ING One Step
Ahead
Problem
ING built its name as the ultimate challenger bank: orange, direct and built around customer freedom. But as the banking category became crowded, ING’s hard-earned clarity eroded. How can a brand that once stood apart avoid becoming just another option?
Background
ING entered the market with something most financial brands lack: a genuine personality. Bold enough to challenge convention, clear enough to earn trust. Now, ING has partnered with us to reclaim that original spark, reigniting the brand's spirit and distinctive voice across retail, business and wholesale banking.
Ambition
To get one step ahead of its own reinvention by building a flexible, scalable brand experience that reconnects the business with its founding purpose.
IDEA Dare to move forward
A flexible system of foundational codes designed to scale globally while remaining meaningful in every interaction. Our three principles shaped the response: Daring, Progressive and Joyous, from which we created a visual language of forward momentum. One that gave ING something coherent, confident and optimistic to say in every market.
A brand system built around three active principles: Daring, Progressive and Joyous.
Role
Brand strategy and positioning
Sharpened ING's challenger stance for a crowded category, moving from reactive to convicted and grounding the brand in chosen progress rather than urgency.
Concept development
Translated the insight into a creative expression built around three principles: Daring, Progressive and Joyous. A system designed to scale without losing character.
Visual identity evolution
Refreshed ING's foundations to make it digital-first. The Lion, a custom typeface, a rejuvenated colour palette, and the Blob evolved into a dynamic framing device.
Motion system design
Defined a motion language of forward momentum across three behaviours: Instinctive Character, Radiant Path and Layer Progression.
Verbal identity and tone of voice
Developed a sharper, more consistent brand voice that works across segments, markets and the full range of customer communications.
Scalable design system
Built a flexible system of foundational codes that adapts across Retail, Private, Business and Wholesale without diluting coherence or distinctiveness.
Segment and market adaptation
Ensured a unified presence across forty core markets and multiple audiences, with each segment retaining personal relevance within the shared system.
Global brand adoption
Embedded the new brand with ING's internal teams, turning the system into a creative springboard for campaigns, events, communications and product innovation.
“AKQA joined us as true strategic and design partners, bringing our strong foundations back to life. This project established a system that is ready for where we're going next.”
Result
ING reasserted its position as a modern financial brand through a harmonised global identity. Adopted across forty core markets, the system gave every team the tools to build campaigns that were both distinctive and consistent, sharpening the brand’s relevance across its key segments and creating a springboard for product innovation.
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