Our starting-point was creating a powerful brand proposition, putting the focus on Clarion’s role in helping clients enjoy the fruits of their success, through “true lifelong financial planning for the serious business of life”.

Creating a luxury brand feel.

In terms of look and feel, we wanted to create a luxury brand feel for Clarion. More specifically, our aim was to convey an air of long established stability, to help inspire the sense of certainty and confidence that come with knowing your wealth is in the most expert hands.

The brand mark icon we created is subtly packed with beautifully illustrated details designed to help provide this reassurance. Corn sheaves suggest harvest, and labour’s well deserved rewards, while also serving as a symbol to underline provenance, as a symbol of Clarion’s home county of Cheshire. The compass hints at planning, and well directed journeys. And of course the war-trumpets represent the firm’s name, while also bringing to mind cut-through and clarity.

Blending past, present and future.

Juxtaposed with this heritage-focused mark, the logotype is strikingly clean and contemporary. And the richness of the key colours we chose – amethyst and gold – further strengthens the satisfying sense of a long established brand completely at home in the modern world. In terms of visual language, we went for highly emotive black-and-white photography, bringing alive the brand promise of helping clients to enjoy what matters most in their lives. Finally, in headlines and copy, we set out to find playful ways to put Clarion’s own spin on the conventional language of financial planning, inviting clients, for example, to “plan to have no plan” or to “invest in yourself”. . . in order to get the most from “the serious business of life”.

An all-new Clarion website, design and built by Neon

Then came the ultimate seal of approval from the client: an invitation for Neon to redo Clarion’s very extensive website, from top to bottom – planning, design and build.

In terms of user-experience, we introduced new clarity and coherence. To make the site even more pleasurable to browse, every word of copy was rewritten in our new style. We sharpened up the site SEO content, to ensure maximum online visibility. And the carefully considered visual language we had developed for the brand carried over smoothly and seamlessly into a digital environment. Oh yes, we even took all the portrait shots for the “Our people” section.

Overall, we think the new site has moved on a million miles from the traditional dry and dusty world of financial services, enabling Clarion to create a much more positive first impression as a premium provider of high-value expertise and a trusted adviser.

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RON WALKER
Founder
Clarion Wealth Planning 
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