Shanghai Derivatives Market Forum’s founders and leaders felt their current brand image was not able to support their ambition to become a worldwide leader in the derivatives market sector.

At the initial stage, an understanding of the complexity of derivatives market was gained through in-depth analysis and collaborative meeting sessions with Shanghai Futures Exchanges project leader and the team involved in the organization of the 12th Forum.

We worked together for over nine months to define SDMF brand story, create an identity system and develop a comprehensive Brand Style Guidelines for a significant range of digital and print applications.

Through collaborative sessions it became clear the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts in the complex and moving derivatives market sector. This core insight informed the whole story: “Opportunities come from knowledge, connections & dialogues”.

The new SDMF Visual Identity system takes inspiration from the classic golden rectangle, but is developed with a different logic. The building block created maintains two positions, two identical rectangles, recalling the equally important key figures in the derivatives market, the seller and the buyer.

The identity includes a library of colours, and a flexible grid that allow multiple reconfigurations. Through masking and scaling the dynamism is fully achieved. Every combination of colours and shapes, that would still need a good human hand and eye, makes each application surprising and unique, and puts each Forum appointment into a new perspective.

The new SDM Visual Identity well suits the multifaceted derivatives market.

The 12th Shanghai Derivatives Market Forum definitely made the brand memorable, recognisable and distinct; it was well received by leaders and stakeholders alike