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The business of banking has evolved over the past several decades, from institutions largely limited to making loans and taking deposits, to financial supermarkets that offer a range of banking, investment and insurance products. Not surprisingly, as banks began to serve customers in new ways, they also changed in appearance. Today, trends in bank design support a hotly competitive, retail-oriented industry with a focus on customer-friendly environments, cost-efficient operations and brand-driven design elements.

New design and construction elements demonstrate bank security
Today many banks are choosing to forego a thick brick and mortar style and teller cages that hold customers at arms length, for buildings designed to be accessible, efficient and customer-friendly. Even traditional bank facades, which may be favored by an older, more conservative customer base, can be designed with contemporary, innovative and green building materials that create inviting, but secure environments.

Cost-efficient, environmentally sound bank design a genuine asset
Because banks are businesses and must deliver a return to investors, cost- efficiency in design is a growing strategic necessity. With the price of traditional construction materials on the rise, new solutions such as pre-engineered systems and exterior building facades, modular interior design elements and other construction efficiencies save on costs and maintenance.

Marketing-focused design draws customers to new products, services
Competition within the financial services industry has shaped the objectives of bank design today: Bring customers in the door, and engage them in the retail-oriented environment. Dynamic way-finding signage directs customers to financial products and services, while minimizing confusion and lines. Kiosks and video displays deliver marketing and educational materials and messages.
Modular furniture and space dividers help ensure customer privacy and personal attention.

Branch bank design spotlights corporate branding
Walk into a branch of most large commercial banks and youll be surrounded by representations of that corporations brand. Customers expect to see the faade, logo, colors, interior dcor, products and other elements of corporate sameness, and banks depend on that familiarity to build brand loyalty. And while freestanding branches prevail, more national and regional banks are favoring modular or in-store financial centers to sharpen their retail-oriented competitive edge.

Smaller banks opt for design that reflects local community, culture
In creating their own brands, many independent banks draw from the communities they serve for customized design themes that help build long-term customer relationships. Geography and community culture often drive bank faade and interior decor choices. Options include a maritime theme for a bank that serves a costal community, or a welcoming lodge design that complements a mountain or outdoor recreation location. Some banks also have drawn theme elements from a customer base that shares a strong cultural heritage.

Bank design that reflects customer demographics
Today progressive banks are using design elements to identify and leverage customer differences. Banks that serve high numbers of young families may add a play area for the children of busy parents. Another institution with a customer base of seniors may offer amenities that appeal to the social needs of that demographic group, including TV screens, newspapers, coffee, comfortable seating and meeting areas. Professional and business customers, for whom time is a key issue, may value streamlined interior design that helps shorten lines, speed transactions, segment merchant and customer business and identify products and services.

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What was the last marketing piece that blew your mind?

Why companies need to work on overcoming media clutter . . .

Advertising is no longer the novelty it once was and has become so commonplace today that most of us barely notice it. Indeed, marketing clutter surrounds us in our daily lives through television, radio, newspapers, internet, billboards, and even your coffee cup! With such fragmentation of the media it is but natural that only outstanding advertisements catch the viewer’s attention and live on in human memory.

Likewise, ads too have changed. Gone are the days of mere showcasing of the product. Ads today have taken on an emotional hue and products have developed character to become brands. To stand out ads need to connect with the consumer in more than a sales-pitch manner. Aspirational marketing draws on people’s deep-seated dreams making them desire things that they do not truly need. Some emotional advertising even draws on negative cues such as fear or insecurity (eg insurance products) to earn sales revenue.

Advertising designing too has advanced greatly. Simple black and white images have been replaced by hi-fi graphic designs that jump out at you as you walk past. Images have always been a great way to grab audience attention as they say much more than words in a limited time. Some advertisers get carried away and plaster their ad space with words and images to get the most out of the media space they’ve paid for. Quite often, print ads with a lot of white space actually attract more eyeballs.

But the real problem behind ad clutter lies in the proliferation of brands in a booming economy. When people have a choice between 500 different toothpastes, marketing seems like the only way to be the preferred brand. While every company worth its salt seeks to be on every media platform possible, media space costs spiral and so do the costs of the products themselves, leading to a vicious cycle.

So what is the solution to such an obvious problem? The way to overcome marketing clutter is to constantly innovate. Once there is a breakthrough, chances are the new medium will be exploited untill it becomes monotonous to the audience in a very short span of time. In such a scenario, new innovations in terms of creative ideas, media, and message delivery are constantly required to keep the audience engaged.

Some of the greatest breakthroughs in marketing have been thanks to the internet. Social media marketing, pay per click advertising, search engine optimization, have all revolutionized the way companies spend their marketing budgets and given the smaller business a chance against the heavyweights.

The other surefire way to engage the audience today is through interactive advertising. Anything that gets the viewer to do more than passively look at a picture or watch a TV commercial is more likely to make a mark due to the levels of engagement it demands.

With a daily increase in products and brands, advertising clutter is likely to continue. In this media jungle, only the most creative or those with the deepest pockets will ultimately survive.