Global bank NatWest is trying to lure the creatives of Shoreditch – but will they bite?
The NatWest makeover is launching in hip East London area Shoreditch
However much we may grumble about our salaries, the truth is that designers and creatives are among the young professionals most craved by banks and other financial institutions.
So it's not surprising that the UK's biggest bank, NatWest, has chosen the graphic and web designer hub of Shoreditch, East London (aka 'Tech City'), to launch a physical reboot of their branches and mobile offerings that it calls 'human centred' and 'less about banking, more about living'.
With simple, black and white artwork representing different life experiences Natwest says it wants to talk to customers in more informal, laid-back way. This physical approach is being combined with the launch of a closed private beta of a series of new mobile apps with self-explanatory names, called HouseMove, ManageMoney and Spendorama.
Tom May is an award-winning journalist and author specialising in design, photography and technology. His latest book, The 50th Greatest Designers, was released in June 2025. He's also author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine.
