BankUnited is a bank holding company headquartered in Miami Lakes, Florida, that was reorganized in 2009 after the failure of its predecessor institution. The bank’s current visual identity, introduced in 2011, was created by the New York office of the design firm Pentagram, with Luke Hayman and Paula Scher credited as the designers behind the new brand identity [1].
Design and History
BankUnited was founded in 1984 and became the largest bank in Florida before collapsing during the financial crisis of 2007-2010. In 2009, the FDIC sold the failed bank to a group of investors, and the new BankUnited was reborn as a startup [2]. The bank’s pre-failure logo featured an illustration of a palm tree, which tied the company to Florida [2]. As the recapitalized bank planned to expand beyond Florida, the palm tree was dropped in favor of a new abstract symbol [1].
The new identity debuted publicly on January 28, 2011, when BankUnited executives rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on the day of the company’s IPO [2]. The bank’s trademark registration, filed in December 2010 and registered in May 2012, describes the mark as “two joined arches with words ‘BankUnited’ underneath joined arches” [3].
Meaning and Symbolism
Pentagram created an abstract symbol called “the bridge,” based on the curving forms of the letters B and U. The icon was inspired by the causeways of Miami, and also represents a bridge between south and north, local and global, today and tomorrow, now and the future [2]. BankUnited’s corporate creative director James Wood explained: “Bridges move people and companies from one place to another. This is the bridge to the future of BankUnited” [2].
In October 2011, BankUnited announced a $9 million refurbishment that included a physical overhaul of its branches as well as a brand new logo and signage. The company described the new logo as referencing “the arch imagery of its predecessor with curving forms to create a bridge that symbolically unites BankUnited with its customers, the rest of the country, the world, new opportunities and the future” [4]. The branch updates also introduced a new palette of colors featuring a blend of pastel browns and blues [4].
Typography and Design
The identity pairs the bridge symbol with the bank’s name set in the typeface Akkurat [2]. The bridge symbol was designed to be used as a graphic motif on credit cards, print collateral and digital applications, and the identity was implemented in environmental graphics at bank branches [2]. Pentagram described the new identity as communicating “the accessibility of a local bank with the gravitas of a global brand” [2].
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