Mastercard reveals new nameless logo courtesy of Michael Bierut

Big news in the world of personal banking: Mastercard has a new – and crucially nameless – logo, put together by Pentagram partner Michael Bierut.

Explaining the rationale behind the name-drop, Mastercard says in a statement released 7 January 2019: “As the consumer and commerce landscape continues to evolve, the Mastercard Symbol represents Mastercard better than one word ever could, and the flexible modern design will allow it to work seamlessly across the digital landscape.”

Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard’s chief marketing and communication officer, also seems pretty excited about the visual update, noting that “Reinvention in the digital age calls for modern simplicity.” Raja claims that as “80 per cent” of people are able to “spontaneously” recognise the brand’s (admittedly) iconic interlocking circles without the word Mastercard nestled between them, and in turn the circles could happily stand on their own.

Pentagram main man Michael Bierut seems similarly enthused about the process explaining how the removal of the word sees Mastercard entering “an elite cadre of brands that are represented not by name, but by symbol.” In his eyes, Mastercard now sits atop the Mount Olympus of branding, alongside “an apple, a target, a swoosh.”

Logo-lovers can feast their eyes on the design process that led to this bold new era for Mastercard below.