CaixaBank Logo PNG
In small Spanish communities, a bank branch sometimes arrives on a schedule. The CaixaBank logo appears on mobile branches serving areas with limited access to financial services. During a stop, customers can withdraw cash, make deposits, or pay utility bills.
CaixaBank traces its origins to Catalonia, dating back to 1844, when it was founded as Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Barcelona. A second institution appeared on April 5, 1904, when Francesc Moragas Barret founded Caja de Pensiones para la Vejez y de Ahorros de Cataluña y Baleares, later known as “la Caixa,” focused on savings and social insurance.
Moragas introduced structured management and expanded services. By 1905, “la Caixa” had 109 branches and held 59.5% of deposits in Catalonia. The network continued to grow beyond the region, becoming one of Spain’s largest branch systems.
A major consolidation came in 1990, when “la Caixa” merged with Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Barcelona. In 2007, the group listed its investment arm, Criteria CaixaCorp, in what was then Spain’s largest IPO.
In 2011, the group restructured, creating CaixaBank as a listed entity, while transferring industrial assets, including Grupo PortAventura, Gas Natural, and Abertis, to Criteria CaixaHolding. The bank retained stakes in Repsol YPF and Telefónica.
The financial crisis opened expansion opportunities. In 2012, CaixaBank acquired Banca Cívica for €977 million and later took over Banco de Valencia after state intervention. While competitors like Bankia faced balance issues, CaixaBank strengthened its position.
In 2014, “la Caixa” became a banking foundation. In 2017, the bank relocated its legal headquarters to Valencia amid political uncertainty in Catalonia.
In 2021, CaixaBank absorbed Bankia, becoming Spain’s largest bank by assets and clients and surpassing Banco Santander and BBVA.
Meaning and History
CaixaBank was founded in 2011 based on the Pension Bank of Barcelona, Caja de Ahorros y Pensiones de Barcelona (La Caixa). The name CaixaBank was chosen for representative and institutional purposes and was launched on July 1st. The bankers declared their mission to contribute to the financial well-being of Catalonia residents, the region’s development, and society’s progress as a whole. The main values are quality, trust, and social responsibility.
By 2020, the bank’s assets had exceeded €500 billion, and it had launched a mobile bank through the ImaginBank app. The bank has more than 6,000 branches, 9,500 ATMs, and about 32,000 employees, with nearly 15 million customers.
Throughout the institution’s history, the logo has changed several times. In the bank’s history, until the 1970s of the last century, it did not have a specific logo; instead, the name and seal, featuring the word “Caixa,” were used.
In 1979, La Caixa’s board decided to create a full-fledged logo. It engaged the design agency Landor & Associates and, with them, the famous Catalan artist Joan Miró, who was living in the Balearic Islands at the time.
They proposed an eight-pointed star to avoid religious and political connotations, and a red-and-yellow palette to symbolize the flags of Spain and the Balearic Islands.
Miró experimented for a long time and, in 1980, presented his version: a five-pointed star with a lively sea star image. He made a tapestry logo that the bank owners liked so much they immediately hung it in the main office, and they reprinted all business cards with the emblem added.
The logo features a saturated orange rectangle, symbolizing the Catalan lands, known for this color. On the left, a bright blue star sits in a thin white frame, with two circular bubbles beside it. The name CaixaBank is written in black with a white outline; a stripe that encircles it symbolizes stability and reliability.
In 2018, CaixaBank created another version of the emblem for employee badges and mobile applications.
It represents an almost-white rectangle (with a slight bluish tint). The star with circles sits at the top; a thin black stripe emphasizes it, and the name CaixaBank appears below. For applications, the inscription appears as follows: “la Caixa”.
What is CaixaBank?
CaixaBank is one of Spain’s largest banking holdings. It was formed in 2011 by reorganizing Criteria CaixaCorp and provides a wide range of financial services, including insurance, lending, and investment products. Its clients are large corporations, medium-sized businesses, small enterprises, and private individuals. The bank is known for its innovative solutions that improve service quality.
1904 -1954
CaixaBank traces its roots to two Barcelona institutions. The “la Caixa” brand originated with Caja de Pensiones para la Vejez y de Ahorros de Cataluña y Baleares, the “Old-Age Pension and Savings Fund of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands,” founded on April 5, 1904, at the initiative of Francesc Moragas Barret. The bank’s other institution, Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Barcelona, was founded in 1844.
An early Caja de Pensiones emblem displayed the institution’s name on a broad ribbon curved beneath a decorative shield. The inscription “Caja de Pensiones para la Vejez y de Ahorros” followed the ribbon’s curve in narrow uppercase serif letters. Intertwined initials filled the shield, flanked by seated female figures in classical robes. Their placement gave the composition a symmetrical structure, complemented by botanical ornamentation. Fine lines rendered the fabric folds, the figures’ details, and the depth of the decorative elements, giving the emblem the look of a printed engraving.
Joan Miró’s star is also tied to the institution founded in 1904. The name “la Caixa” developed from the everyday term people used for the savings bank. The Catalan word “caixa” translates as “cashbox” and, in banking, means “savings bank.” The article “la” agrees with the feminine noun “caixa.” The name CaixaBank combines this Catalan root with the English word “bank,” preserving the connection to “la Caixa” in its first half.
1954 – 1960
Before adopting a unified visual identity, “la Caixa” used several emblems, some of which were used concurrently. One was a heraldic design in red and golden yellow. Its elements were arranged vertically. A crown topped a rounded shield containing several small heraldic fields, with a monogrammed medallion suspended below. An inscription ran around the shield’s perimeter.
