Goldman Sachs is rightfully considered one of the giants of the global economy. As the world’s second-largest investment bank, the financial group is also included in the Fortune 500 list of US corporations with the largest total revenues. In recent years, the company has steadily developed its brand, reflecting its leading position in global markets and adapting to new business and technology opportunities. A few days ago, Goldman Sachs updated its logo on its social media profiles, partially returning to the 2016 design.
In 1869, Marcus Goldman, born in Trappstadt, Germany, emigrated to the United States, where he founded M. Goldman & Company the same year. Thirteen years later, the business was joined by Goldman’s son-in-law, Samuel Sachs, and the company changed its name to M. Goldman & Sachs. Today, the company, with nearly 50,000 employees, is involved in investment banking, securities trading, and asset management.
Goldman Sachs’ most recent rebranding occurred four years ago. At that time, the wordmark was reworked into a blue-and-white logo, while the merged “G” and “S” — the brand’s traditional design — were separated. In addition, the company introduced its own typeface named Goldman Sans.
Shortly after, Goldman Sachs’ Marketing Department, which is responsible for branding issues, was led by Fiona Carter, who had previously been the branding director at AT&T for 10 years. Under Carter’s leadership, the brand design, especially typography, underwent various changes. Now, the GS ligature, a long-standing design feature, is brought back. Moreover, this vertical ligature in the visual identity is complemented by a horizontal GS monogram, which is currently used as the firm’s profile image on social media.
Since the 1970s, the Goldman Sachs logo has featured a two-line wordmark in white placed in the upper part of a “blue box”. This original version was developed by the design agency Lippincott. In various contexts, the company also used the wordmark centered within the square.
The current rebranding is marked by two changes. Firstly, the GS wordmark has turned black. Secondly, the blue box as a separate element will no longer be used. The new GS monogram will be an official symbol of the company, alongside the full logo. As evidence, the company’s website currently displays the plain Goldman Sachs wordmark without the square.
Over the past few months, the firm has also been updating its typography. Four years ago, Goldman Sachs adopted the Goldman Sans typeface, developed by British designer Dalton Maag. The font was sometimes criticized for being “boring” and “insufficiently distinctive.” As type designer Eric Spiekerman described it to the New York Times, “Goldman Sans is a typeface that does not wear a tie. It’s a casual Friday.”
Goldman Sans is now followed by GS Serif, which will be used for headlines and short text blocks. Longer texts will be set in a new sans-serif typeface, GS Sans, replacing the previously used Basis Grotesque. Additionally, the GS Sans font family includes GS Sans Condensed with narrow glyphs.
Sky Blue, which has been the brand color of Goldman Sachs for decades, will continue to play a key role in the visual identity.
The Goldman Sachs brand is donning a tie and business suit once again. Although the dress code rules within the company are now more relaxed, the visual identity showcases more style through typography. The new fonts and typographic details in the logo provide greater distinction, while the restored GS ligature and the new GS monogram become standalone brand assets.
Goldman Sachs, like its competitor JPMorgan Chase, is a rather conservative and traditional brand. The light blue color remains subdued, despite modern trends toward bright RGB tones. GS is known for avoiding illustrative and decorative elements. This makes typography particularly important for the brand. Thus, it is all the more remarkable that the previous overhaul removed some key identity-forming features. It’s akin to removing high-yield stocks from your portfolio.
In contrast, the latest adjustments benefit the brand. The visual identity now appears more valuable, and the classic look is more reliable and consistent. And reliability and consistency are crucial values for a financial company, especially in times of economic and political turmoil.
