Virgin the challenger brand

Originally founded in the 1970s as a record store by Richard Branson and Nik Powell, Virgin became a globally recognised brand with interests in software, airlines, holidays, financial services, cola and even condoms. The success of Virgin may be attributed to the energy and entrepreneurial instincts of Branson, who promoted Virgin as a ‘champion of the people’ which challenged deeply entrenched institutions, such as British Airways and Coca-Cola.

Ventures such as Virgin Galactic and Hyperloop One have helped maintain the perception that Virgin is still a ‘challenger brand’. However, when dealing with slightly less than exciting industries (such as financial services) it is easy to erode this position, especially if the design used for the sector is not particularly challenging. The existing Virgin Money credit cards were designed with a less than optimal use of core Virgin brand equities (the colour red or the Virgin signature). The Virgin logo was used simply as a ‘badge’ set against traditional financial ‘swoosh’ graphics and bank note texturing, but this did little to stand out against the more progressively designed competitor brands.

Credit card design innovation

Design of credit cards has changed rapidly in recent years. These small plastic rectangles are on our person wherever we go, either physically or digitally and the cards we select makes a statement about how we want others to see us. Traditionally, this revolved around ‘prestige, wealth or exclusivity’ usually defined by black, platinum or gold coloured cards. Whilst prestige is still relevant, people want more than just indictors of wealth - they want to be seen as ‘individuals’, being ‘different’, or having ‘good taste’. Our research revealed a wide variety of new brands using design which avoid the traditional symbolism of money (such as banknote ‘scrolling’). Our new design had to compete with these new brands whilst feeling throughly ‘Virgin’.

Customer demographics

Each Virgin Money card is aimed at satisfying the needs of a different group of people at different stages in their lives, with different backgrounds, jobs and financial needs. We identified six customer groups for each of the existing Virgin Money cards, developing mood boards to illustrate their lives and interests. Next, we created stylescapes (visual style and print finishes) for each of the card categories. Finally, we conceived a variety of design ideas which brought everything to life.

Giving a big tick to your choices

Our selected card design makes use of the iconic “V” from the Virgin logo signature. The idea is that the “V’ icon resembles a ‘tick’ and by positioning it within the distinctive credit card shape we imply that Virgin Money cards are the best choice for managing your money and making purchases. We applied this idea in a variety of creative ways, such as ticking off items on a shopping list, or for successfully completing a financial goal or task.

Project outcome

The new identity was successfully relaunched across Australia, giving customers renewed confidence in their choice of Virgin Money credit cards and a greater sense of the multitude of additional rewards when compared with competitor brands. The new design is a modern, minimalist approach which reinterprets the Virgin visual brand assets in a smart, consistent way which is entirely appropriate for financial services and credit cards.