Ayres Kahler on Designing a Brand:

Lydian Trust Company is a leading provider of wealth management, banking, lending, consulting and data services for a growing base of clients and corporate partners. With a primary brand, as well as numerous sub-brands to consider, Ayres Kahler began by considering the company's overall structure and operations before embarking on executions for Lydian Wealth Management, a performance-based independent financial consulting firm dedicated to the unique needs of ultra-high net worth investors, families, and foundations.

Due to the nature of its clientele, the creative approach needed to appeal to the affluent, progressive entrepreneur while maintaining the look and feel of a stable, experienced wealth management company. Before diving into design, a color palette of bold, rich hues was determined for all of Lydian's subsidiary company brands. From here, imagery was selected to reflect the unique history of the company. Ancient Greek and Roman architecture formed the foundation of this imagery, not only to tie into the origins of the Lydian name (derived from the society responsible for the introduction of coinage) but also to communicate the expertise, character and solidity of the organization.

In order to communicate the brand most effectively, the design strategy needed to be strong yet innovative to reflect Lydian's core essence. Color dominates the design with imagery acting only as support. Warm golds enhance the ancient coin of the logo and serve to offset the contemporary deep blues and blacks. Simple, classic layouts keep the pieces clean and allow the viewer/reader to focus on the information. The use of lines and arc segments throughout the pieces echo the archways and columns of the imagery in addition to guiding the reader through the content. While serif typography is used predominantly to communicate a more traditional organization, a complimentary sans serif font was also selected to keep the pieces fresh and modern looking.

Now that the first set of materials for Lydian Wealth Management is complete, the creative approach can be extended through Lydian's other company brands. As the Lydian brand grows, design will continue to reinforce the company's balance between old and new, tradition and innovation, stability and flexibility.

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