Love the web

What could be more interesting or challenging for a Swiss designer than to start his first New Zealand project with a bank? Especially a bank called Kiwibank! This combination of Kiwi and Bank left me with two really interesting observations.

The first was a design one. Studying design in Switzerland means learning how to use less colour, less fonts, less pictures. It’s about presenting an arrangement of elements and information in a system that gives every single visual object the eligibility to exist in that space. Use nothing unnecessary. It's all about system, a system of grids and angles. As a result Swiss design often leaves a very mechanical or technical impression. (Ironically for all the focus on simplicity it’s the most complex system that exists).

When I came to New Zealand I found exactly the opposite. Colour! New Zealand loves all kinds of color. Even purple has a place to exist. I found design with leaves and waves, lots of round shapes and many things inspired by nature. Looking nice seemed to be of the highest priority. Why use rules if it works without? So I find the design over here leaves a more natural impression than a technical one. (Ironically behind the natural pictures lie the most complex mathematical rules).

The second observation was about the business of banking. Switzerland is world famous for its banks. So after some research I was shocked to find nearly all Swiss banks have websites that look much like this: kantonalbank.ch

Did anyone actually design this? Do they even care about it? Or does it have to look boring and unfriendly because it’s a serious business?

Again I found the opposite in New Zealand. The Kiwibank project was all about looking after clients. Making it easy for them to find what they were after and to feel welcome in an inspiring yet still professional space. Kiwibank were willing to take a risk, to be a bit different. By doing so they got something really special and unique to banking worldwide:

http://www.kiwibank.co.nz

I think it’s great to see New Zealand businesses and people caring about design and how things look. I also love that it's possible to use more than one colour. Although I still have to keep it simple (this is called compromise - a typical Swiss sickness!).