In recent times, Markel Group has especially stood out from the brands with strong global growth. Known for its versatile insurance offerings, this corporation is currently included in the Fortune 500 list. The large business group has evolved from a small bus factory founded in 1930 in Norfolk, Virginia. Now over 90 years later, Markel can boast a global presence. Besides being a holding company and a fund, it is primarily an insurance business with a staff of nearly 5,000, which underwrites everything – from cargo ships to wind farms and stadiums.
Continuing its development, the brand has just started to work on changing its identity, a rebranding involving contemporary values and experiences, which aims to form a new heritage. Picked up and developed by the Shaffron brand consultancy, this idea led to a comprehensive analysis of how the brand is felt by employees and brokers across the world. Focusing on its employees and clients, Markel has proven to be a reliable partner.
The energy coming out of this philosophy has been visualized in matted colors with warm and elegant shades. That’s the background for a graphic language full of subtle things, which is called “Markel’s Style” by Shaffron. The visual system dominated by the orange color alludes to natural light, and thus reflects the “power of relationships with sophistication and optimism”.
Markel’s logo was reworked, saving, however, the traditional three-bar icon. For digital use, the spaces between the stripes were somewhat enlarged, while the wordmark is now executed in an “open and humanistic” typeface. The fact that the icon and the wordmark are designed in different colors, according to the studio, says the company is able to adapt to new conditions, showing its ambition for the future.
The brand’s iconography is decidedly modern, basically featuring portraits of people with shining eyes, corresponding with the glowing colors nearby. This concept of People Powered embodies the idea of the optimistic and refined culture of servicing. As Shaffron says, it also expresses a holistic view of the brand’s employee journey, creating a “strong employee value proposition”. And all of this is intended to celebrate Markel’s spirit of respect for the people who work in the company as well as those who seek assistance.
