TLDR
We gave Bishopsfield Capital Partners a calmer, more precise look to match their work. We kept the name, the chess idea and the blue, and modernised everything else: logo, font, colour and imagery.
Bishopsfield had grown, and its look needed to grow with it.
Bishopsfield Capital Partners gives independent advice on finance and credit risk to banks, companies and large investors across Western Europe. Their work often involves complex financial transactions, where the details matter and mistakes can be costly.
You wouldn’t get that impression from the old website. It looked like it could belong to almost any firm. Here’s what we changed and why.
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The old website
When you open the old homepage, three things stand out. A blue chess bishop. The firm’s name in tall, narrow capital letters. And a wide photo of Tower Bridge at sunset.
It is the kind of website you saw on dozens of London firm websites between 2000 and 2015. The same fonts. The same city skyline. Nobody questioned them. But nobody remembered them either.
For a small firm with a clear specialism, this creates two problems. The website looks dated and it does little to make the firm stand out. A potential client may visit, get little sense of what makes the firm different and move on to another option.
A more subtle chess reference
The blue bishop was one of the main things we wanted to change. It was too illustrative and took up too much space in the logo. Your eye went straight to the chess piece rather than the firm’s name.
We decided to keep a subtle reference to chess, as it is part of the firm’s identity. But instead of another drawing of a chess piece, we used three small squares. The reference is still there, but it is much more understated.
This was part of a wider decision to simplify the identity. We wanted the firm’s name to do the talking, supported by careful typography and a much cleaner design. Nothing too decorative or attention-seeking.
The result is quieter and more confident. It feels more appropriate for a firm working in financial advice and credit risk.
The typography
The old logo design used tall, narrow capital letters. They made the firm’s name feel squeezed. We wanted something calmer and more confident. We chose a serif font for the firm’s name. It has small “feet” at the ends of the letters, which gives it a more traditional feel. For everything else, including headlines, we used plain, clean letters that are easy to read on a phone.
The idea was simple. The name should stand out without being big, bold or decorated. The letters do the work. The rest of the design stays quiet.
The colour
We kept the blue. It was already part of the firm’s identity and changing it completely would have served little purpose.
Instead, we made it darker. The old mid-blue was replaced with a deeper navy, giving the identity a calmer, more understated feel. It’s a simple change, but it makes a noticeable difference. The overall look is now more mature and better suited to the firm.
The imagery
The old homepage used a familiar image of London. It showed where the firm was based, but said little about what it actually did. We wanted something that could communicate more about the firm’s work without resorting to literal pictures of finance or business.
We chose abstract imagery instead. Rather than showing literal scenes of finance, we wanted to use shapes and patterns to create a visual language of our own. The geometric forms give the design a sense of structure and depth, without being too literal.
We also wanted to avoid the typical fintech design look. That meant avoiding bright gradients and shiny 3D graphics, which can make a website look more like a technology start-up or a mobile app. That wasn’t right for Bishopsfield. We wanted something more restrained, in keeping with the firm’s work advising on complex financial transactions.
After looking at a few options, the client chose dark navy cubes. They have a 3D look, but without the shine or effects often seen in fintech design. They also echo the squares in the chessboard logo, giving us a pattern we can use across the website, business cards and pitch decks. It makes the whole brand feel consistent.
Final thoughts on Bishopsfield’s financial brand design
Bishopsfield’s old website followed a familiar, old-fashioned style of financial website design: a city skyline, tall capital letters and an illustrated logo. That look was common for years, but it no longer reflected the firm or the way it wanted to present itself.
The new web design brings Bishopsfield up to date. The website feels more modern, while still keeping the familiar parts of the firm’s identity.
Andrew began his career in web design and development in the late 1990s. His eagerness to embrace the medium saw Andrew setting up Reactive Graphics in 2004. With over 20 years plus working as a London web designer supporting a wide range of clients, Andrew’s experience in web design, web development and graphic design have helped him to build a growing business.
