PacWest Bancorp was a bank holding company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, operating through its wholly owned subsidiary, Pacific Western Bank. The company was founded in October 1999 as First Community Bancorp and changed its name to PacWest Bancorp in April 2008 following a reincorporation in Delaware.[1][2] In November 2023, PacWest merged into Banc of California, and the combined bank began operating under the Banc of California name and brand.[3]
Design and History
The PacWest Bancorp identity centered on the Pacific Western Bank logo, which was registered as a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The trademark registration describes the mark as consisting of the words “PACIFIC WESTERN BANK” underneath a design of the sun rising or setting.[4]
In a brand refinement project, designer Anthony Nagy worked to re-establish Pacific Western Bank’s image as a business-focused institution. The initiative centered on building equity around the existing logo and sunburst icon while introducing new assets and making thoughtful adjustments to existing elements. Updates included refinements to the color palette and the art direction of photography, aimed at enhancing the brand’s visual consistency and resonance with its target audience.[5]
Following the merger with Banc of California, the combined bank adopted the Banc of California name and brand, retiring the PacWest and Pacific Western Bank identities.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The sunburst icon in the Pacific Western Bank logo was a central element of the brand identity. The trademark registration identifies the design as a sun, either rising or setting, positioned above the bank’s wordmark.[4] The sun imagery aligns with the bank’s name and its geographic focus on the western United States, though no official documentation of additional symbolic meaning has been published.
Typography and Design
The Pacific Western Bank logo combined a sunburst icon with the words “PACIFIC WESTERN BANK” set beneath it, as documented in the trademark registration.[4] The brand refinement work by Anthony Nagy focused on strengthening the existing logo and sunburst icon rather than replacing them, with adjustments made to the color palette and supporting brand assets.[5]
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