I can’t help but be a bit sad to see the blue and green Wachovia signs being replaced by red and gold Wells Fargo signs. All vestiges of First Union and Wachovia, once strongholds in North Carolina, are being erased. The end of an era notwithstanding, I find the red and yellow / gold of the Wells Fargo logo glaring and unfriendly, and as a non-designer friend put it, “that font has got to go.”
But what is it about the colors of a logo that brings about such negative feelings?
If you look at the psychology of colors, red is associated with energy, strength, and power—all things intense and passionate. Yellow can show optimism and idealism, and remind you of gold (the kind that is garnering a large price per ounce these days), but can also be seen as dishonest, cowardly and deceitful.
For the bright red and yellow to be such a primary part of a bank logo, it seems to be a bit off the mark. If you look at other major bank logos, no other logo has as much red. Bank of America’s logo has red, but it’s part of a flag, which indicates the Americanism of the brand. Citibank and US Bank also use red in their logos, but combine with a blue that evokes the “red, white and blue” of America. JPMorgan Chase’s logo is all blue. PNC, WaMu (Washington Mutual), and SunTrust stray from the USA theme, but still use blue along with orange or yellow.
Blue can evoke feelings of peace, stability, security, and confidence—feelings you want to have when you put your money somewhere.
We won’t debate the actual state of banking here; however, it’s important to consider the psychology of color for your brand. You wouldn’t consider pink (caring, tenderness, love) for a motorcycle or car brand logo, but for breast cancer awareness, it fits. Green (nature, environment, fertility) is used for eco-friendly product brands or sub-brands; you’d never use lavender (femininity, grace) in a logo to try to communicate the same message.
So, think pink, dream in color, and while it might not be easy to be green, consider the color mood of your brand.
I can’t believe you’re the only one who wrote an article on this, thank you! I could talk all day about the atrocity of the logo and branding change, but you hit the main part of the logo.
Aside from all that, it kinda reminds me of McDonalds. It doesn’t matter how you look at it, the wells Fargo logo s*cks. The wachovia ia superb in so many ways. The green and blue excellent choices for all their meanings.
Ditching the incredible branding Wachovia had was such a bad idea. People loved Wachovia, and they had an incredible brand. #1 in customer service, that ad never leaves my mind. I’m seriously considering switching. If Wells Fargo did such a poor job with the take over, what else will change?
All of this is nonsense. Any suggestions on alternative banks for checking/savings?
Thanks for the read Karen. I was having a similar conversation the other day. There is something intimidating about the visual look of Wells Fargo. As Bev mentioned – Wachovia seemed to blend into the neighborhood and felt like a part of it. I feel a huge part of Charlotte has been taken and that stigma leaves an interesting challenge for Wells Fargo. How to win Wachovia supporters over? I must say driving by the new red stop signs has my attention. In the end – how they treat their inherited customers will influence us the most. There needs to be some sort of human element weaved into the brand somehow.
great read, karen. k-mart [and many other retailers] have historically used the combination of yellow/red to connote “sale.” typically more yellow, less red. as a result, red in retail automatically means “on sale” these days.
often, it is the combination of colors that change the perception, as well as the hue and saturation of the color.
to your non-designer friend who thinks the font “has got to go,” i admit, it’s not a very handsome identity, but it carries a ton of equity from the west. but that is yet another posting…
Great post Karen!!
Karen,
Maybe Wells Fargo is staying with red and yellow on purpose, to try to communicate strength and optimism. It could be a good strategy, because the meaning and association of blue may well change in our minds if banks keep acting the same way and using blue as their color. “Blue can evoke feelings of peace, stability, security, and confidence …” not really most people’s reality right now.
Insightful post — thanks!
Karen,
This is so interesting and right on the mark. There is a WF branch on the corner of my street and the new sign makes me wince every time I go by it. It feels way too aggressive to be in my neighborhood, while Wachovia felt like a nice neighbor.