ING One Step
Ahead

Problem

ING built its name as the ultimate challenger bank: orange, direct and built around customer freedom. But as the banking category became crowded, ING’s hard-earned clarity eroded. How can a brand that once stood apart avoid becoming just another option?

Background

ING entered the market with something most financial brands lack: a genuine personality. Bold enough to challenge convention, clear enough to earn trust. Now, ING has partnered with us to reclaim that original spark, reigniting the brand's spirit and distinctive voice across retail, business and wholesale banking.

Ambition

To get one step ahead of its own reinvention by building a flexible, scalable brand experience that reconnects the business with its founding purpose.

IDEA Dare to move forward

A flexible system of foundational codes designed to scale globally while remaining meaningful in every interaction. Our three principles shaped the response: Daring, Progressive and Joyous, from which we created a visual language of forward momentum. One that gave ING something coherent, confident and optimistic to say in every market.

A brand system built around three active principles: Daring, Progressive and Joyous.

Role

01

Brand strategy and positioning

Sharpened ING's challenger stance for a crowded category, moving from reactive to convicted and grounding the brand in chosen progress rather than urgency.

Concept development
02

Concept development

Translated the insight into a creative expression built around three principles: Daring, Progressive and Joyous. A system designed to scale without losing character.

03

Visual identity evolution

Refreshed ING's foundations to make it digital-first. The Lion, a custom typeface, a rejuvenated colour palette, and the Blob evolved into a dynamic framing device.

04

Motion system design

Defined a motion language of forward momentum across three behaviours: Instinctive Character, Radiant Path and Layer Progression.

Verbal identity and tone of voice
05

Verbal identity and tone of voice

Developed a sharper, more consistent brand voice that works across segments, markets and the full range of customer communications.

06

Scalable design system

Built a flexible system of foundational codes that adapts across Retail, Private, Business and Wholesale without diluting coherence or distinctiveness.

Segment and market adaptation
07

Segment and market adaptation

Ensured a unified presence across forty core markets and multiple audiences, with each segment retaining personal relevance within the shared system.

Global brand adoption
08

Global brand adoption

Embedded the new brand with ING's internal teams, turning the system into a creative springboard for campaigns, events, communications and product innovation.

“AKQA joined us as true strategic and design partners, bringing our strong foundations back to life. This project established a system that is ready for where we're going next.”
- Feyza Feridunoglu Tamer, Global and NL Head of Brand and Marketing, ING

Result

ING reasserted its position as a modern financial brand through a harmonised global identity. Adopted across forty core markets, the system gave every team the tools to build campaigns that were both distinctive and consistent, sharpening the brand’s relevance across its key segments and creating a springboard for product innovation.

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IDEA Dare to move forward