Opinion BY Armin

Rounded Letterforms Arrive in Perú

Back, way back, in the end of the nineteenth century the Banco Internacional del Perú began its operations and went through numerous changes in the twentieth century, being owned by the state at one point and eventually being bought back in 1994. With too many name changes to make heads or tails of, it first became Interbanc with a “c” in 1980 and in 1996 it was changed to Interbank with a “k,” presumably to make it more international, going from the Spanish “Banco” to the English “Bank.” Interbank now operates more than 150 branches across Perú and is one of the largest financial institutions in the country. And like any growing enterprise, its time had come for a brand refresh.

The new Interbank logo, reportedly designed by Buenos Aires, Argentina-based Believe Branding, is the latest in a declining string of rounded letterform identities to make it to market. When Kodak first did it more than three years ago it was staggeringly different and contentious. In this latest incarnation it is staggeringly mundane and baffling. Looking at the wordmark, there is absolutely no rhythm or coherence between characters, it’s as if each one is a battling a different fight. And if you ever wondered what the equivalent of the rounded letterforms would be for icons, well, here you have it: Take the old icon, round its corners and call it a day.

I will agree that the old logo had a heavy-handed 1980s mix-and-match typographic treatment that wasn’t aging well but at least it wasn’t a bad derivative of an overplayed style.

Thanks to Alfredo Burga for the tip.

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Back, way back, in the end of the nineteenth century the Banco Internacional del Perú began its operations and went through numerous changes in the twentieth century, being owned by the state at one point and eventually being bought back in 1994. With too many name changes to make heads or tails of, it first became Interbanc with a \"c\" in 1980 and in 1996 it was changed to Interbank with a \"k,\" presumably to make it more international, going from the Spanish \"Banco\" to the English \"Bank.\" Interbank now operates more than 150 branches across Perú and is one of the largest financial institutions in the country. And like any growing enterprise, its time had come for a brand refresh.

Many thanks to our ADV @ UnderConsideration Partners