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.

The intention

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.

year

2023

Brand Elements
Serifs that ground the personality
The first decision that gave the refreshed identity its new weight: 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.
Visual Language
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.
The Experience
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.
The Experience
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.
The Experience
Clarity through 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.
The Experience
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.

Outcomes

Where the brand met the real world
One of the key measures of success for the rebrand was whether its values could survive in a live product. Rather than pasting brand assets onto screens, we carried over principles, so the brand's promise of accessible, human finance became the app's guiding logic, expressed through equivalents suited to the medium.
On staying relevant
The rebrand set out to give a growing brand a more unified expression. Rather than discarding the quirky personality and vivid colour palette that set Brand New Day apart in an otherwise sterile finance sector We collaborated closely with the internal design team within Brand New Day for on-boarding, handover and guidance so they were able to continue with the app's new features in future.

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.

Colorful collaboration with

Toby Mok, Yordy van der Werff, Joeri Kiekebosch, Elian Duits, Fernanda Arouca and the internal Brand New Day design team.

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.

Colorful collaboration with

Toby Mok, Yordy van der Werff, Joeri Kiekebosch, Elian Duits, Fernanda Arouca and the internal Brand New Day design team.

See related project

visual identity

2025

Simon Lévelt

A brand identity designed to carry a flavorful brand

I am a designer with a practice focused on all things related to brand, digital design, visual systems, art direction and concept. I am based in Haarlem, The Netherlands but will be happy to collaborate remotely in the EU / US and on site in the Netherlands and Singapore.

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Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Glimpses

2024 - 2026

I am a designer with a practice focused on all things related to brand, digital design, visual systems, art direction and concept. I am based in Haarlem, The Netherlands but will be happy to collaborate remotely in the EU / US and on site in the Netherlands and Singapore.

Home

Index

Information

LinkedIn

Say hello
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
—
—

Glimpses

2024 - 2026