Bank of Beirut rebranding
Bank of Beirut rebranding
By Admin I : It actually took me a while to write this post after a huge debate accusing me personally and the blog in general of being too negative in our reviews; After leaving this debate unconvinced, I had to write about a rebranding job, a subject that directly relates to my major and passion, design.
This time, you can’t call me negative, I even dropped a bit of my ego iceberg and asked 3 of my fellow designers for feedback concerning the new Bank of Beirut logo. I even asked a regular person with no design background (yes, gone that far!).
Well, this rebranding tse-tse infecting many Lebanese brands lately is definitely making a change in the scene and that change is not promising, in general. whether the failing Zaatar w Zeit logo or the beyond weak BLC bank rebranding and even the new Bank of Beirut, Lebanese brand identities show a declining curve in the design field, by decontextualizing local brands from their true essence and overdoing the modern feel which is subtracting from the general appeal more than adding to it.
Bank of Beirut had an Arabic/Latin lettermark logo, that portrayed an authentic “Beirut” feel with a modern edge in the type treatment, this old logo definitely looked old because of the duplicated lettermark giving a hint of shadow, an issue that could’ve been solved by a prompt brand identity lifting process.
Instead of paying a small sum of money and keeping the authentic approach, the bank decided to reshuffle and rebrand. A new visual approach with a cubic geometric icon hinting a letter “b” in a Japanese-like context: Origami.
The new icon looks off the type, with a definite loss of balance between geometric and organic not to mention the loss of the Lebanese feel and context.
We’re wrapping up the post still questioning the point behind the approach, simply because cubism is not always arabesque, in case that was the purpose. So let’s all together discuss this rebranding job, in case we were too negative in that post. Awaiting your feedback and if we got lucky the Bank’s point of view or the design agency, in the end, I shouldn’t be the only one dropping some ego!
allow me to tell you what i really feel about this new sucky logo.
i really didn’t get what they were going for, this origami shape made no sense to. it has no characteristics, no identity. it’s very modern, very dry. although the old one looks old, but i like it, it has this feel of belonging, you see it and u immediatly sense Beirut.
this whole going modern is getting on my nerves.
stop it!
looking so 70s…and in an annoying way!
the organic .. origamic .. idk wat the hell it is.. is jst working .. lyk at all.. i couldnt even recognize it at first..this is lyk a downgrade.. the old logo version ws working a lot better..and wat abt the gradient :S.. (N) useless
Its going backwards in design. The old design should have just been uplifted.
U proved your point of view here (and i don’t think that we can disagree with that:$ ) so u won’t be accused of being too negative in ur review for this time, U r safe
Stay positive…
okay Mommy!
there is absolutely no reason for you to be “positive” about this new logo anyway
I really don’t undersatant why they made these changes since the “B” v/S the arabic “B” made so much sense and a strong visual identity for them… A fake attempt to go “geometrical” like HSBC’s triangles… or not! :p
let me tell you one thing : if you want to focus on the logo while driving
(although you shouldn’t but i can’t help it ) you’ll
end up crashing your car on a curb saying what the H… is that logo! ohh my car… Da3mnnnn !!1
I liked how the old logo played with arabic and latin typography and kept its corporate feel. I think the new origami look on its own its nice and attractive but it deviates completely from what the brand should be. (it does not belong to this brand). Also they could have at least try to rework the typography to create a harmony with the symbol, which it doesnt have, the proportions are fine I think but not the look.
I think this is on its way of becoming another GAP fiasco.
Great to have you here Mohamed, we agree with you on everything, and sadly many local logos are becoming Gap fiascos as you called it..
It’s EPIDEMIC!!!
Thanks….kudos on blog
I am one of the “regular” people with no design background.
One of the potential customers too.
And I have to say, after the absolute *ugly* BLC managed to reach, not to mention their completely unreadable blue font, even on large billboards, I wonder why other banks would go that way.
Do they even study and link graphics concept to the brand identity and customers at all?
One thing is for sure, I don’t relate (and I am sure many feel the same) and it’s as *ugly* as BLC’s. But at least, they managed to keep the brand name in a font that is clear. Ironically enough, it is almost the same as the old logo’s.
it indeed is.. too bad!
They just reversed the background and it looks cheap actually.
The old one has some class in it.
I don’t know why change a logo that is good to worse.
Instead of working on their banking services, which are pathetic in all banks.
FIASCO.
Rebranding doesn’t mean changing it’s refreshing, updating… while keeping the brand essence. But unfortunately decision makers shouldn’t have accepted to go into this direction because a logo is not just this nice painting that ads colours to our walls, it has a personality that speaks for the brand.
Sorry i didn’t read all of the comments so im not sure if anyone mentioned the fact that the bank liaised with another i think Australian bank it was, and they had to take their identity or make something similar to it, ofcourse that doesnt justify the fact that something much more interesting could have been made while keeping the identity’s oriental feel with whether a simple uplift or a totally new identity…but sometimes, late at night, when i wake up thinking about this new identity, i just feel like dyyyingggggggg :@
thanks!
you’re funny!
haha