In 2007 the Islamic Development Bank announced it was spinning off its trade finance arm and naming it the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation. The IDB knew that ITFC had to shed the IDB's bureaucratic and old-fashioned look and feel, as they needed to spur staff into being more commercial and less bureaucratic. Siegel+Gale was engaged to position ITFC as a leader in Shari'ah-compliant trade finance, and as the provider of choice by creating an emotional brand to compete more effectively with other Shari'ah-compliant financial service businesses.

To develop measurable attributes that would define brand success; and design an identity that was fresh, distinct and exciting.

We developed the brand positioning of "advancing trade, improving lives" encapsulated ITFC's vision to share and apply their intra-trade skills - linking people, partnerships and possibilities together to make strong connections, expanding, empowering and enriching economies, communities and individuals. The delivery of the brand promise was articulated through the design and implementation of a new brand identity - a dynamic, colourful and modern representation of ever-expanding connections and developed a look and feel that supported the idea.

The success of the employee attraction was so great that the IDB had to limit number of transferees. ITFC was the winner of a prestigious Trade Finance Award from Euromoney in 2008 attributed by senior management to energy of new organisation.

Since our founding by brand sage and simplification pioneer Alan Siegel in 1969, Siegel+Gale's mantra has been "Simple is Smart." We begin every engagement with research, then thoroughly meld strategic and creative thinking to deliver brand experiences that help our clients realize their full potential.