Dutch agency Verve has announced its new branding design supporting African fintech Flutterwave. It was recently valued at more than $3 billion. That makes Flutterwave the most respected African startup in the world. The brand’s new visual identity is based on the word ‘LabaLaba, which translates to “butterfly” in Yoruba, one of the major languages spoken by Nigeria.
“Flutterwave is a mighty and vibrant brand that embodies an energy and spirit typical of African business, which is why our approach to collaboration was vital in ensuring that the brand’s authenticity remained African and stood apart in its category,” says Roman Stikkelorum. He is the managing director at Verve.
African West Coast. Flutterwave already had a butterfly logo; therefore, following twelve years of rapid expansion, it became a “symbol of trust and reliability,” according to Stikkelorum, which is a symbol that Verve could build upon. Verve, therefore, designed a modular identity and motion principles around LabaLaba, which means “butterfly” in Yoruba and is one of the major dialects spoken across Nigeria and Africa.
“We realized that Verve could meet our needs. needed; a company that is passionate about showcasing character and culture by way of branding,” adds Ted Odalele, the director of design and development at Flutterwave. “We loved re-discovering ourselves as a team and brainstorming different ways to tell our origin story. Identity is the window into engaging with the world, and Verve provides us with the tools and language for doing exactly that.”
To consider the various points of contact that any brand must be aware of, Verve challenged Flutterwave to look beyond its logo and develop the development of a branding system that has its fundamentals. The plan was designed to swiftly adjust to the constantly changing requirements of consumers and shift Flutterwave away from fintech towards one that is more focused on the economy of the creator and its customers.
“Traditionally, the global fintech visual style is heavily influenced by blues and green colors that are bland and corporate for a brand that claims its self on supporting and empowering African entrepreneurs and businesses,” says Stikkelorum. “We have chosen the B2C method for our traditional B2B brand to reflect the daring ambitions of entrepreneurs, whatever the goals they have. The entire branding and identity strategy is based on this one story woven throughout the brand’s new identity and assets.”
Verve has also created guidelines for branding covering everything from typography to photography and an illustrated guide to general branding communications that will ensure that Flutterwave’s brand can evolve and grow for new items and services.
“In the current world, to stay relevant, you must be distinctive and change to become a dynamic brand,” concludes Stikkelorum. “We are ecstatic that this project not only met the brief but combined the best of our skills and Flutterwaves’ to create a brand that is bold and distinctively African and built from the core of classic digital Dutch design and future-proofed, as the company grows from strength-to-strength.”
