The financial industry isn’t known for avant-garde design. So when my friend Cullen Thompson approached us about his new company, Bienville Capital Management, we jumped at the chance to inject some design goodness into an often stale category.

The New York-based company, with an office in Mobile, Alabama, is “an SEC-registered, independent investment advisory firm offering sophisticated and customized investment solutions to high-net-worth and institutional investors.”

For the mark, we chose a modern take on a traditional icon: the crest. Housed within is a simple “B,” and coupled with a clean sans serif type treatment, the mark conveys style and prestige. We kept everything in black and white, and we letter pressed the business papers.

The web site, while a temporary landing page, is simple and category defying. Subtle animation lends sophistication to the overall design.

Please visit BienvilleCapital.com to have a look. We’ll shout when the phase 2 site is live.