Designers who created the FCA logo reflected the name of this organization in it. It is presented in two versions: full and abbreviated. The abbreviation is located on the left side and partially inscribed in a parallelogram. The phrase “FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY” is in the right part of the emblem and occupies three lines.
FCA: Brand overview
Founded: | 1 April 2013 |
Headquarters: | London, England, United Kingdom |
Website: | fca.org.uk |
Meaning and History
The Financial Conduct Authority, better known as FCA, uses both versions of its name in the logo. Its first wordmark appeared in 2013 when the Financial Services Act 2012 came into force, implying the abolition of the Financial Services Authority and the creation of a new financial control system in the UK. Designers played with the three letters of the abbreviation, presenting them in the negative space of different colors. Later, they changed the emblem structure and made it more minimalist. The work on the design involved separating the inscriptions and removing one common base.
What is FCA?
FCA is the same as the Financial Conduct Authority. It is an independent body from the UK government that oversees financial institutions. It was formed in 2013 and replaced its predecessor – the Financial Services Authority. Its control objects are mutual aid cashiers, banking firms, and independent financial consultants.
2013 – 2017
The first logo took the shape of a bank card; that is, it looked like a horizontally oriented rectangle with rounded corners. The designers specifically aimed for such an association because FCA has been controlling banks, credit unions, and independent financial consultants since its inception. However, the emblem’s base was not solid: the central part was missing from the top half. In its place was a white depression in the shape of a parallelogram. All the remaining space was painted in a burgundy color with a gradient and many light wavy lines running horizontally.
At the top was the abbreviation “FCA.” The white “F” and “A” occupied the free space on the sides, while the burgundy “C” with a striped pattern was in the middle – where the base was missing a part. Below the large letters, the phrase “FINANCIAL SERVICES AUTHORITY” was written in small font. All the glyphs were uppercase and had short, sharp serifs.
2017 – today
In 2017, advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi developed the current logo for the regulator, receiving £57,600 for the entire range of services. After the redesign, which was timed to coincide with the move to new offices in Stratford, the common base disappeared. The letters “FCA” were on the left side, with two of them (“F” and “A”) now in purple and located on a blank white background, while the middle “C” was painted white and placed inside a purple parallelogram.
The cuts at the ends of the horizontal strokes of “F” and the slant of the left diagonal of “A” are parallel to the quadrilateral’s side, creating visual harmony. The organization’s full name is written to the right of the abbreviation and divided into three lines with left-aligned text. The bold sans-serif font looks imposing and solid.
The geometric symmetry and clear shapes make the FCA logo consistent with the essence of this organization. After all, it should be associated with correctness, structure, consistency, reliability, and incorruptibility. At the same time, there is a disproportion in the emblem: the white letter “C,” located inside the purple parallelogram, stands out from the general picture. This demonstrates the innovation and modernity of the Financial Conduct Authority.
Font and Colors
When creating the new logo for FCA, the designers at Saatchi & Saatchi started with the idea that the words “FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY” should be highly visible, clear, and legible. Therefore, they used a bold sans-serif font for the inscription, similar to Aspira Wide Bold from Durotype. Notably, the standalone letter “F” in the abbreviation has cut at the ends, parallel to the parallelogram side nearby. The main colors of the wordmark are a combination of white and purple.
FCA color codes
Pansy Purple | Hex color: | #701b45 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 112 27 69 | |
CMYK: | 0 76 38 56 | |
Pantone: | PMS 7435 C |