BRAND CHRONOLOGY
The origins of the current Visa brand predate the name “Visa,” reaching all the way back to 1958. That year, the Visa credit card - as we now know it - was launched by Bank of America, in the form of a small rectangular piece of plastic adorned with the now-ubiquitous blue, white and gold bands and emblazoned with the name “BankAmericard.”
In 1966, Bank of America began licensing banks across the U.S. to issue BankAmericards to their customers. In 1970, ownership of the program was transferred to the banks issuing the cards. The banks formed National BankAmericard Inc., responsible for managing and developing the BankAmericard system within the U.S. In 1974, International Bankcard Company (IBANCO) was formed to administer the BankAmericard program internationally.
Although originating in the U.S., BankAmericard spread worldwide. However, it was not called BankAmericard in all places. It was customized and marketed under different names, such as ‘Barclaycard’ in the United Kingdom, ‘Chargex’ in Canada, ‘Bancomer’ in Mexico, and as the ‘Sumitomo Card’ in Japan.
But to create a payment tool that could be used anywhere, there was a need to adopt a common, international name to identify the blue, white and gold mark throughout the world
In 1976, BankAmericard and the various other brand names affiliated with it were renamed ‘Visa’. This was the result of a competition among employees to find a name that was short, graphic, capable of instant recognition, easily pronounceable in any language, and had no adverse or restrictive connotations in any language or culture.
The new name was phased in over the course of just 18 months. The signature blue, gold and white stripes survived the transition and became an integral part of the new Visa brand.
Visa Brand Chronology – page 2 In 1984, the Visa card was redesigned to accommodate a new, unique security device, called a hologram. The now-ubiquitous Visa dove hologram was added to the card as a distinctive symbol and a subtle security feature, making it difficult to counterfeit the card. During this period, the Visa mark was also reduced in size so that the card issuer could make more use of the card with different designs and messages.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Visa brand evolved gradually with small changes to increase legibility, but the overall essence of the original Visa design has remained in place.
Now, Visa has updated its brand structure and introduced a new look for the famous blue, white and gold logo.
The new design continues to use many of the successful features from the current Visa design, including prominent use of the Visa name, the same colors and the italicized type style. But it presents a fresher, more contemporary look that highlights the unequalled strength of the Visa brand name.
These changes, and those that have taken place since the first BankAmericard, are all part of a continuing effort to ensure that the brand meets the needs of the payments business. They make the Visa brand framework more flexible so that it can support new products and services both now and in the future and continues to build on Visa’s brand leadership.
VISA