Westpac’s big red “W” turns 50

Westpac’s iconic red “W’ is turning 50. 

It has become one of Australia’s most recognisable corporate logos, and it may surprise you to learn that it pre-dates the Westpac name itself. 

The concept of a ‘corporate identity’ is not new: think heraldic symbols, faces on coins and images on stamps – all present an idealised version of the entity they are representing.

While known as the Bank of New South Wales, the bank had a crest - an elaborate piece featuring a kangaroo, a black swan (for Western Australia), the rising sun and symbols showcasing the mainstays of economy at the time: wheat, wool, beef and mining. 

Its Latin inscription: ‘Sic Fortis Etruria Crevit’ – which roughly translates as ‘Thus Etruria grew strong’ – was somewhat arcane, even for the 1970s!

It was time for a change.
 

In 1974, the bank turned to globally-renowned industrial designer and graphic artist, Pieter Huveneers to revolutionise our understanding of who we were.

Exit the stuffy, complicated heraldic symbol; enter a striking, simple - and at the time - surprising ‘W’ in bold red.

Why the W? The Bank of New South Wales was then known colloquially as ‘The Wales’ and the new logo was so successful that within 7 years, ‘W’ had achieved a brand recognition rating of over 78 per cent - meaning almost anyone who saw it recognised it.

That’s testament to Huveneers’ genius; around the same time he designed the logos for Australia Post and Myer, both of which are also still in use today.

In 1981, the Bank of New South Wales was preparing to merge with the Commercial Bank of Australia. As neither bank wanted to give up their name, their history, or, in The Wales’ case, its successful logo, Huveneers was called on again.

This time to develop a new name that would satisfy everyone.

Huveneers explained how he did it: “When selecting the new name it was necessary to take into account where the company would be based, its principal areas of operation and whether it would be desirable to include elements of both previous names, or to ‘construct’ a new name.”

“We decided to use Westpac Banking Corporation because the name implies a new attitude, a totally new look, and the Bank’s involvement in the Western Pacific region.”

Happily, it also allowed the continued use of the wonderful red ‘W’, but in a slightly deeper shade of red, and incorporating some silver elements.

Huveneers noted that “the use of silver ties in with the need to represent Westpac as a modern and sophisticated group. It is not ostentatious or pretentious – it strikes a happy medium.”

There have been slight tweaks to the red ‘W’ over its fifty years but at its core is the same message from 1974: it encapsulates the ‘look’ as much as the ‘feel’ of a company.

As Huveneers said in 1974, “these components identify a company and determines its ‘personality’, and often this public personality has a big influence on whether or not the company will be successful.”