Dutch firm Verve rebrands highest valued African start-up

Flutterwave, a Nigerian-based fintech firm valued in the region of over $3bn, has had its brand identity reimagined by Verve. By adapting Flutterwave’s marque and developing a brand library, the agency attempted to enhance the brand by making it appear bold and distinctly African.

In a forward-thinking move, Flutterwave’s new branding system aims to have the capability to adapt to the ever-changing needs of consumers, potentially moving the fintech firm towards a category which is more focused on the creator economy and its consumers in the future.

Verve co-founder and managing director, Roman Stikkelorum considers Flutterwave’s butterfly marque to be a symbol that represents “reliability and trust” following on from a year of growth which saw the firm become the highest valued start-up on the continent.

He says, “We created a modular identity system and motion principle elements around LabaLaba, meaning ‘butterfly’ in Yoruba – one of the principal languages spoken in Nigeria and throughout the African west coast.

“Traditionally, the global fintech visual aesthetic is dominated by green and blue, colours that are far too cold and corporate for a brand that prides itself on enabling and empowering African businesses and entrepreneurs.” Stikkelorum continues, “So we chose a B2C approach for a traditionally B2B brand in order to resonate with the audacious dreams of entrepreneurs; whatever those ambitions may be.”

Verve worked closely with the Flutterwave inhouse team to ensure fluency across all the brand’s assets, which also resulted in the development of a brand library of guidelines. The guidelines include all to do with photography, typography and an illustrative guide for future products and services.