Established in 1916, Piraeus Bank, Greece’s largest financial institution, is currently updating its image against the backdrop of the slow yet steady recovery of the national economy. As of today, the bank serves more than 6 million clients, with over 15,000 staff members working in various divisions, including traditional lending, retail and investment banking, and real estate. Piraeus operates over 1,000 offices across Greece, as well as subsidiaries in the UK, Germany, Bulgaria, and other countries.
The overhaul of the Piraeus brand has been carried out in cooperation with the multinational design agency Mucho, known for their work with Visa, PayPal, and Thames & Hudson. While the general goal was to support and strengthen the brand within the recovering industry, the first stage of rebranding focused on reinforcing the Piraeus logo.
As a result, the studio presented a dramatic redesign: the brand’s iconic three stripes, symbolizing the bank’s core values of progress, innovation, and openness, now slope in a different direction, opposite to the previous orientation, with added curved ends, seemingly inspired by Elzevir fonts. The typography-inspired design of the icon is naturally accompanied by a refined serif wordmark, characterized by pointed glyphs and a subtle contrast between strokes and spaces. Unlike the previous all-caps wordmark, the new one features lowercase letters and sleek curves, reflecting Piraeus’ human-oriented approach, according to Mucho, giving the logo new life and uniqueness.
The typography for Piraeus was developed in collaboration with Spanish type designer Jordi Embodas. Apart from the logo’s serif font, the custom Piraeus Open also includes a sans-serif version designed in a wider form for better legibility across different content and devices. Designed in a geometric style, it features a sloped axis which, as Embodas describes, infuses a touch of Mediterranean vibe.
The new color palette prominently features yellow, previously a secondary color in the old brand identity. Named Piraeus Yellow, this bright hue is complemented by pine green (Piraeus Green) and yellowish gray (Piraeus Gray), creating a unique gamma with contrasting colors that ensure optimal readability across various combinations.
The graphic system, thoroughly designed, integrates the Piraeus sign as a dominant element in every composition. A humanist iconography emphasizes the brand’s visuals, sometimes used as a cropping mask for cartoon-like characters. As an identity-guiding feature, the shape of the Piraeus stripes can even transform into a speech bubble containing brand messages in the Piraeus Open typeface.
This refreshed identity is further enhanced with additional assets, such as Memphis-style illustrations — flat and geometric, and abstract motifs in vibrant colors. These elements aim to make the brand more accessible and relatable, helping the organization connect with its current and potential clients. When combined, these diverse graphic elements, suitable for all types of media, effectively convey the full vigor and comprehensiveness of the new Piraeus image.
