Abrdn was the name adopted in 2021 by the Edinburgh-based investment firm formerly known as Standard Life Aberdeen. The company announced its intention to change its name to “abrdn plc” on 26 April 2021, with the new name pronounced “Aberdeen” and intended to serve as a modern, agile, digitally-enabled brand for all client-facing businesses globally.[1] The name change became effective on 5 July 2021, when Standard Life Aberdeen plc was formally renamed abrdn plc and its stock ticker changed from SLA to ABDN.[2]
Design and History
The Abrdn visual identity was created by the branding agency Wolff Olins, the firm behind the 2012 London Olympics branding.[3] The new logo consisted of rows of tiny dots forming a geometric lowercase “a”.[4] Stephen Bird, then chief executive, explained that the dotted “a” logo was designed to resemble the transition from an abacus to fibre optic cables.[5]
The rebrand replaced five different brand names that had been operating independently across the business.[1] The company said the new name was chosen because it “works digitally and is sufficiently unique that it can be attributed exclusively to the company as opposed to the wider connotations of the long-form ‘Aberdeen’.”[3]
The vowel-free name generated widespread criticism and mockery from financial media, branding professionals and social media commentators.[5] In 2024, the company’s chief investment officer Peter Branner described the sustained criticism as “corporate bullying.”[6]
In March 2025, the company reversed the rebrand. On 4 March 2025, chief executive Jason Windsor announced the company would change its name to Aberdeen Group plc, saying the move was intended to remove the “distraction” of the conversation around the vowel-less name.[7] The change of name to Aberdeen Group plc was registered with Companies House with effect from 12 March 2025, with the stock ticker remaining ABDN.[8]
Meaning and Symbolism
Wolff Olins said at the time of the 2021 rebrand that the new identity “symbolises the free-flowing movement of money.”[9] The dotted “a” logo was described by the company’s chief executive as representing the transition from an abacus to fibre optic cables, signalling a shift toward a digitally-enabled brand.[5]
Typography and Design
The Abrdn wordmark was written entirely in lowercase letters.[10] When the company reverted to Aberdeen Group in 2025, it retained the lowercase styling, with the word “aberdeen” used as the principal trading identity for its investments and adviser businesses.[11] The logo mark itself remained the same after the 2025 name change, with only the wordmark updated to reflect the full name.[7]
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