SVB - Rebrand - SVB Collapses

SVB Collapses

Falling victim to a unique set of market conditions (they were partially responsible for creating), SVB faced a Twitter/X inspired bank run last March. The SVB rebrand was front and center as the financial markets teetered on meltdown. The Silicon Valley Bank brand was the most viral thing in the world for a week. SVB was everywhere. On every news program on TV, any news site, any social media feed, in conversation, just everywhere... SVB was being discussed by the President, politicians, professionals, and the public.

I secretly hoped a news anchor would pause to admire the branding. Be it the rigor and refinement seen in the color palette, or the carefully crafted custom wordmark. I wanted a pundit to say it wasn't just a mess, but a HOT mess. People said horrible things about SVB's character and integrity, but I liked them as a client. They were kind and thoughtful people who wanted their branding to be the best it possibly could be. They weren't the reckless hedge fund types portrayed in movies. It was surreal to see the SVB logo slathered all over CNN next to graphics with large red arrows on charts pointing down. A wave of opportunists jumped on the misfortune, attempting to create a fail-meme out of SVB while turning a quick profit on ebay.