Customers Bank, the West Reading, Pennsylvania-based banking subsidiary of Customers Bancorp, Inc., introduced a new logo and visual identity in December 2021 as part of a complete rebranding effort. The redesign marked a significant departure from the bank’s previous identity, which had featured a red, white and blue theme with the American flag as a centerpiece.[1]
Design and History
Customers Bank was launched in 2009 by Jay Sidhu and a handful of investors with the acquisition of the struggling New Century Bank, which had about $250 million in assets and a few branches in Southeastern Pennsylvania.[1] The bank was renamed Customers Bank at that time, and its logo featured a red, white and blue theme with the American flag, which executive chairman Jay Sidhu said “clearly represented the American Dream and our emphasis on assisting the challengers, small business owners and entrepreneurs.”[2]
In December 2021, the bank unveiled a new brand identity, including a new logo, website, mobile app and office designs, to reposition itself as a “fintech-forward-focused banking institution.”[2] The rebrand followed a period of significant growth driven by the bank’s participation in roughly 347,000 Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling $10 billion and the launch of its blockchain-based real-time payments platform for cryptocurrency and digital asset institutions.[1]
Jay Sidhu explained the rationale for the change: “But as an emblem of a fintech-forward financial institution with a national reach, we need to signal markets, investors, and clients that we have a modern look, feel and discipline.”[1] The bank’s name remained unchanged, with CEO Sam Sidhu stating, “The name is going to remain Customers Bank, staying true to always putting our customers first and embodying that in our name.”[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The new logo features two overlapping blue rings that represent the bank’s “obsession with connecting to customers and providing highly personalized service.”[1] According to the bank, “Even if the image is rotated, the connection remains, which perfectly embodies Customers Bank’s new brand.”[2]
American Banker described the mark as “overlapping links that resemble a C and a B,” and CEO Sam Sidhu said the logo could stand on its own on apps and on credit and debit cards.[3]
The bank’s trademark filing for the new mark describes it as “two oval shapes overlapping and connected by two bars,” with light blue and dark blue claimed as colors of the mark.[4]
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