Fana Sparebank Branding
Making meaning visible
Project type
Branding
Year
2019
Client
Fana Sparebank
My role
Head of Design / Senior Designer
Fana Sparebank is a local Norwegian bank. They approached us to modernize their logo. It was meant to represent a cairn (in Norwegian: steinvarde), but that wasn’t clear. At the same time, the identity felt outdated across typography, colors, and digital surfaces. The cairn isn’t just a symbol. It’s how the bank describes itself — a guide that helps people make financial decisions and feel secure. The problem wasn’t the story. No one could see it.
My Role
Defined the direction of the rebrand and the core concept
Worked closely with Fana Sparebank’s leadership and the strategic advisor at Good Morning to align business, brand, and design. Led the development of the identity system across brand and digital surfaces
Problem
The logo was built around the idea of a cairn, but it didn’t read that way. It required interpretation, and in most cases, that interpretation never happened.
Around it, the identity had drifted. Typography, colors, and templates felt inconsistent and outdated. The system no longer supported the brand.
More importantly, the identity didn’t reflect the value the bank creates. It didn’t feel like guidance. It didn’t feel like trust.
Insight
The meaning already existed.
Fana Sparebank describes itself as a cairn — a guide that helps customers navigate financial decisions and create security over time.
The issue wasn’t recognition.
It was that the meaning didn’t come through.
Reframing
We didn’t need to invent something new.
We needed to make it visible.
System Design
We built the identity around one principle:
If the meaning isn’t clear, it doesn’t exist.
That created a tension.
We had to keep enough of the original to stay recognizable, while changing enough to make the symbol understandable.
The logo was simplified and clarified.
Then we rebuilt the system around it — typography, color, components, and templates — to remove ambiguity and support the same idea across every surface.
From System to Product
The identity wasn’t added on top.
It was built into how the brand works — across the website, communication, and internal tools.
Consistency wasn’t enforced.
It was designed.
From System to Product
The identity wasn’t added on top.
It was built into how the brand works — across the website, communication, and internal tools.
Consistency wasn’t enforced.
It was designed.
Image System
We didn’t cast models.
The bank recruited its own customers.
People who already trust the bank chose to be part of the identity.
That says more than any campaign.
User Experience
Before, the brand felt abstract.
After, it feels immediate.
You don’t interpret it.
You understand it.
Impact
The logo no longer needs explanation.
The system is easier to use and apply.
The brand feels more consistent, more direct, and more aligned with what the bank actually is.
Icon System
The icons follow the same principle as the rest of the identity: they should feel human.
We avoided generic, geometric styles and instead developed a handcrafted expression with a subtle hand-drawn quality.
Less perfect. More intentional.
It makes the brand feel closer — and more aligned with how the bank actually operates.
Color System
Orange is core to Fana Sparebank.
We didn’t change it.
We refined it.
The previous palette felt muted. We made it brighter, clearer, and more usable across surfaces, and built a supporting palette to improve contrast and consistency.
Not louder.
More precise.
Key Insight
If you can’t see the meaning, it doesn’t exist.
We didn’t create something new.
We made something visible.
Card design
The card brings the identity into everyday use.
We kept it simple and focused, using the cairn as the central element.
No decoration. No noise.
Just a clear, recognizable expression of the brand.
