Challenge

How do you take social investment into the mainstream?

As technology platforms become more ubiquitous, and mission-led companies go mainstream, Ethex was confronted with new competitors in its core markets whilst also facing challenges to its pipeline of projects.

And while everyday people want to take action, audiences aren’t as familiar with the positive investment sector or the offers and opportunities within it.

We needed to evolve the brand in order to help move Ethex out of its perceived niche and give it clarity and coherence in a landscape where ethical investment has increasingly moved into the mainstream and looks visually sophisticated.

Insight

Make positive investment accessible

To attract a broader base of investors, we needed to make Ethex’s differentiating value cleaner and easier to understand, whilst simplifying the overall customer experience.

We needed to remove the barriers to entry and establish clear principles and criteria that give people better options when it comes to realising the power of their money - for themselves and society.

Idea

Ethical Extraordinary Investments

Ethex. Ethical investment. Extraordinary projects. Everyday people.

Traditional investment vehicles rarely steward your money with the care you took in earning it and often don’t think imaginatively about its broader transformational power.

Ethex views money as a powerful force for social change. Our task was to position them as pioneers in helping everyday people invest in organisations that deliver a financial return and a positive impact. To create a greener and fairer future for everyone.

Our brand positioning “Ethical Extraordinary Investments” is a simple, accessible ethos that promotes positive change and empowers people to channel their money into a powerful force for good. Into innovative organisations that are making a difference and making money.

Ethex wanted to reach as many potential investors as possible so we needed a call to action that felt inviting and inclusive. That was down to earth and on point. That didn't sniff of complexity or lean too far into worthiness. Make Money Do Good is the strapline that we reached, translating the positioning into an external line that gets to the heart of the Ethex vision and intention.

Bringing a friendly face to investing

Ethex is not a faceless, corporate investment house. It is run by a dedicated team of passionate individuals who want to help investors use their money in line with their values.

For this reason, we developed Bucky, the human, approachable face of Ethex and positive investing. Bucky features in the brand logo and adds some playfulness and energy to a range of brand touchpoints.

A warm and approachable identity

To make Ethex the alternative to the staid investment world of anonymous tracker funds and anaemic pensions, we needed to create an identity that challenged the industry norm, ensuring it felt slick and less ’third sector’.

Our contemporary brand identity features a bright and positive colour palette that works with a friendly and approachable typeface. We stayed clear of cliched investment imagery and developed a simple, ownable illustration style that compliments the Bucky character, and showcases the sectors and projects you can invest your money into.

Celebrating the investors

The brand photography shows the wide-range of everyday people who use Ethex to invest in and support businesses that have a positive impact in the world.

Rethinking the platform

To ensure the investment opportunities were as accessible as possible we needed to rethink the whole investment platform. We worked with online investment specialists ShareIn to ensure user journeys and messaging were kept simple, and that the brand was consistent and coherent throughout the investment process.

Positive investment kept simple

The language we use balances the use of clear communication about the financial nature (and risk) of the products, and conveys the emotion of the impact that can be delivered.

To do this we created four tone of voice principles; 'light, bright and alright', 'easy to talk to', 'on point', and ‘wholehearted’. This enabled us to talk in a warm and engaging way whilst also conveying a level of trust that your money is in good hands.

Project disciplines
Brand strategy, brand identity, tone of voice, photography, illustration, campaigns & content, animation, website design, copywriting, brand guardianship.

Project collaborators
Photography: Matt Davis
Copywriting support: Found For Words