Sun Life is a Canadian financial services company whose visual identity has centered on a sun and globe symbol since 2000. The current global logo, introduced in 2019, pairs the words “SUN LIFE” with a half globe, half sun image preceding them on the left.[1]
Design and History
Sun Life’s modern identity dates to 2000, when Toronto-based Ove Design and Communications was responsible for designing the brand and creating Sun Life’s new look, ahead of the company’s initial public offering.[2] The sun and earth logo introduced that year combined a globe with the sun at its center.[3]
In 2019, Sun Life updated its global brand identity by removing the word “Financial” from the logo, a change the company said showed its balanced focus on insurance, health and wealth management.[4] The company also modified the size of the globe and the words “Sun Life” in the updated mark.[5] In Quebec, the company retained the word “Financière” in its logo for exterior signage only, to comply with local language requirements.[5]
In December 2023, SunLife, the UK arm of the brand, unveiled a refreshed logo designed entirely in-house. The redesign simplified the logo, retained its recognisable style and colour palette, placed the brand name centre stage, and removed the yellow “sunset” element.[6] The change was made to modernise the brand and improve digital accessibility, in line with the company ethos “Simple, Certain, SunLife.”[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
Sun Life’s brand symbol combines a globe with the sun. The sun has served as a universal brand symbol for the company, and the tagline “Life’s brighter under the sun” accompanied the brand’s global identity work.[8] A Sun Life representative described the sun drawing as “whimsical” and said it was recognized across markets as an expression of the company’s brand promise.[8]
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