EQ Bank is the digital banking brand of Equitable Bank, a Canadian financial institution. Launched in 2016 as Canada’s first digital-only bank, EQ Bank operates without physical branches and markets itself as a challenger to the country’s traditional “Big Five” banks.[1][2]
Design and History
EQ Bank’s visual identity centers on a yellow and black gem-shaped logo, which the brand refers to internally as “The Jewel.”[3] The symbol is a polygon with truncated or rounded angles, containing the letters “EQ,” as described in the Canadian trademark registration filed in 2015.[4] A second trademark registration from the same period covers the wordmark “EQ BANK” with the same polygon design.[5]
In spring 2025, EQ Bank rolled out a brand refresh created entirely in-house by its internal agency team, spanning copy, design and motion.[3] The refresh kept the trademark yellow and black gem logo at the forefront while expanding the colour palette for digital properties.[6] According to Andy MacPherson, VP of marketing at EQ Bank, the bank knew it had equity in its name, logo, warm welcoming yellow and the “Make Bank” slogan, and there was confidence that “The Jewel” was well known from its advertising.[3]
Prior to the refresh, the visual identity had developed inconsistencies across the customer experience, from advertising to digital to the website and banking app, which fractured public perception and damaged recall. The old design relied on overly enthusiastic stock photography, mismatched fonts and harsh colours.[1] The in-house team developed a new graphic direction with updated simplified UI elements and custom illustrations, and created a new Brand Guide for internal and external use.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The brand’s yellow colour is a defining element of its identity. EQ Bank’s marketing leadership described the yellow as “warm and welcoming,” and the 2025 refresh centred on the bank’s “ownership of yellow” in the Canadian banking category.[3][7] The gem-shaped symbol itself is not documented as carrying a specific official meaning beyond its role as the brand’s signature mark.
Typography and Design
The EQ Bank wordmark uses a clean sans-serif typeface, with “EQ” and “Bank” rendered in black against the yellow symbol.[8] The 2025 refresh aimed to move away from mismatched fonts and harsh colours, introducing a more welcoming palette and updated simplified UI elements across the brand’s digital properties.[1][7]
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