Here are over 50 illustrations showing brand identities, image makeovers and new look-and-feels from banks and credit unions around the world. You can click on any image to enlarge.

Garanti Bank

Garanti is the third largest private bank in Turkey. Garanti asked i-am associates to enhance its brand communications, physical environments and visual MERCHANDISING. If a bank in an Islamic country like Turkey can develop a fresh brand image, so can you.

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SpareBank 1

SpareBank 1 is Norway’s third largest bank. It was launched in 1996, and completed this image rebrand in 2006. While the bank does have a few accent colors in its brand color palette, the corporate blue and red colors are predominate, helping create a universal link between brand pieces. Also note the red dimensional logo element. The days when you could get away with a flat, one-dimensional logo are over. These days, it helps to have a logo that works in 3D space, and (even better) one that can be dynamically animated for web or TV.

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New Alliance Bank

NewAlliance Bank is a regional banking and financial services company headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the third largest bank in Connecticut and fourth largest in New England. They partnered with Adams & Knight for this image makeover. Does anyone else notice the similarities between this brand and regional banking powerhouse PNC (the orange color, the triangular logo)?

NEW ALLIANCE BANK – “EVERY SQUARE FOOT”
This 30-second TV spot uses digital graphics to spice up a rather conservative creative solution. The bank’s CEO, Peyton Patterson, narrates.

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CU of Ohio

The Credit Union of Ohio hired Roust + Partners to help them reach Ohio State University students. A microsite, MoneyGrowsOnBuckeyes.com, is the centerpiece of the effort. Retail MERCHANDISING included posters, teller windows, bookmarks and printed paper coffee cups for the coffee café outside the new branch. A transit and point-of-sale campaign promoted financial literacy seminars. At times, the brand taps into the bitter rivalry between the University of Ohio and the University of Michigan.

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New India Bank

The new brand identity i-am associates created for New India Bank is both ultra modern and corporate. The BRANCH DESIGN radiates warmth and simple accessibility. ‘i-am’ was asked to look at every aspect of the business including brand image and culture. The branch is compact but bright, lively, colorful and energetic. Note: The first thing you should do if you want to create a retail BRANCH EXPERIENCE is get rid of those fluorescent lights. Lighting makes all the difference. The high ceilings also help keep a rather small branch from feeling too cramped.

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Innovations Federal Credit Union

Raoust + Partners developed Innovations Federal Credit Union’s new brand identity around tagline “Spark Change.” The brand campaign introduced a redesigned website at sparkingchange.com, with a more youthful look and tone. Campaign components include in the brand launch included TV, radio, billboard, print and two unusual websites, greatanotherstupidtoaster.com and doireallyneedanotherlollipop.com.

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Tinker Federal Credit Union

TFCU partnered with Third Degree in 2004 to create a completely new brand look-and-feel. The “we get it” campaign was used to reintroduce the TFCU difference to those looking for a financial institution that really understood them, their motivations, how they felt about money and what they wanted from life. It’s a conservative, lifestyle-based look and feel.

TFCU – “COUCH”
In one of the new brand’s initial spots, a couch becomes a symbol for all the things people want to be doing when they are not worrying about their money. You can see a more recent spot here.

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Bank of Scotland

Bank of Scotland tapped Young & Rubicam agency RKCR for the overhaul of this state-owned financial services brand. The refresh includes outdoor, print, radio and digital activity. Media planning and buying is by Mediaedge:cia. Archie Kane, Group Executive Director, said, “This is not about reinventing the Bank of Scotland brand, but allowing our customers to rediscover it.” The bank is also using the rebranding as an opportunity to drop “Halifax” from its old “Halifax Bank of Scotland” name. A television advertisement, voiced by Scottish actor Dougray Scott, features a young couple getting married, buying a home and starting a family, pointing out that “you never know where the next road will take you.” “This campaign will clearly and coherently communicate the Bank’s role in today’s modern and dynamic Scotland,” said Richard Exon at RKCR/Y&R.

