How far can you bend a brand before it breaks?

For finance brands, which are built on trust and reliability, knowing how far you can bend without breaking is crucial.

Branding is like a rubber band – flexible, adaptable, and sometimes stretchable in ways you didn’t think possible. But just like any rubber band, there’s a point where it snaps. So, where’s the line between keeping things fresh and a full-blown brand identity crisis?

The power of consistency

First things first, consistent branding isn’t just about keeping your logo colours the same or using the right font (but please use the right font).

Consistency in branding is what builds trust over time. It’s what keeps customers coming back because they know what to expect. Think about the finance brands that dominate the industry – they rarely stray far from their core identity. Why? Because they know that trust is earned in small, consistent ways.

Logos, colours, typography – these aren’t just superficial choices. They’re the visual manifestation of your brand’s promise. Your customers associate these elements with you – your reliability, your values, your story. Stray too far, and you risk confusing them. And in finance, confusion equals lost trust. A brand that’s inconsistent with its look, tone, or messaging might as well be an unreliable product.

The urge to bend

Now, let’s get real. Every brand manager or marketer has felt the urge to bend the brand rules. The logo’s been around forever. The colour scheme feels stale. The typography feels too formal. So, the instinct is to stretch the brand a little and give it a twist here and there to keep things fresh, right?

But here's the thing, bending a brand just because you’re bored can be a dangerous game. Push it too far, and suddenly your customers are squinting at their screens, wondering if they’ve stumbled into a phishing scam or if you’ve just let your intern loose on Canva.

While you’re eyeballing your brand 40+ hours a week, customers only see it for a few fleeting moments. They’re not bored of it like you are after endless meetings and late-night tweaks. To them, that logo and colour scheme feel familiar and trusted.

If the urge to bend your brand comes from a place of wanting change for change’s sake, it might actually be signalling something deeper – it’s probably time for a brand refresh. A true refresh doesn’t mean throwing your identity out the window; it means evolving while staying true to your core. It’s a strategic decision, not a whim.

When is bending OK?

If your brand guidelines are gappier than a badly kerned font, brand bending might be your norm. But it really shouldn’t be that way.

We’ve just delivered a project to shore up the digital accessibility of an established brand – think fonts, colours, and layouts setting out exactly how their brand shows up online. Now their team can deliver brand-aligned, consistent and contemporary creative at speed. The essence of the brand hasn’t changed – we just helped them fill in the gaps that were slowing them down and creating confusion.

So, when can brandbending work? When it’s done thoughtfully and with purpose.

You can stretch a brand to meet new market demands or to better connect with an evolving audience, but you have to do it without losing what makes your brand, your brand. For finance companies, this often means finding ways to humanise an inherently complex and sometimes intimidating industry. Adding warmth to your tone or softening the visual identity can be a bend that works – so long as you don’t stretch it beyond recognition.

When have you gone too far?

The moment you’ve bent too far is when your customers stop recognising you. If your audience is squinting at your messaging and asking, "Wait, who are these guys again?" – you’ve probably crossed the line. A disjointed visual identity, conflicting messages across different channels, or trying to chase trends that don’t align with your core values are all signs you might’ve gone too far. In the world of finance, where consistency equals credibility, that’s dangerous territory.

Customers don’t want to feel like they’re dealing with a stranger, especially when it comes to all things financial. They want a consistent experience, whether they’re scrolling through your website, using your app, or reading your latest update. Stray too far from your established identity, and you risk alienating the very people who’ve put their trust in you.

Bend with caution

The urge to bend a brand can be a signal that your brand needs attention, but don’t rush to reinvent yourself on a whim.

If your branding feels stale, it may be time for a refresh – one that respects your heritage while evolving with your audience. And if your brand guidelines were drafted during the first Trump presidency, they’re probably due for a service.

The real trick? Knowing how far you can stretch without creating an identity crisis. In finance, where trust is currency, you can bend, but you can’t afford to break.

Bending your brand to breaking point? We’d love to help you straighten it out (it’s our idea of a good time).