The Brief
The merger of CBA and NIC Bank created one of East Africa's largest financial institutions. While the financial integration was significant, the greater branding challenge was creating a single customer experience from two well-established organisations with distinct identities, cultures and branch networks.
The brief was to develop a retail environment that embodied the new NCBA brand, creating consistency across hundreds of customer touchpoints while giving customers and employees confidence in a completely new organisation.
Retail Design and Implementation
The retail programme translated the new brand into a physical experience. A comprehensive branch design system was developed, integrating architecture, interior design, customer journeys, signage, furniture and brand communications into a single, scalable concept.
NCBA's branch network needed to carry a brand promise that its physical spaces had not yet caught up with. Rather than simply replacing logos, each environment was redesigned to reflect the values of the new organisation, openness, accessibility, professionalism and innovation, while supporting new ways of working and serving customers.
The rollout created a unified visual identity across the combined branch network, enabling existing branches from both legacy banks to be transformed into a consistent customer experience while providing a flexible platform for future growth.
“The innovative and contemporary design produced was aligned with the brand values, as well as the vision and operational changes required to complement the future functioning of the bank's branches.”
Rosalind Gichuru
Led the project for NCBA · now Director of Marketing & Communication, KCB Group
Brand Impact
For customers, the redesigned branches became the most visible evidence that the merger had created something genuinely new rather than simply combining two banks. Every interaction reinforced the new brand, building familiarity, trust and confidence during a period of significant organisational change.
For employees, the environments helped establish a shared culture by providing a common workplace identity across the combined organisation. More importantly, the redesigned branch network became the physical expression of the NCBA brand, bringing its promise to life consistently across every customer touchpoint.
“We were pleased with the outcome of the project for the business, and the positive responses received from our customers and staff alike.”
Isaac Awuondo
Chairman, NCBA Bank Kenya PLC
Legacy
The CBA–NIC transformation demonstrated that successful mergers require more than a new name and logo. They require a customer experience that makes the new brand tangible from day one. By translating strategy into physical environments, the retail programme unified two organisations, reinforced a shared culture and established a branch network that continues to express the values and ambitions of one of East Africa's leading banking brands.