Visa refreshes branding to show it is more than a credit card company

Visa is refreshing its brand identity to prepare itself for the future of digital commerce and show that it is more than a credit card company. Done together with global brand design firm Mucho, the new identity features refreshed colours for digital impact, a custom font created for optimal digital experiences and an updated brand symbol designed to express the purpose behind the organisation. The new brand will officially launch later this year. 

Visa has long stood for trust, security, acceptance and inclusion. These core values, in addition to the goal of enabling access for everyone to participate in the global economy, will be expressed through a modernised, dynamic visual brand identity, built in partnership with leading global brand design firm Mucho. In APAC, the new branding will launch in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand by the end of the month, Japan in the first half of August and India in September. In total, the campaign will roll out in 19 markets by the end of the month. Visa's spokesperson declined to comment on the monetary value of the rebranding. The latest refresh comes seven years after it removed the gold "V" in 2014.

The new brand identity will be visible in more than 200 countries and territories Visa is operating in. The brand refresh taps on more than 60 years of experience and branding that Visa has built and ties in with the founding vision of "What if money became fully electronic?"

It is also inviting the world to "Meet Visa" via a short film directed by Malik Hassan Sayeed and developed by Wieden+Kennedy. Complementing this introductory film is a series of shorter digital films and photography that showcase the breadth of the Visa network working to provide access and advancing commerce for real people in real places around the world. At the same time, Visa also worked with photographer Camilla Falquez and Argentinian directing team Pantera & Co to capture moments. They include finding flexibility in how to get paid; connecting local merchants to global sellers; working on a future where crypto can buy cool things; and helping turn side jobs into global sensations. The campaign will run on TV, digital and OOH. 

Lynne Biggar, EVP and global CMO of Visa, said people think they “know” Visa but what they do not see is how those four letters operate the most dynamic network of people, partnerships and products.

“We are capturing the bold ambition of Visa with this brand evolution as a way to express what we stand for and what we strive for. With the world reopening and with money increasingly moving in new ways, there’s no better time to showcase the work we do and the impact a purpose-driven brand with Visa’s scale can have to enable individuals, businesses and economies to thrive,” she said.

The brand appointed Wieden+Kennedy and Publicis Groupe last December to manage global creative duties following a pitch held earlier in 2020. According to Biggar previously, Wieden+Kennedy leads creative strategy and major initiatives, while Publicis Groupe and its holding company capabilities add product and support for hyper-local work to its remit while remaining responsible for global media. Meanwhile, Starcom has been handling global media duties for Visa since 2015. BBDO and Saatchi & Saatchi were the incumbents on the account, with the former leading creative globally since taking over from TBWA\ in 2012.