MIDDLE EAST
THE NINE
CONFIDENCE-
INSPIRING LOGOS
Haaving shown themselves to be as reliable a storage facility for our money as a damp cardboard
boox, banks need to inspire consumer confidence now more than ever. We take a look at nine of the
leading banks in the UAE and see what their la ogos tell us about what lies beneath
1
Barclays
The eagle. A symbol of strength and grace. Who wouldn’t trust this magnificent bird to look after their nest egg? (‘Birds’ live in ‘nests’!) Obviously, the eagle’s head has
to be turned to the side to work in silhouette, but having it face away from the bank’s name does make it look as if it’s a little distracted. Perhaps by fears that the once
plentiful supply of insignificant rodents which it could strip to the bone is now running out. Confidence factor (out of 10): 5
2
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
It’s sleek, simple and shiny, which is all good. But the
triangles are open to interpretation. They’re probably
3
Al Hilal Bank
The latest entrant to the UAE’s banking sector, Al Hilal Bank’s logo stands out from the crowd
with its use of orange, suggesting a warmth that is missing not only from other banks’ logos,
meant to be read as bold and forward-looking, which—again— but from their service. The enigmatic ‘square in a circle’, however, lets this effort down. Like the
is good for a bank. But if you look at them another way, you can ADCB arrows, it’s reminiscent of a remote control button. In this case, ‘Stop’. That holds all kinds of
see a rewind button. Which isn’t so good, suggesting a desper- negative connotations—freezing assets, static, inability to run smoothly—which no bank wants to be
ate desire to return to happier times. Confidence factor: 4 associated with. Confidence factor: 4
4
Dubai Islamic Bank
It’s possibly the least glamorous of the nine logos here,
but—in this region at least—it may just be the most
effective. Most obviously because it has the word ‘Islamic’ in it,
but also because of the use of old-school calligraphy and the
colour green (happily, for a bank, not only the colour of Islam,
but—traditionally—the colour of money too). It’s all a little
clunky, but sometimes, in times of trouble, people want a bit of
old-fashioned charm. Confidence factor: 8
10 / 25 JANUARY 2009
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