For years, Powercash21 has grown businesses by helping them take payments easily, securely and globally. But while they operate in a modern sector, their brand was a little out of touch — so they asked us to bring them up to date.
The client and the challenge
Creating a modern brand for a modern business
The Big idea
Striking the right balance
The payments industry is rooted in technology but handling the most important aspect of a business — its cash flow — is an inherently trustworthy exercise.
We wanted the new brand to combine a forward-thinking aesthetic with a tone of voice that was warmer and more personable, giving them the best of both worlds.
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The job here was to marry an eye-catching, futuristic aesthetic that still felt approachable and human. We think the results have achieved exactly that.
Mark Bower — Executive Creative Director, Woven
It starts with strategy
Before we got creative, we got collaborative. Our strategy team worked with Powercash to understand their goals, competition and audience. We pored over industry whitepapers and financial research platforms to identify and establish the brand’s key buyer personas.
From this under-the-hood thinking, we gave them a brand archetype, the Innocent, as a way to make the brand more human and accessible. We developed detailed buyer personas to target our brand aesthetic and messaging at, as well as a full brand articulation, including a new mission, vision, brand essence and value proposition.
A name to trust
The business operated as ‘Powercash’ for many years, but in creating a more mature and trustworthy identity, we gave them a new name tag. A number of options were provided, each one trying to strike the balance between technology and trust.
In the end, the chosen name was ‘Payabl’ — modern and memorable, the name gets to the heart of the brand, bringing personality without ambiguity.
The result, a design of the times
While our tone of voice carried the brand’s personable approach, our design dialled up the futuristic feel.
Deep blues and greens provide real impact, off which stand neon design elements that give visual intrigue, differentiation and memorability. A soft-edged sans serif font softens the tone, again striking that balance between technology and approachability. While the new logo was a striking wordmark with a neon-imbued full stop.
The end result is a brand that has dramatic visual impact but reflects our Innocent archetype with a warm, welcoming and trustworthy tone.