A market characterised by intense consolidation
The Nordic banking world sector was in a state of intense consolidation throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Danske Bank as we know it today is the result of a merger in 1990 between three Danish banks: Den Danske Bank af 1871, Kjøbenhavns Handelsbank and Provinsbanken. Most recently, Danske Bank has expanded through mergers with the Norwegian Fokus Bank, the Swedish Östgöta Enskilda Bank and the mortgage bank Real Danmark.
Today, the Danske Bank Group serves over three million private customers and a large portion of the business, industry, public and institutional clients in the Nordic countries. With its approximately 20,000 employees and the largest number of branches in Denmark, more than 60 branches in Norway and about 50 branches in Sweden, Danske Bank is one of the most significant financial groups in the Nordic countries.
The branding project was initiated after Danske Bank merged with Fokus Bank and Östgöta Enskilda Bank. At that time, the Group did not project an image of a unified organisation and its appearance was incoherent and out of date. To achieve a stronger market position, the Group decided to create one brand for the entire Group, including all companies and areas of activity. The goal was to harmonise and modernise the Group’s appearance and to present all stakeholders in the bank’s markets with a coherent expression in all communications and all types of media.
Finding, not inventing values
The branding project began with an internal value clarification process. The Group refined a set of values that formed the basis for the branding initiative and that served to position the Group in the financial market. The values – integrity, commitment, accessibility, expertise and value creation – were to be reflected in both internal and external communication. That way they would contribute to ensuring a distinct correlation between the actual behaviour of the bank and the promises the bank makes to the outside world – between the Group’s identity and its brand.
As a supplement to the values, Kontrapunkt and Danske Bank developed a core concept – simplicity – to act as the measuring point for the development of the bank’s visual identity. Every single design element developed for the Group has been held up against the desire for simplicity. In this way, the overall core concept has ensured coherence and unity in the brand.
A modern nordic expression
After the market position and the overall brand architecture was in place, the design programme was developed.
The collaboration between the bank and Kontrapunkt has been characterised by a very high level of ambition, which is reflected in several of the design solutions – the brand includes all of the Group’s focus areas, which are thoroughly and carefully prepared down to the smallest detail.
The Nordic foundation was important because the Group’s principal activities are Nordic. In addition to this, inspiration came from various means of payment – bank notes, cheques and credit cards – which have contributed a horizontal artistic idiom to the design.
The result is a simple Nordic and modern design with a classic quality that can represent the Group for many years to come.
The brand must be observed
In autumn 2000, practically from one day to the next, customers were presented with Danske Bank’s new look.
In the branches, all material with the old design was replaced in one day with printed material in the new design. From that same day, all customers received redesigned correspondence from the bank. The old facade signs were taken down and the new signs put up immediately. After a month, all the facades had been replaced. The bank’s communications – advertisements, PR material and campaigns – helped to underpin the change from the old design to the new, modern and coherent brand under the slogan “Do what you’re best at – we do”.
The design was initially introduced in Denmark, and subsequently in Sweden and Norway.
A new design and new communications are, however, far from enough to create a strong brand. The employees must also live up to what the brand promises. The bank’s set of values has therefore become a concrete tool for maintenance, development and quality improvement of the bank’s work. The set of values has been put into practice through a set of measuring points for each value, thus acting as an active management tool for both the management and employees. This has helped to ensure that the Danske Bank brand is observed both internally and externally.
The world knows what this bank stands for
Branding has meant that the bank today projects a simple and straightforward profile that distinctly reflects the essence of the bank and its areas of activity.
All of the bank’s communications have become stronger and the messages clearer and more coherent. The culture has been strengthened throughout the organisation, as present employees know their workplace better and new employees can be recruited based on a more proactive and clarified image of the bank. Current and potential customers of the bank now also know what the Group stands for.
