Saloni Soni: BSJI

The assignment, for Banco San Juan Internacional (BSJI), was to design an identity that inspired its global entrepreneurial clientele to feel confident banking at BSJI — a mark that demonstrates modern sensibility, a visual language that is both personal and simple, and a system that communicates reliability in volatile global markets.

Our creative process began by getting to know the client and the customer. BSJI is an international asset manager that provides small and mid-size clients access to sophisticated investment vehicles in the U.S. dollar. Formed by a group of seasoned professionals passionate about starting a bank from infancy, and intimately familiar with the nuances of international banking, this newcomer bank caters to customers that traditionally don't have reliable access to these services. The bank attracts underserved non-U.S. residents with an entrepreneurial spirit. They are early adopters of new solutions — always looking for better options. This individual or small business is too big to be attended to sufficiently by local banks, but too small to be given quality personal attention at a large bank. Their newfound success makes them eager to become a player in the global market, but they need the guidance of an expert to get there.

The resulting design is based on the need to visualize a luxury bank for small business owners with big business aspirations — a point of access to premier banking privileges for a broad audience. The brand was designed to balance premium exclusivity––through its sparse composition––with an inclusive approach, through its ever-present guiding lines. The balance of established and modern was addressed with the logomark, based on the Chinese symbol for “prosperity,” featuring a sturdy base (horizontal lines) and building blocks toward the future (vertical movement). The visual language reflects critical attributes of financial security with its custom-designed security patterns integrated across all touchpoints, as well as client focus and trust along with BSJI’s true differentiators — its use of technology to make personal service and reinvented products available to an underserved international audience.

As trusted fiduciaries, BSJI helps clients filter through information to make the right decision for their financial needs. This means they share only what helps clarify, never what begins to confuse. Every aspect of the visual language encourages the customer’s future and explains their options in an approachable manner: white space emphasizes important messages and leaves breathing room to be open to new ideas, new markets, and to client’s concerns; warm photography featuring the customer’s entrepreneurial efforts; the collateral features a running stripe that references global and digital currency. Together, the visual message delivers sophisticated service fit for the wealth clients will have tomorrow.

According to BSJI’s Director of Marketing, Alejandra Bellosta: “We wanted to develop a brand that would stand next to the best of the banks even though we are in a smaller category. Our clients primarily experience our bank remotely, so our image online and on our mobile app is critical for building trust, and our identity needed to feel akin to an established US bank. The new design delivered precisely this with its simple, modern and focused feel. It exceeded everyone’s expectations, and increased our operational confidence as well as the confidence of our clients, evident in the fact that we have seen 60% growth of clientele since it launched. We are also proud to have set a new standard for our category, one that many competitors are attempting to replicate.”