilst its sans-serf quality creates contrast. The word elite and its styling here further enhance the exclusivity of the aesthetic.