Northern Trust is a leading provider of wealth management, asset management and asset servicing solutions. Regarded as one of the industry’s strongest financial institutions, their prestigious clientele include some of the most affluent individuals and successful companies in the world.
The engagement began with extensive research to gain understanding from employees, current and prospective clients about shifts in the marketplace, expectations from high-net-worth individuals and Northern Trust’s distinct value. We learned there was strong equity in the heritage of the anchor as it had come to represent the institution’s unparalleled strength and stability since 1940. VSA modernized the anchor by removing unnecessary complexity within the logo, unifying line weights and aligning the mark with custom letterforms to mirror the visual elegance with the symbol itself. These refinements allowed the mark to feel inherently more modern and bespoke as well as translate well in digital applications. We also found the color green was a differentiator within the financial sector’s predominant sea of blue. VSA darkened the color and introduced a brighter, fresher secondary palette to leverage the equity built into the brand while illustrating a re-energized perspective to the marketplace.
VSA created a new brand position, identity and expression system as well as a new tagline: Achieve Greater. This new expression system is enabling us to tell more meaningful stories, demonstrate deeper expertise and showcase a more forward thinking, globally focused Northern Trust. VSA continues to work with Northern Trust on the rollout of the refreshed brand through internal and external communications initiatives globally.
- Jamie Koval
- Chrystine Witherspoon
- Jarrod Ryhal
- Stacey Donaldson
