It’s new, it’s warm, it’s fun.
Yusaku Kamekura and PAOS’ 1985 logo and corporate identity for Surbank Setagaya.
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A shinkin is a local Japanese trust bank for individuals and families, as well as small to medium-sized companies conducting business in specific areas, and often run and financed cooperatively by its members. When the Japanese banking industry began to be opened up in the 1980s, these shinkin banks (see also: Kawasaki Shinkin Bank) were challenged by new market forces, and many were unable to compete as larger banks expanded and diversified. Making this more challenging was the differences in the corporate identities of these shinkin banks which, in terms of a unified and consistent image, were far removed from the better-funded larger commercial banks. Many had began to appear tired and struggled to keep up with the rapid modernisation that was happening.
Keen to maintain its position was The Sehoshu Shinkin Bank. This was founded in 1925 in the well-off suburban residential area of Tokyo known as Setagaya. In 1985, ahead of its 65th anniversary, and in response to these new market forces, The Setagaya Shinkin Bank embarked on the development of a new corporate identity. The intention was to reposition the bank as a 21st-generation, locally-based financial institution with a ‘pleasant image’ providing advanced information and services in a personable manner through a staff unified by a clear forward-focused message. The target of this new image would be the ‘young suburbanites’ who made up a large part of the Setagaya area.
