Setting the foundations for Brand Lloyds to act as an operating system for its wider transformation.

Everyone has a next step forward

A lot has happened in UK banking over the past two decades. From the 2008 global financial crisis, to the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the market has changed and customer expectations are greater than ever.

Not content to rest on the laurels of the company’s near 330-year heritage, Lloyds’ ambition was to harness the full banking group’s product offering in service of what matters to customers and businesses. This required a radical rethink of the whole Lloyds experience.

Following the appointment of Suresh Balaji as Chief Marketing Officer in 2023, the work of transforming Lloyds into a digital-first, future-fit brand began.

We built from Lloyds’ existing corporate purpose: Helping Britain Prosper. But the reality is that prosperity can still feel like a pipe dream for some people today.

A critical reason is that, whilst nearly everyone has a step forward (whether moving on from difficulty or towards a goal), some people feel stuck; unable to take it.

This insight formed the new positioning, flexible across B2C and B2B: Lloyds moves everyone forward. Deliberately pragmatic, it’s intended to be a prompt for teams developing new products and services as well as a lens for future innovation.

The Cancara Philosophy

We developed a design philosophy for the brand - ‘The Cancara Philosophy’ - in tribute to the name of the original Lloyds black horse, to ensure every element of the brand experience is distinctly Lloyds. This philosophy is not just about aesthetics; it’s about ensuring that every interaction embodies the values and emotions the brand stands for.

Wolff Olins consulted with an equine expert to ensure representation of the semiotics and accurate stylised anatomy of Cancara in the evolution of the logo; allowing the horse to move and become a more interactive and integrated element. Motion behaviours translated from classic horse movements bring to life moments across the customer experience from interactions, to transactions.

A customised GT Ultra type inspired by early 20th century British typefaces, rendered dynamically and adapted through weights and shaping. The colour palette has been reinvigorated, with a new sense of ownership of the classic Lloyds green, nodding to the greenery of Britain’s landscape. An updated tone of voice evokes that grounded sense of Britishness, with a new photography style holding a mirror to contemporary culture.

A brand operating system for Lloyds

We know that no brand is ever set and done. It constantly iterates, evolves, transforms. Like the operating systems of the tech giants. Our work together with the Lloyds team has paved a foundational stone for how the Lloyds brand lives from here on into the future – always evolving, always in step with its purpose.

And experience is where the brand truly comes to life, with propositions that help meet the needs of Lloyds customers. Whether that's supporting first time buyers on their first step on the property ladder, preparing for retirement, or managing everyday banking needs, the experience is at the heart to empower people when it comes to managing their finances.

The relaunch of the Lloyds app is another step in this new direction, bringing the breadth of Lloyds’ offer under one roof to give customers a complete view of their finances.

And so the launch of the refreshed brand marks an extraordinary moment for this treasured British bank, with changes that aren’t only helping Lloyds customers to move forward, but sees the brand move forward too.

_{Credits: Kintzing / Sophie Green / Yatta / Marco Palmieri / Oliver Bussell / Grilli Type / Clare Brash / Monolith / Richard Caldicot / Sparkview / Jordon Cheung}