Anglo Irish Bank was an Irish commercial bank founded in Dublin in 1964 that grew into a major property lender before its collapse during the 2008 financial crisis, nationalization in 2009, and eventual wind-down under a new name. The bank’s most recognizable visual identity, an arrowhead logo, was introduced around 2000 and remained in use until April 2011, when the institution removed its signage as part of a rebranding effort.
Design and History
The Anglo Irish Bank logo featured a distinctive arrow or spearhead symbol. An internal bank document described the mark as a “true merger of past and future, of security and progression,” explaining that it was “based on early Irish references such as flint arrowheads, typography from the Book of Kells and crafted gold artefacts.” The same document noted that “the simplicity of the image sets the tone for a more cohesive corporate identity programme and spearheads measurable improvements in brand awareness.”[1]
The sign bearing this logo hung outside the bank’s headquarters on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin from 2000 to 2011.[2] The logo was described in an internal document as symbolizing “security and progression,” with the brand positioned as being “for the long haul.”[3]
On April 20, 2011, workers removed the Anglo Irish Bank signs from the bank’s offices and branches across Ireland, including the St Stephen’s Green headquarters, in a coordinated effort to leave the Anglo brand behind.[1] Anglo’s chief executive Mike Aynsley described the removal as both practical and symbolic, saying the organization was “fundamentally a different organisation than what it was.”[1]
The bank officially changed its name to Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Limited (trading as IBRC) on October 14, 2011.[4] Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the name was being changed “to remove the negative international references associated with the appalling failings of both institutions and their previous management.”[5] Aynsley stated that the name change was “of symbolic importance to all of us as we move on from the past.”[6]
The development of the new IBRC brand identity used external expertise to deliver identity guidelines and the redesign of over 200 pieces of print collateral.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The arrowhead symbol drew on early Irish visual culture. According to the bank’s internal documentation, the design referenced “flint arrowheads, typography from the Book of Kells and crafted gold artefacts.”[1] The logo was described as a “thrusting arrowhead” that merged “past and future, of security and progression.”[7]
The original sign from the St Stephen’s Green headquarters was later acquired by the National Museum of Ireland and displayed as part of Fintan O’Toole’s “A History of Ireland in 100 Objects” exhibition, where it was described as having become “a symbol of the excesses of the Celtic Tiger era.”[2]
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