BANK OF SCOTLAND – “WITH YOU ALL THE WAY”
This animated TV ad introduces the brand promise, “With You All The Way” (see also Wells Fargo’s “With You When”).

A showcase of 11 different creative marketing initiatives from banks and credit unions around the world.

Citi – “Kinda The Same Thing”

Someone snapped a photo of this transit ad from Citi. The bank can certainly benefit from a little lighthearted humor right now.

Three Rivers FCU – “Happy Dog”

This 30-second TV spot, made specifically to air during the 2010 Superbowl, involves a clever pairing between the soundtrack and visuals: a dog puts his head out of a car window and his gums flap in the wind to a victorious operetic performance. It’s fun to watch. Agency: Weber Marketing Group.

THREE RIVERS CREDIT UNION – “LUCKY DOG”

Keesler FCU – “Money Talks”

Keesler had the opportunity to teach financial education at Biloxi High School. To support the effort, agency Raoust + Partners created “Money Talks,” a Gen-Y style financial literacy program including a letter to parents, wearables, posters, pamphlets, and stickers.

St. George Bank – “Big Enough, Small Enough”

In this brand ad campaign for one of Australia’s larger financial instituions, St. George depicts itself as a “big bank,” something that has been out of vogue lately. The message: “Just because you’re big, doesn’t mean you have to act like it.”

ST. GEORGE BANK – “BIG ENOUGH, SMALL ENOUGH”

Bucks First FCU – “Violent & Awesome Commercial”

This Pennsylvania credit union teamed with internet sensations Rhett & Link (formerly of Alka Seltzer fame) to create an online commercial that must be seen to be to be believed. The video opens with a guy wearing a deer — err, make that a “buck” — costume getting hit by a car. The concientious motorists take the wounded buck to Bucks First FCU because they “treat bucks right.” Get it? The 90-second pun-o-rama has been viewed over 365,000 times with an average rating of 4.5 start (out of 5). Some observers in the financial industry have heralded the spot as an online marketing and social media triumph deluxe, while others have wondered if the video sends the right message about the credit union’s level of professionalism and financial acumen. What do you think?

BUCKS FIRST FCU – “VIOLENT & AWESOME COMMERCIAL”

Missouri Bank – Website

The first thing you should notice is how clean and refreshingly uncluttered the site is — markedly unbanklike. Then there is the interactive wall of testimonials with pictures and quotes from 75 different bank customers right on the homepage. This is one of the more interesting bank websites you’ll see.

Community Savings – “Piece of the Pie”

In Canada, it’s quite common for credit unions to give some of their profits back to members as “patronage dividends.” Promoting them the way Community Savings did prior to its merger with Servus is not common, however. The credit union boxed pies and printed messages on napkins encouraging everyone to “get their piece of the pie.” It’s a fresh take on what is arguably the hardest working pun in the financial industry.

ANZ – “Fraud Squad”

Australian Bank ANZ (pronounced “a-n-zed”) debuts a pair of spots about fraud, unauthorized online purchases and its “Fraud Money-Back Guarantee.” The spots portray the bank’s fictional Fraud Squad as a ridiculously zealous group with some wildly innovative (if not impractical) ideas for how to keep customers safe. The five-week campaign is supported by outdoor, online and ATM marketing. Agency: DDB Melbourne.

ANZ – FRAUD SQUAD “HELIUM GAS”

ANZ – FRAUD SQUAD “AIRBAG”

Department of Commerce FCU – “Auto Loans”

Agency Raoust + Partners turned what could have been just another boring auto loan product promotion into something visually interesting by drawing on car-related imagery. The checkered flag, chrome lettering and dashboard gauges are nice touches.

Golden 1 Credit Union – “No Bailouts.”

Many banks and credit unions have been quite comfortable — and arguably successful — celebrating a single point of differentiation: they are too small for bailouts. While the heyday of headlines like “Bailouts are for boats” and anti-jet banners has passed, there’s enough residual consumer resentment towards the financial industry that the bailout-bashing angle still has some traction.

