Banco do Brasil, Brazil’s largest bank, uses a visual identity built around a distinctive symbol and wordmark. The brand’s official manual defines the “marca” (mark) as the combination of a symbol and a logotype, with the symbol serving as the principal element of the bank’s visual identity system.[1]
Design and History
The current Banco do Brasil symbol was created in 1968 through a design competition organized by the bank. The winning entry, selected from 4,460 submissions, was created by architect Dírcio Guilhon and designers Humberto Bonetti and José Milton Ferrari. The prize was 8,000 new cruzeiros, roughly equivalent to 66 minimum wages at the time.[2]
The winning design was an oblique and inverse combination of two lowercase “b” letters, arranged to suggest a dollar sign (cifrão).[2] The symbol’s construction corresponds to the interlaced forms of two “b” letters, disposed contrarily.[3]
Over the following decades, the logo received several alterations in typography and softening of the symbol’s strokes, while the color pattern and the symbol itself remained consistent.[4] In 1995, the bank replaced the Univers typeface family with Arial for text composition, and in 2000, the yellow tone was adjusted.[5]
In late 2020, after 25 years of using Arial, Banco do Brasil introduced a custom, exclusive typeface in its year-end campaign.[6] The new font, called Banco do Brasil Typo, was designed by Estúdio Fábio Haag in collaboration with FutureBrand and Banco do Brasil teams.[7][8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Banco do Brasil symbol is described in the brand manual as the main element of the visual identity system, used as the company’s identification sign due to its high recognition index.[9] The symbol’s recognition among the Brazilian public rose from 54% in the 1980s to 91% in 1993, a level considered excellent.[5]
The official colors of the Banco do Brasil identity are institutional blue and institutional yellow.[1] The institutional blue is specified as Pantone Blue 2369 C.[9]
Typography and Design
The Banco do Brasil logotype is composed of an exclusive graphic typology of special design and restricted use.[10] The brand manual specifies that the logomarca should be applied in the bank’s yellow and blue colors, and on white backgrounds, the logomarca appears in blue.[9]
The Banco do Brasil Typo, introduced in 2020, was created as a custom, exclusive typeface for the bank. The new typography was part of a broader identity refresh that included a new color palette, illustration style, and photography direction, giving the brand a more vibrant and human personality.[11]
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