A global fintech rebrand
Hired by a North American financial technology (fintech) company, we led brand discovery workshops, conducted competitive research and analysis, developed the brand strategy framework, naming, logo, and complete brand identity for what has been known for more than two decades as Xpress Processing. Under the new name of Spayce, the brand combines proprietary technology with full-service payments processing with a mission to transform the payments industry internationally.
Background
Our client required a new name and brand that would:
- Capture their forward-thinking nature and ambition while honouring 25 years of rich experience in the financial services sector under the name—a truly unique feat in the realm of modern payments processing.
- Serve as a master brand platform as they embarked on a mission to usher in a global digital payment’s revolution.
- Speak to decision makers and influencers at major banks as seamlessly as it would with the independent merchants and multinational institutions that would use it every day.
Supported by a very passionate and energetic client, their previous work in fintech positioned them uniquely to engage with some of the most reputable banks and financial institutions in the world along with the business merchants who required agile and dependable payment processing solutions.
Challenge
There were three primary challenges with delivering this project:
- The requirement to create a brand that was truly a one of one. Due to the sensitive nature of the financial space and issues related to trust and reputation, the name and brand we would choose could not exist in another space or share a likeness with any other brand within the industry.
- In the rapidly evolving fintech space, brands face tough hurdles due to intense competition and constant change. With so many new players joining the game, competition is fierce, making it difficult for brands to stand out and carve their unique niche.
- Offering services in 150+ countries, whatever we created needed to translate seamlessly with an international audience and hold up to the scrutiny of trademark laws in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and beyond.
Challenge
There were three primary challenges with delivering this project:
- The requirement to create a brand that was truly a one of one. Due to the sensitive nature of the financial space and issues related to trust and reputation, the name and brand we would choose could not exist in another space or share a likeness with any other brand within the industry.
- In the rapidly evolving fintech space, brands face tough hurdles due to intense competition and constant change. With so many new players joining the game, competition is fierce, making it difficult for brands to stand out and carve their unique niche.
- Offering services in 150+ countries, whatever we created needed to translate seamlessly with an international audience and hold up to the scrutiny of trademark laws in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and beyond.
Solution
Our process for developing a new brand identity follows a robust programming platform that provides journey customization based on each unique client. For this client, like all others, the starting point always launches with exploration through a series of brand workshops and exploration sessions with key stakeholders.
We led the team through a series of activities that first uncovers deep truths about what is most important to each leader followed by an exercise designed to help our clients dig deeper and have more impactful conversations about the important ideas that will shape their brand. Our focus is on digging and exploring, and to diverge as wide as possible before converging on any one idea or direction.
“Your brand IS NOT a logo, a name, an identity system, or a product. A brand is not a thing itself, it’s the idea of the thing. A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It’s emotional and intuitive despite all efforts to be rationale. Most importantly—it’s not what YOU say it is, it’s what THEY say it is.”
- Marty Neumeier, Author, Designer and Consultant
From here, we focused our energy on developing a Brand Strategy Framework that captures the brand’s conviction, mission, purpose, vision, values, strategic objectives, unique value propositions, and brand voice. At the end of this process, we arrived at one single sheet of paper that represents hundreds of hours of hard work with a relentless desire to focus on only what is absolutely essential.
Once the final Brand Strategy Framework was client and stakeholder approved, we moved onto the naming and design stages. The naming process took several weeks, many revisions, and multiple checks with trademark lawyers. The hard work our team and client invested in the Brand Strategy Framework gave us clarity and a solid foundation for the naming process. We knew what we were looking for and we had consensus on what the desired outcomes were.
Once the name was settled and cleared by legal, we proceeded with logo and brand exploration, taking several weeks and revisions to deliver something the client was inspired and energized by.
No small feat considering the challenge and requirements of the fintech space and our client’s target audience—but the clarity of the Brand Strategy Framework served as a cornerstone in all our decision making along with shared clarity of mission, purpose, values, and brand personality.
Results
Spayce represents the endless possibility and future-facing symbolism of its homonym. Spayce is a payments super nova, a constellation of commerce connections, and the final frontier for the future of digital finance.
Spayce believes that the payments industry has not evolved at pace with the world; therefore, our world deserves a digital payment revolution. Their purpose is to empower merchants and customers with modern digital payment products that make life easier and business better. That’s why they’re on a mission to spark the transformation of the payment processing industry through better products and processes.
Our client was thrilled with the name, logo, and brand identity we had created.
The final delivery included an applicable and user-friendly set of brand guidelines alongside inspiring brand application examples to guide the many creative assets that will come as Spayce takes off to infinity and beyond.
It also gives us great pride to announce that Spayce has returned to partner with us once again to design and launch their brand-new website. Be sure to look for the website case study in the months to come.
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