When Japan’s Sanyo Sogo Bank transitioned from a mutual savings and loan bank into a commercial bank in 1989, it used the moment to announce a new, more progressive and friendlier way to bank. It was a sharp break from its conservative roots in 1931, and a world away from how the rest of the banking industry in Japan was presenting itself.
The Okayama-based bank would mark this change with a new corporate identity, bank interiors and a bold new name, Tomato Bank.
Tomato Bank was the result of an internal naming contest, with Setouchi (Inland Sea) and Sunshine Bank also being considered but later discarded.
President at the time Kenji Yoshida felt that traditional bank names sounded too stiff, formal, or outdated for the modern era. Instead, he wanted a fresh, catchy and approachable name that people would not find intimidating.
However, not everyone liked the Tomato Bank concept. Some objected, saying that it felt more appropriate for an agricultural cooperative, and lacked an authoritative tone. However, Yoshida was committed to it, believing it to be global in nature, cute, bright, fresh, familiar, and inexpensive, all qualities he wanted this new community-focused commercial bank to be.
1980s banking in Japan was characterised by expressions of power and authority, and symbols that were abstract and cold. Tomato Bank intended to subvert this. With the intention of conveying a progressive and creative corporate culture and commitment to pursuing distinctive initiatives, designers Shigeo Katsuoka, Masanori Umeda, Hiroko Tsukada, Akira Shioda and Hironobu Yamada were hired to develop a logo and corporate identity.
Continue reading to see the different logo variations, how the logo was applied, the family of tomato mascots and learn about the idea and design decisions.