How does a brand command the esteem of a financial institution while communicating the modern agility of a sustainable fintech? This was the challenge SC Ventures brought to Lippincott with its latest venture, poised to digitize trade finance. ​

Born from a partnership between Standard Chartered, a global bank serving the world’s most dynamic markets, and Linklogis, a leader in blockchain technologies, the new venture had two big ambitions. First, to employ a sustainable lens on the way businesses access trade finance supply chains, and second, to be the authority in an emerging asset class for global investors. And it needed a launch-ready strategy and digitally native expression in just ten weeks.

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First, we crafted a brand platform and purpose that detailed the venture’s role in growing the real economy. The purpose, to empower sustainable trade, became a North Star that guided all aspects of the brand’s expression, with a focus on financing trade in radically transparent, sustainable ways. We then resolved the brand architecture relationship with the two partners and the venture. ​

The new name speaks to Olea’s purpose, in both English and Traditional Chinese, reflecting the global nature of trade finance that the venture plays in. ​The logo was designed for stature. It fuses the idea of circularity—representing sustainable finance—with wealth, represented by the classic Chinese coin shape, symbolizing prosperity in its key markets. This was combined with a color palette that eschews category convention to position Olea as a refreshing and leading force for good in trade finance. We further dialed up distinctiveness by crafting a series of 3D graphics that convey the concepts of symbiosis, transformation, growth and transparency with complete clarity.

The result is a digital-first expression of the brand purpose that delivers uniqueness while helping to reframe the category as a whole. Olea launched in November 2021, armed with a brand that will help it realize its bold ambitions.