CFPB’s signage came down last week, but its logo visualizes transparency

[ResidentialBusiness]

It’s lights out for the signage at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Footage shows lettering spelling out the consumer watchdog agency’s name and window decals of its seal have been stripped from the building earlier this month after mass firings gutted the bureau and remaining staff was ordered to stop their work. Though some fired CFPB attorneys are suing to keep their jobs and President Donald Trump’s administration says it intends to keep the agency open in a new, diminished form, from the outside looking in, things don’t look good for the bureau, literally.

The Federal Government founded CFPB in 2011 in response to the financial crisis that preceded the Great Recession, with the objective to offer consumers financial protections from fraud and scams. It’s provided more than $21 billion in monetary compensation, canceled debt, and consumer relief as of last year. And as of one of the nation’s youngest federal agencies, it has a surprisingly modern and communicative logomark, courtesy the design and consulting firm IDEO. Amid the agency’s attempted takedown, it’s also a deft reminder of its purpose.

[Image: cfpb.gov]

The all lowercase CFPB mark, by designers Annessa Braymer, Elle Luna, and Gaston Yagmourian, uses the opening of the letter c to evoke a flashlight, with a soft beam of light emanating to light up the rest of the logo. According to the CFPB, the logo, which is still on the agency’s website, “was designed to symbolize vigilance, transparency, and a consumer focus.” This mark is in addition to the agency’s more traditionally designed seal.

“Consumers are the foundation and focus of our mission and our logo reflects that,” the agency’s brand guide states. “A soft beam of light symbolizes our efforts to illuminate the financial landscape and foster transparency in the marketplace.”

The CFPB’s visual identity uses a green primary color palette to indicate at-a-glance that it deals with monetary issues. In its guides for photography and illustrations, the agency emphasizes the importance of imagery that’s clear, relatable, and politically and socially neutral.

Though White House budget director Russ Vought said in a motion the CFPB will continue on as a “more streamlined and efficient bureau,” Senate Democrats say thousands of consumer complaints have gone unanswered this month, citing a slowdown in complaints uploaded to its database.

The extent to which the CFPB’s work continues is an open question, but for an agency whose brand was designed to communicate transparency, the empty facade speaks volumes.

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