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The Halifax logo: A complete guide to the Halifax symbol
Are you familiar with the Halifax logo? If you’ve ever looked for banking or financial services in the United Kingdom, the answer is probably yes. One of the largest banks in the British landscape, Halifax offers access to various services, from investment solutions to personal banking.
With more than 150 years of history, Halifax has recreated, redefined, and updated its brand image several times. However, much of the company’s focus has remained consistent throughout the years.
Like many banking institutions, Halifax has always worked to convey a sense of security and credibility to its consumers.
Today, we will be taking a closer look at the history of the Halifax logo, how it’s transformed over the years, and what it means.
Halifax bank history: An introduction
Before we dive into our exploration of the Halifax bank logo, let’s start with an introduction to the Halifax bank. Previously known as the Halifax Building Society and known to many as “The Halifax,” the organization was founded in 1853.
It was named after the town of Halifax in West Yorkshire. By 1913, it had developed into the UK’s largest building society.
Halifax was formed out of the “Loyal Georgian Society,” a friendly group offering lending services. Over the years, the company evolved to offer a wide range of banking and financial services. In 1997, Halifax became “Halifax PLC” and joined the FTSE 100 Index.
In 2001, Halifax joined forces with the Governor and Company Bank in Scotland, forming the HBOS. By 2006, the HBOS Reorganization Act transferred the liabilities and assets of the Halifax chain back to the Bank of Scotland, which became a standard PLC.
What is the Halifax slogan?
Over the years, Halifax has experimented with several slogans, including “Get a little extra help” and “Always giving you extra.” The company also revealed a new campaign in 2021 which transformed its slogan into “It’s a people thing.”
Halifax logo history: The evolution of the Halifax symbol
So, has Halifax changed its logo over the years? The simple answer is yes. Halifax has had a handful of different emblems across the decades. Initially, the Halifax design started relatively simple, with little more than a wordmark.
However, as time passed and the company looked for ways to become more distinctive, the brand began experimenting with more visually-engaging designs.
1925
One of the first logos introduced by Halifax was produced in 1925. It was a simple wordmark in a brown/black colour palette, set on two levels. The name “Halifax” was at the top, while the words “Building Society” sat underneath.
The sans-serif font was written in all capital letters to convey strength, durability, and stability concepts.
1933
In 1933, Halifax updated its logo slightly to feature a more textured typeface.
The redesign also changed the company’s colour palette to black and white – a traditional and sophisticated combination. The letters in the image were placed closer together in this logo, and everything seemed a little squatter and more elongated.
1965
The overall design was balanced, modest, and modern. It evoked a sense of responsibility and confidence in the brand.
1977
In the 70s, Halifax started to get a little more playful with its branding choices. The redesign of the logo removed the “Building Society” element completely, focusing entirely on the organization’s name.
The simple wordmark was depicted in similar bold, block letters to the images we saw in the past. However, the X was redesigned.
The “X” at the end of the wordmark seemed almost hand-drawn, intended to show a sense of playfulness, modernity, and innovation.
1985
During the 1980s, we saw one of the most significant redesigns in Halifax logo history. At this point, the company changed its colour palette entirely, choosing the shade of blue to represent reliability, credibility, and trustworthiness.
The blue lettering was refined to make the company appear more stable and confident.
Additionally, this new wordmark was accompanied by a large “X” shape in the background, made of several horizontal blue lines. The logo was chosen to convey strength and security.
2019
In 2019, Halifax updated its logo to an even more contemporary design.
The lines in the “X” were eliminated to leave behind a more consistent and credible-looking image. However, there still appears to be a white space between the two components of the X, making one part look a little like an arrow pointing toward the future.
The wordmark in this logo was also refined, becoming sleeker and more sophisticated. While a similar sans-serif font is used here, it appears much more up-to-date.
The new Halifax logo: Colours and typography
The Halifax symbol, as it stands today, is a fantastic example of an eye-catching and compelling banking logo. The design is new, contemporary, and exciting, but it still maintains many of the core values championed by the bank.
Within the image, we see the name of the company, one of the most consistent elements of the Halifax branding strategy.
The bold font choice and the uppercase letters help depict Halifax as a sturdy, reliable, and strong banking provider. The “X” shape behind the logo is intended to demonstrate security and professionalism.
However, it also looks a little like a combination of arrows, which may help to symbolize direction, forward momentum, and growth.
The blue colouring of the Halifax logo is another important aspect of the overall image. Brands often choose blue to convey reliability and trustworthiness. You can find some useful resources to help you dive deeper into the Halifax logo here:
What colour is the Halifax logo?
As mentioned above, the Halifax logo colours are one of the most compelling parts of the brand’s image.
For many years, Halifax focused simply on a black and white colour palette. This monochrome choice was common among financial services companies for some time, as black and white are usually representative of sophistication and expertise.
Eventually, The Halifax logo colour was updated to blue to convey reliability, trustworthiness, and credibility. The soothing tone of blue used by the Halifax logo has changed slightly over the years. Today, the colour is dark powder blue.
Dark Powder Blue:
Hex: #003399
RGB: (0, 51, 153)
CMYK: 1, 0.666, 0, 0.4
What font does the Halifax logo use?
The Halifax logo font is another compelling aspect of the company’s visual identity. The font choice is a fantastic way for the company to showcase its credible and modern nature. For years, Halifax has used many logos with relatively blocky and bold sans-serif typography.
Today, the font used for the Halifax logo is similar to the Gill Sans Extrabold display used on the previous Halifax logo. However, it has been refined and sharpened slightly.
Learning from the Halifax symbol
The Halifax logo is a symbol most people in the British banking and financial landscape are familiar with today. The image evolved over the years from a simple wordmark intended to demonstrate the credibility and sophistication of the brand to something more playful and eye-catching.
The Halifax logo we know now helps to differentiate the brand while conveying important ideas about reliability and trustworthiness.
The Halifax logo is a fantastic design that tells customers valuable information about the brand itself. Everything from the colour choices to the typography to the eye-catching X in the background helps us understand the business’s nature.
Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.
As Fabrik’s creative director, Stephen oversees complex branding programmes. He advises our clients on their tone of voice, creates logos and visual identities and crafts names for companies, products and services. Writing for Brand Fabrik Stephen reflects his love for logo design and visual identity.
