# Manulife new logo (2018)

> Manulife launched a new logo in Nov 2018. Nov 2018: global brand update.

## Key facts

- Brand: Manulife
- Launched: Nov 2018
- What changed: Nov 2018: global brand update.
- Why: Manulife wanted to look consistent globally and present a simpler, more approachable face while using the trust earned over 130 years.
- Industry: Fintech
- Logos: https://rebrandlog.com/logos/manulife-2018/before.svg (before), https://rebrandlog.com/logos/manulife-2018/after.svg (after)

## The rebrand, explained

Manulife, the 130-year-old Canadian insurer, had a brand that varied wildly from market to market. When Gretchen Garrigues joined as global chief marketing officer in 2016, she asked to see how the company presented itself in Canada, the US and Asia; she told Strategy the result filled three big boards and felt like 1,500 logos. Chief executive Roy Gori had set a goal of putting customers first and raising the company's net promoter score by 30 points by 2022.

The rebranding, launched in November 2018, was led internally, a collaboration among the senior marketers in each region. Garrigues said the aim was to find the thread that binds the company, look consistent globally, and present a simpler, more approachable face while using the trust earned over 130 years. Research showed that people choose financial providers mainly on trust, which, she said, cannot be bought.

The old logo placed three white trapezoids, a minimalist M, inside a green square, with the name in Times New Roman semibold. The new one frees the trapezoids from the square and turns them green, and sets 'Manulife' in a plain, straightforward sans serif, with the top of the lowercase l cut at a slant to echo the trapezoids, Insurance Business reported. A short film traced the logo from hand-drawn 19th-century illustrations through the blocky marks of the 1960s and 1970s. The company called the brand an expression of 'simplifying the complex'.

Gori called it a milestone in the transformation and a message to customers: we are here for you.

Insurance Business described the change precisely. The old mark set three white trapezoids, a minimal M, inside a green square, with the name in Times New Roman semi bold. The new one frees the trapezoids from the square and colours them green, pairs them with a plain sans serif, and slants the top of the lowercase l as a nod to the shapes. The company framed it as simplifying the complex for customers in a world of too much choice. Releasing the symbol from its box is the right call; the slanted l is the kind of detail only designers will notice.

Removing the box was the right move; the bars breathe and the name finally sits beside them rather than under a corporate lid. The slanted l is a nice touch. But the plain sans makes Manulife look like every other modern insurer, which is the price of simplicity.

In short: Out of the box, into plain type.

## Sources

- https://www.manulife.com/en/news/manulife-updates-global-brand.html
- https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/ca/news/breaking-news/manulifes-global-brand-gets-a-facelift-117247.aspx
- https://strategyonline.ca/2018/12/18/manulife-marketing-goes-global-but-aims-to-keep-it-simple/

## Cite this

Rebrand Log, "Manulife new logo (2018)", https://rebrandlog.com/rebrand/manulife-2018/, last updated 2026-10-20.