Pinnacle Bank – “Move Your Money”

Like many community banks, Pinnacle wanted to make the most out of Huffington’s “Move Your Money” populist campaign, so they created this email marketing piece. The message isn’t promotional nor self-serving in any way. It simply invites people to check out the “Move Your Money” website and viral YouTube video. Lots of banks looked to capitalize on Huffington’s efforts, but not that many were willing to help promote like this.

Union Bank – “Rock Solid”

A blogger snapped this photo of a “rock” on the teller counters at Union Bank. It turns out the “rock” was made of soft foam. “About as solid as a marshmallow,” the blogger wryly notes.

Allianz – Elevator

An elevator wrapped in graphics that look like a bank vault. The sign inside the elevator reads (translaätion): “Keep your money in a safe place.” Clever out-of-home advertising.

Visa – “Anthem”

Every two years, TV viewers around the world are treated to some of the most spectacular, inspiring ads ever created. The cinematography, the story lines, the editing are all extraordinary. Unfortunately, most of these ads don’t promote the companies who paid millions to produce and air them. They only seem to build the Olympic brand, such this beautiful mintue-long spot for the 2010 Winter Olympics from Visa.

Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the ad that talks about themes like “imagination,” “spirit,” “precision,” “speed,” “grace” and “magic,” concepts that seem markedly unrelated to either Visa or banking. It’s almost like a PSA for the Olympics: “This feel-good moment of unity and celebration is brought to you by…Visa! More People Go With Visa.”

You may prefer watching this kind of spot versus an ad for something like “Head On, apply directly to the forehead,” but you’ll quickly forget it was Visa who made it once you see a dozen other advertisers trot out their similarly commercialized celebrations of Olympic spirit and pride. You can see another gorgeous Visa spot for the Winter Olympics here.

SunTrust – “Swap a Solid” Facebook Application

SunTrust Bank recently launched Swap a Solid, a Facebook application that provides users with a forum for exchanging goods and services with their Facebook friends. At the Facebook app, you can “Request a Solid,” or view “Solid Requests.” The Swap a Solid name harkens back to the bank’s current ad slogan, “Live Solid,” although some people might think it’s disgusting to “swap a solid” with anyone other than their spouse.

Standard Bank – “Mr. HIV”

Standard Chartered, a bank serving Asia, Africa and the Middle East, made a pledge to the Clinton Global Initiative to educate one million people about the prevention and spread of HIV & AIDS by 2010. To achieve this, they commissioned an animated short film that chronicles a “Mr. HIV,” a personified virus looking for a job so he can destroy the human body. The script is entertaining. The CG is comparable to a Pixar production. As far as public health PSAs go, you can’t get much better. You can watch the whole series here.

Deutsche Bank – Greenhouse Gases Widget

Deutsche Bank recently launched a free widgetized version of its “Carbon Counter,” a landmark digital billboard in New York City which displays the running total of long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The widget comes as part of the bank’s broader campaign to raise public awareness of climate change and encourage investment. (A widget is a downloadable, stand-alone application that can be embedded into an end-user’s web page or desktop.) It’s very interesting to see a bank commit itself so strongly to one side of a political hot potato.

Innovations FCU – “Jingle Bells Lip Dub”

You’re probably burned out on the holidays, but this video is too good to pass up. It’s a singing, dancing lip-synch of a techno version of “Jingle Bells.” The choreography involves the credit union’s entire staff — some 35+ people — in one, single 3-minute take. It is toe-tapping fun, festive and well-produced, yet not so slick that it feels expensive or pretentious. Hat tip to Christopher Stevenson at CUES who was the first to spot the video, and kudos to agency Raoust+Partners, who reportedly produced it.

Belvoir Credit Union – Brand Image & Identity

When Fort Belvoir Credit Union decided it was time to drop the “Fort” from its name, they turned to Third Degree Advertising for a new brand image and identity that is decidedly unmilitaristic.

Capitec – Simplicity

This minute-long TV spot features CG animation with a narrator in a virtual world who describes a bank that is unbelievably perfect. Quite frankly, it sounds too good to be true. The spot ends with the tagline, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”