Scotiabank

Re-establishing a global icon through life and living.

Challenge

In 1832, Scotiabank opened its doors in Canada. Nearly 200 years later, they have expanded to 22 countries around the world. But as their business grew, their brand identity became increasingly fragmented and inconsistent.

Scotiabank needed to re-establish itself as a global leader in banking with their first ever globally unified brand identity.

The image shows a modern Scotiabank branch with large glass windows and a red accent panel featuring the bank's logo. Next to it is a Scotiabank-branded notepad design, red on the left with a grid pattern.
A collage of diverse images featuring people and nature, each with the phrase "It's not about what's new. It's about what's next" and a red Scotiabank logo. The scenes include a pianist, a sleeping baby, mountain landscapes, and swimmers, conveying progress and anticipation.
Red background with the word "Scotiabank" in bold white letters, centered.
Color palette featuring "Scotia Red" as a large red block on the left. Right side has smaller blocks: Document (cream), Stone (gray), Charcoal (black), Apricot, Sunflower, Ocean, Sky, Oxblood, Blossom, Plum, Lilac, Forest, and Leaf.

Solution

In collaborations with Scotiabank’s internal teams across continents, we built a cohesive, consistent brand system reflecting the real lives of real clients.

We started with the Red Bar, which establishes a strong brand foundation and a visual connection with our branches. The Artful Grid connects business lines across more than fifty countries. A refined colour palette carries forward the brand’s playful boldness with new sophistication and reflects the world around us. A new approach to photography captures the dynamism and richness of real life: culture, heritage, spaces, and nature, reflecting every region the bank calls home. And to connect our visuals with our tone of voice, a bespoke typeface and illustration style to elevate the brand beyond category.

Image comparing sans-serif and serif fonts. Left, white sans-serif 'Nn' on red; right, black serif 'Nn' on cream. Horizontal guide lines across both.
Red background with white "Scotia Serif Headline" text. Displays uppercase, lowercase letters, numbers 0-9, and symbols like $, &, %, * in serif font.
A laptop screen displaying a Scotiabank website with a purple banner stating, "Empathy you can bank on. Advice you can bank with." A human couple embraces on the left.
A smartphone in a red jacket displays a graph with the text "Build your own inheritance." Next to it, a red sign with a white Scotiabank logo stands among greenery.
A vibrant advertisement featuring a joyful person leaping in a grassy meadow under a clear sky, flanked by bold text "Life" and "Living" in red and blue.
Billboard under a blue sky with clouds, featuring a thoughtful woman in a light green shirt. Text reads, "Trusted for 190 years. That's a reputation you can bank on." Scotiabank logo on the left.
Subway escalator wall with five posters featuring motivational quotes. The vibrant images and text create an inspiring and uplifting atmosphere.
Three outdoor Scotiabank ads in different languages. The French ad shows a brick archway, the English ad features a human couple hugging, and the Spanish ad displays a mountainous landscape.

IMPACT

Scotiabank’s new brand identity has been rolled out across the entire bank, from Canada to Mexico, and Peru to Chile, reflecting a contemporary, sophisticated, and authentic global icon.

  • 22

    countries

  • +25 MM

    customers served worldwide

  • 1

    global brand

More Design Work