Washington Mutual, the Seattle-based savings and loan founded in 1889, used a yellow-and-blue logo that became familiar across the Pacific Northwest before the bank’s 2008 collapse and acquisition by JPMorgan Chase. The bank’s visual identity evolved through several distinct phases, most notably a 1997 redesign that accompanied its expansion into California lending.[1]
Design and History
Washington Mutual’s final logo dates from 1997, when the bank made a major expansion into California lending. The new corporate motif doubled down on the letter W, and was based on an earlier wheat-stalk design. The 1997 scheme merged W-elements from Great Western Financial, a large California thrift that Washington Mutual acquired that year.[1]
In August 2006, Washington Mutual announced it was adopting its long-standing nickname “WaMu” as the brand name customers would see on branches, credit cards and checks. A company spokesperson confirmed, “Our logo will change to WaMu,” with signs and marketing material changing over time.[2] The nickname had been used by customers, employees and analysts for more than a decade prior to the official change.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 1997 logo’s fluted, upturned form has been described as friendly and bright, resembling supplicant hands or the head of a flower. It was also characterized as vaguely organic, suggesting a harvest season or a river delta. The design was open rather than closed, a quality that one commentator contrasted with Chase’s interlocking-C logo, which connotes security and enclosure.[1]
After JPMorgan Chase acquired Washington Mutual in 2008, the yellow-and-blue WaMu logo was replaced by Chase’s octagon mark.[1]
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