translated Brand New Day's quirky finance brand into an assuring product experience
In a finance industry full of sterile, interchangeable branding, Brand New Day stood apart through a quirky persona and a vivid colour palette. But like any brand that outgrows its first look, it had reached the point where that early identity no longer held together as one coherent expression. The work fell into two connected chapters: first rebuilding the brand, then giving it a home in the bank's very first mobile app.
Recognisable and refined
We made a deliberate choice not to sand down the quirkiness and vibrancy that made the bank recognisable. Instead, we carried those values into the app, while staying true to our core intent: designing for assurance and calm through volatility.
Abstract ideas with everyday scenes through photography
Photography took a figurative approach, putting people at the centre and depicting abstract financial ideas through clever real-world situations, always with a considered tone rather than reaching for easy humour.
Big financial concepts softened through illustrations
Soft, rounded 3D objects turn abstract financial ideas into something friendly and tangible, keeping the brand's vivid palette.
Serifs that ground the personality
Typography shifted from Museo Sans to Museo Slab, a subtle move but one that lend the brand more depth of character without feeling out of place.
Giving the experience a clear, material structure
To form an overall calming feeling and distinguish between the branded and functional worlds, the app had two distinct visual language: The neumorphic and frosted look.
Designing for calmness and assurance
The app became Brand New Day's first, and its guiding insight reframed the whole design problem. When markets spike or plunge, composure is hard to hold, and since interface and content shape how people use an app, the team consciously chose not to design for interaction, but for assurance.
Assurance through simplicity
Users will be greeted with calm yet energised gradients where they will be able to get an overview of the information that matters to them.
Clarity through selective emphasis
Data visualisations need not be overwhelming. This is why we use soft elevations to enhance and emphasise what is important to the user, without overwhelming them.
Accessible financial knowledge
Brand New Day wanted to make financial knowledge accessible. We brought this to life through assets like photography and illustrations that are easy to understand and complements the content.
Character with composure
By refusing to trade personality for the sterile conventions of finance, Brand New Day's rebrand and first app proved that a bank can feel both distinctive and calming. The result is a unified brand experience, from communications to product, with a product built not for interaction, but for assurance in a volatile world.
Responsibilities
My role was to create scalable components, maintain and document the behaviours of the components and interaction patterns. Through the delivery of the app, we were able to establish a unified design system for Brand New Day, creation of the brand guidelines.
Credits
Toby Mok, Yordy van der Werff, Joeri Kiekebosch, Elian Duits, Dylan van Sprang, Fernanda Arouca and the internal Brand New Day design team.
Up next
Available from 2027