Sometimes, our bigger creative challenges and opportunities come in small sizes.

As part of M&S, the bank wanted a card with a point of difference. In this instance, our brief was to create a unique, stylish credit card for a bank with a mainly female audience. Something, however, that men would also be happy to have in their wallets. Something that would stand out not only in-store on a piece of décor, but in your purse.

Having created a number of bank cards over the years, we knew that the solution might lie in an in-depth exploration of the production process. Cards are made up of multiple layers, and although they can be finished in any number of flashy foils and finishes, we were looking for something altogether subtler. Having togged up in  (pocketless) jumpsuits and passed through the necessary security checks, the credit card company took us through every step of the process with their technical team. Our eureka moment came when we realised that we could colour the core of the card, something that had never been done before. Coupled with a matt black finish, the fluorescent green core was the first of its kind. The ‘glowing’ core meant that even seen side-on, the card was easily identifiable.

The look of the card created a simple but effective brand identity that then ran through all of the banks supporting material, including ‘Money bags’ that were a creative way to bring financial products to life in M&S’s busy retail environment. It was also key to the creative approach for the relaunch ad by Rainer Kelly and the look and feel of the banks marketing material going forward. Although the card was created ten years ago, it’s still in use today, something that gives us (please excuse the pun) a small glow of pride.