Société Générale de Banque was a major Belgian banking institution, known in Dutch as Generale Bank. Its most famous visual identity was a stylized “G” mark created by the French-Belgian graphic designer Jacques Richez in 1965.
Design and History
The “G” logo for the Générale de Banque was designed by Jacques Richez in 1965, a fact confirmed by multiple sources including the Centre de la Gravure et de l’Image imprimée, which lists Richez as the author of the bank’s sigle (logo).[1] The Hainaut Culture portal likewise credits Richez with the “G” of the Générale de Banque, dated 1965.[2] Richez, who studied at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Mons and established his own studio in Brussels after World War II, was also known for his identity work for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair and the yellow iris logo of the Brussels-Capital Region (1991).[3]
The bank’s history is intertwined with several name changes. The institution was known as the Société Générale de Banque in French and Generale Bankmaatschappij in Dutch. A British Museum collection item, a Eurocheque guarantee card from 1982, shows the bank’s name alongside its “G” logo, confirming the mark was in active use during that period.[4]
In 1999, the Générale de Banque merged with CGER to form Fortis, marking the end of the Richez-designed identity in its original form.[5] The logo was later retired from use entirely when the bank became BNP Paribas Fortis.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
Documented symbolism for the Richez “G” mark is limited. The logo is described as a stylized letter “G” that served as the bank’s identifying symbol, appearing on bank cards and official materials.[4] The mark was distinctive enough that in 2016, a Belgian football club (KRC Genk) replaced its own twelve-star “G” logo because it resembled the Generale Bank symbol too closely, indicating the mark’s strong recognition in Belgium.[7]
In 2009, after the Fortis collapse, the bank’s successor entity had the Générale de Banque logo and brand name re-registered as trademarks in the Benelux, suggesting the identity retained commercial value even after its retirement.[8]
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