Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has launched an upgrade of its card portfolio after decades of unchanged designs, developed through a collaboration with Shift., an independent branding firm. Shift. was tasked to redesign the bank’s complete suite of global cards.
To be rolled out in more than 30 countries, HSBC’s new credit, debit and ATM cards are a nod to the story of how the lions have come to guard the legacy of a global bank, a statement released by the bank said.
Audrey Wong, Global Head of Retail Banking Marketing at HSBC, said, "With millions of HSBC debit and credit cards in circulation globally, our cards are the most visible asset of our brand. Our purpose for embarking on a global card design was to unify, streamline and contemporise our card portfolio worldwide.”
Toby Johnston, Partner and Creative Director at Shift., said, “Redesigning such an important part of the HSBC identity – its cards – was an exciting opportunity but also a great responsibility. We were inspired by the iconic lion statues, and needed to interpret them authentically since they’re so iconic in the communities they watch over.”
This single design simplifies hundreds of design variations to one global design through the systematic use of colours and descriptors. The Shift. team created special digital versions of each card-front to maximise impact on emerging platforms including Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay.
Zoran Svetlicic, Partner at Shift., said, “A card is a very personal object, which is why we paid very careful attention to the way people use their cards throughout the day.”
The new lion cards will be rolled out progressively starting this year to new HSBC customers and those who need their cards replaced.
HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 4,000 offices in 70 countries and territories in Europe, Asia, North and Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa.
Shift. is an independent branding firm with studios in Hong Kong and Singapore.
