Breaking the corporate mould: Fintech, Cape, wins at the 2023 Australian Design Awards for their personality-packed brand evolution
Cape, the expense management platform and corporate card provider, has gone against thegrain in their latest rebrand, scrapping the agency approach and cold impersonal branding ofother fintechs and developing everything in-house including a brand brimming with warmth andcharacter.Cape’s unique brand evolution has attracted significant attention from the design community,winning Silver in the ‘Identity and Branding’ category of the 2023 Australian Design Awards upagainst many household (and well-funded) other brands.
Cape’s CEO and Founder, Ryan Edwards-Pritchard, commented on the rebrand: “Kicking off theproject the goal sounded simple: make Cape more Cape.” “But we needed a new visual identity that allowed for more flex in showcasing how we sit at theintersection of payments, software and people. Whilst providing a nod to the evils our customersdeal with on a daily basis around frustrating paper based receipt management processes andsomething that spoke to our purpose of building ‘Complete Expense Nirvana.”
In the recent brand evolution, Cape transitions from a bold palette with a rough and folksytheme to a softer colourway punctuated by a more confident and dynamic personality. Lightpinks, steel blues and floral whites are at the forefront, balancing professionalism with retrocharacter. It’s a finespun contrast to the previous palette but a complement to their path towards‘complete expense nirvana’: the ethos Cape is set on achieving for its fast-growing customerbase.The Cape app, social content, and website take the essence of the refreshed brand. The quirkyhand-drawn character outlines of old have been replaced by sleek lines and curves in the shapeof ribbons - or, more aptly, receipts - and the new website reflects this polished update withimmersive design, smart UX and UI, and eye-catching vectors that guide the audience throughthe pages seamlessly.Overall, Cape has succeeded in revamping its brand to not only foster a long-term vision andreflect its direction as they expand to 1000 customers, but also maintained the essence ofCape, their values, and its human-centred design strategy - allowing users to ‘Power up theirpayments, policies and people’.Cape’s latest brand evolution comes during an impressive year, after major growth of their SMEcustomer-base, with a cumulative $500 million raised in equity, and a successful pre-seed raiseof over $3 million in equity alongside a $30 million debt facility.Cape’s all-in-one expense management platform supercharges corporate cards and condensesthe myriad of processes and maintenance required to reconcile accounts. In a single platform, itprovides seamless control over accounting, employee spending, bookkeeping, receipt capture,and payment policies.
About CapeCape is building the APAC’s first spend management platform that issues corporate cardsdesigned to help companies strengthen their cash flow. It provides businesses with full visibilityand control over purchasing to cut wasteful spending and the time taken on financialadministration work related to expense management.Website - https://www.getcape.io/Media contactMaeve Couch, maeve@getcape.io, (+61) 467 282 005