The Commonwealth Bank of Australia, widely known as CommBank, has used a diamond-shaped logo since 1991. In October 2020, the bank refreshed that diamond for the first time in almost three decades, replacing the yellow and black version with an all-yellow, two-tone design. The refresh was developed with M&C Saatchi and its design business Re Agency.[1]
Design and History
In its 110-year history, the bank has had three distinct official logos plus a trial design that was never formally adopted.[2]
The first logo, used from 1911 to 1960, was a Coat of Arms closely linked to the federal government that established the bank. Apart from a small tweak in 1926, it stayed virtually the same for almost half a century.[2]
During the 1950s, a circular, two-toned blue logo displaying the CBA initials appeared on some customer-facing facades and bank stationery, but it never replaced the Coat of Arms and was never formally adopted.[2]
From 1960 to 1991, the bank used a corporate logo featuring a map of Australia within a black circle with three radiating rings. The rings represented the group’s main operating businesses: the Commonwealth Savings Bank, the Commonwealth Trading Bank and the Commonwealth Development Bank. The gold background represented wealth, while a seven-pointed star symbolised the Commonwealth of Australia and the states. The name and star were removed from the logo in 1984.[2]
The diamond logo was introduced in 1991 following a partial privatisation and a merger with the State Bank of Victoria. Market research undertaken in 1987 had revealed the bank was perceived as old-fashioned and out of date. The diamond was designed by Ken Cato, a leading branding consultant at the time.[2] The 1991 wordmark featured the name “Commonwealth Bank” with a typographical “arch” merging the two “m’s” in the middle of the word.[3]
In October 2020, the bank refreshed the diamond. The black stripe in the bottom right corner was removed in favour of a full yellow version, and the conjoined “m’s” were removed from the wordmark, with “Commonwealth” and “Bank” separated.[3] The bank described the new logo as “lighter, brighter and more dynamic.”[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The diamond shape represents the stars of the Southern Cross constellation, described by the bank as a “truly Australian identity.” In the 1991 design, the yellow portion linked the five points between each star, with black completing the diamond shape.[2] At its launch, the bank described the original diamond as “bold, strong, modern and progressive.”[2]
The 2020 refresh replaced the black section with a second shade of yellow, creating a two-tone all-yellow diamond.[4] The bank said the all-yellow look reflects Australia’s “can-do” attitude.[4]
Re Agency’s executive creative director Andy Thomas said the new visual identity was intended to be “rooted in the brand’s strong heritage” while serving as “a beacon of positivity and measured optimism.”[5]
Typography and Design
The 1991 wordmark incorporated a distinctive typographic feature: the two “m’s” in “Commonwealth” were merged to form a single arch-like shape. This conjoined letterform was removed in the 2020 refresh, when the bank also separated the words “Commonwealth” and “Bank.”[3]
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