Amongst branding, design and architecture: a semiotic analysis of ING DIRECT’s bank shops


The purpose of this article is to analyze the discourse of ING DIRECT bank shops, that is bank branches with an original and attractive design that were established in Italy in 2011. What makes these places of consumption particularly interesting from a semiotic point of view is the fact that they are concept stores: physical spaces where the values and the characters of the brand are rendered tangible and where subjects may develop sensorial, cognitive and emotional relationships with the brand. On the one hand, this solution had a strong impact on the retail banking sector. However, on the other hand, it brought with it several risks in terms of brand identity and corporate identity; risks that a semiotic outlook can profitably uncover. With reference to the branches of Roma, Milano, Bergamo and Padova, and by shifting between descriptive and analytical moments, this paper addresses (i) the choices made on the expression plane which are responsible for creating the particular ambiance – the set of effects of meaning – that characterizes the bank shops; (ii) if, how and to what extent the bank has succeeded, through a specific architectural and design configuration, to substantiate the profound values that underlie its identity; (iii) if there is consistency between what the bank tells about itself and what it communicates through the spatial discourse of its branches.


Pubblicato su International Journal of Marketing Semiotics and Discourse Studies, Vol. VII, 2019, pp. 1-20.


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