Later, an image of a building with a tall tower replaced the heraldic design. Red interlocking letters appeared over its dark silhouette. The building and monogram occupied the left side of the logo. On the right, the institution’s full Spanish name was divided into three lines of uppercase lettering with flat stroke endings.
1960 – 1967
The emblem bearing the inscription “Caixa d’Estalvis Provincial de Tarragona” belonged to the provincial savings bank of Tarragona, established in 1952. The logo history of this separate brand is considered independently of changes to the Caja de Pensiones emblem.
The gold-colored composition combined two standing figures, a crown, and a shield containing several coats of arms. The bank’s name identified the institution the emblem represented.
1967 – 1976
The 1967 La Caixa logo featured the savings bank’s historic building on Via Laietana in Barcelona. The building’s silhouette occupied the left side of the design, with a red monogram superimposed on it. The institution’s existing name, Caja de Pensiones para la Vejez y de Ahorros, appeared on the right.
The version featuring the Barcelona building remained in use until the introduction of the blue La Caixa star and the new name.
1976 – 1982
Following a rebranding, the familiar name “la Caixa” became the basis of the logo. The institution adopted this shorter name in place of its lengthy official designation. The design featured two words in quotation marks.
The name was set in a bold black serif typeface. The heavy letters had rounded contours. The article “la” appeared in lowercase, while “Caixa” began with an uppercase “C.” Large quotation marks framed the lettering. The name was retained through the next visual identity redesign.
1982 – 2014
By the late 1970s, “la Caixa” needed a shared symbol to replace the institution’s assortment of visual identifiers. American agency Landor Associates was tasked with connecting the savings bank’s financial services to its social role and creating an image that would be understood beyond its home region. Joan Miró’s art provided the basis for the new emblem, and his involvement ultimately shaped its appearance.
Landor design director Craig Siegel created a preliminary version: a blue, eight-pointed drawing resembling an asterisk. The agency then approached Miró. The artist reworked the symbol, replacing the eight evenly spaced rays with an asymmetrical five-pointed star and two separate patches of color. The blue silhouette retained the freeform quality of his drawing. Its points varied in length and width, curved slightly, and extended at different angles. A small yellow shape and a larger, vertically elongated red shape sat at the lower left. Their irregular edges complemented the star’s contours.
Created in 1980, the image became part of a textile artwork by Miró and Josep Royo measuring five meters long and two meters high. The public first saw the work in 1981 at the opening of Barcelona’s Science Museum. By 1982, the star had been fully incorporated into the “la Caixa” identity. The artist’s involvement reflected the institution’s cultural connection. The blue, red, and yellow carried forward Miró’s palette, which the organization described as Mediterranean.
Craig Siegel of Landor Associates designed the wordmark. The colored emblem appeared to the left of the black “la Caixa” name, with a thin horizontal line beneath the lettering. The name used the Weiss serif typeface, with its contrast between thick main strokes and thin connecting strokes. The letters looked lighter than those in the previous version. The quotation marks became elongated and smaller in proportion to the name. The line of text balanced the star’s freeform contours while preserving the distinction between the typography and Miró’s drawing.
During negotiations for the merger of the two Barcelona savings banks in 1989, the parties agreed to retain the short name “la Caixa” and the star. In 1990, the combined institution took the full name Caja de Ahorros y Pensiones de Barcelona, or “Barcelona Savings and Pension Bank.”
2014 – today
The CaixaBank name appeared on the logo when the group transferred its banking operations to the company. The new emblem was unveiled on June 30, 2011. It replaced the Criteria CaixaCorp name on the shorter tower at the Barcelona headquarters. In comparison, the taller tower retained the “la Caixa” lettering. The two names reflected their different roles. CaixaBank represented the publicly traded company and appeared in contractual documents. At the same time, individual customers continued to be served under the “la Caixa” name.
The transition from a savings bank to a banking company was marked by a change in lettering. At the same time, the logo’s artistic foundation remained intact. Joan Miró’s asymmetrical five-pointed star and two bright patches of color stayed on the left. The starfish image and pebble-like colored shapes connected the design to the sea and Spain’s warm coast. The black CaixaBank name appeared on the right. The former name, with its article and quotation marks, gave way to a single word with an uppercase “C” and “B” marking the start of each component. The Weiss serif typeface and the line beneath the name maintained a typographic connection to the previous brand.
In 2014, after “la Caixa” became a banking foundation, a licensing agreement formalized the use of the shared identity. CaixaBank received rights to the “la Caixa” name and the star emblem. The foundation and the bank continued using the same symbol under different names.
The branch network began adopting the new identity in May 2015. The branches acquired from Barclays’ Spanish operations were the first to receive the CaixaBank branding, followed by signage changes at the remaining locations. The company presented the update as part of positioning CaixaBank as a universal bank with international ambitions.
Font and Colors
During the logo evolution process, a sudden “glitch” occurred: instead of a strict, semi-official emblem, a friendly and optimistic sign emerged. The bright approach to identity balanced the banking organization’s strict style, bringing it closer to clients and instilling confidence. The developers also modernized the text, shifting it from daring to elegant and restrained.
The management approved the Weiss font for the updated logo, which is lighter than the previous one. The thin symbols harmonize with the icon. The inscription is solid and lowercase, with two uppercase letters: “C” and “B.”
The blue color was chosen because it stands out on any background and signifies friendliness and trust. The star also reflects the image, which features a person throwing coins into a piggy bank. This means that the money deposited in the bank will be safe.
In subsequent years, the logo changed its background color from black to red and yellow, but the star and coins remain unchanged to this day.