La Nef

Since 1988, La Nef has imagined a different bank, one of general interest. Pioneering the social economy in France, the cooperative bank strives to make the bank and finance sector sound. How? By financing only ecological, social or cultural projects with citizens’ savings. It's as simple as that.

La Nef has always been defending a different model for finance where solidarity, transparency and ethics guide every action. A simple yet demanding practice away from the usual opacity of the financial markets and speculation systems. However, if ethics is the basis on which La Nef is built, it is not the same for many banking institutions that have decided to use this concept as a new communications tagline. This competitive context threatened La Nef’s distinctive purpose, its uniqueness and its future. The fundamental exception that it embodied is becoming the apparent industry norm.

FutureBrand's challenge: how to give La Nef the legitimacy that it deserves as the only ethical financial institution in France?

FutureBrand accompanied La Nef in its positioning shift from an alternative and committed financial association to THE French ethical bank. The first step towards this change of scale was to rethink its brand platform. The signature 'Pour la banque éthique' (For ethical banking) crystallises its position as an optimistic activist to build a different financial model in France.

Once its strategic base was redefined, FutureBrand designed a new verbal and visual identity for the brand. La Nef's logo is conceptually anchored in the four main values that make up La Nef's imprint. Four pillars that unite two worlds perceived as opposites: finance and ethics.

We created a playful and stimulating visual universe associated with a witty editorial charter that challenges conventional wisdom - both expressed in new tools that renew La Nef's exchanges with its employees, members, savers and borrowers.

The 2-year partnership with FutureBrand marks the achievement of a pivotal moment for La Nef. The implementation of a strategic process - unprecedented in the company's history - was able to federate and engage the internal team around a modern vision shared and celebrated by all. Structured and optimised tools for the sales and marketing teams support the development of new adventures for citizens and entrepreneurs. La Nef now continues its growth with a creative and distinctive brand base. This is essential to positively disrupt the major banks in France and allow as many people as possible to participate in ethical banking.