Liberbank was a Spanish financial institution created in 2011 as the umbrella brand for a group formed by Cajastur, Caja de Extremadura and Caja Cantabria. The bank operated under the Liberbank name until 2021, when it was absorbed by Unicaja Banco, which subsequently retired the Liberbank commercial brand from its branch network.
Design and History
Liberbank’s name and original logo were unveiled on 19 July 2011, following a naming process commissioned in 2010 to several branding and naming companies. Around 50 candidate names were evaluated for connotations, ease of pronunciation in different languages, differentiation from competitors and personality. The chosen name was based on Banco Liberta, the private banking division of Cajastur created in 1999. The original logo used blue tones and was described by sources close to the entity as “open” so it could be filled with more content in the future. The reference to Banco Liberta was acknowledged in both the name and the logo’s blue color scheme. Two communication companies spent 2,000 hours on the name and logo design work. [1] [2]
In April 2015, Liberbank presented a new corporate image, described by the bank as “a visual and verbal evolution of the brand” that incorporated a new slogan, “Liberbank Corresponde”. The new identity was rolled out progressively, starting with ATMs, commercial documents and online banking on 21 April 2015, followed by branch renovations that were expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2016. [3] [4]
The 2015 redesign replaced the previous blue logo, which featured a three-petal flower-like symbol, with a gray and more sober wordmark. The change marked the end of the regional brands Cajastur, Caja de Extremadura, Caja Cantabria and CCM, whose traditional colors (red for Cajastur and CCM, green for Caja de Extremadura) were retired in favor of the single Liberbank identity. The bank explained the unification as “a logical consequence of a new reality: we are a bank, not a group of savings banks,” adding that the image and name of the savings banks were “amortized and no longer add value.” [5] [6]
Following the merger with Unicaja Banco, completed on 30 July 2021, the combined entity maintained the Unicaja Banco name. Unicaja decided to eliminate the Liberbank commercial brand from its network of nearly 600 branches, a process carried out gradually. [7] [8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The slogan “Liberbank Corresponde” was created as a symbol of “a dynamic exchange and a balanced counterpart between the client and the entity,” based on a reciprocal dialogue that involves speaking and listening. The bank stated that the unified brand was built on values including honesty, closeness, prudence and attachment to the territory, reflecting the origins of the savings banks as proximity banking. [4] [6]
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