Strategic design. Instant impact. Lasting growth.
The Art of Balance
Adding human connection to the equation.
Think
In the move towards digital banking the emotional connection with customers is often neglected. Industrial Bank, a Fortune Global 500 company and the first Chinese bank to adopt the Equator Principles, wanted to create a new design to bring people together, using best-in-class technology and design, for both regional branches and a flagship location.
Three key words grounded the transformation process in a quest for harmonious integration between high-tech and humanistic solutions: connected, green and innovative. These ideas focused our vision for a customer journey with various goals, ranging from typical banking needs to classes and events. Finding a balance meant using future-focused technology to support Industrial Bank’s customer-centric philosophy.
Blink
Connected, green and innovative… more than words, these are ideas SLD brought to life in the new design.
A blend of stone marble, wood tones, warm metallic touches, and a palette of blues create a bright, welcoming connected branch. Curved walls symbolize a protective embrace – in the regional branch, modular design allows for easy reconfiguration. In the flagship, a large multi-function area within the lobby provides flexible space for seminars. This space also has a dedicated area for children to interact with a virtual teller for an engaging and educational first banking experience. The over-sized backlit graphic describes the history and development of currency in China, dating back 5,000 years.
Environmentally friendly and LEED certified materials, a self-irrigated green wall to purify the air, a centralized power and timer system to limit energy consumption, and Smart Glass to allow the alteration of light transmission were integral parts of the green design. Facial recognition and data analysis provide innovative security and personalization and transactional equipment allows customers to handle simple transactions independently, freeing up staff to offer advice. The Financial Ecosystems zone in the flagship location displays a progression of the “7 life stages of finance” and how Industrial Bank can support the consumer through each stage.
