Venerable Auto Insurer Communicates Compassion
Mother Design has helped rebrand Amica, the oldest mutual insurer of automobiles in the US. The work draws inspiration from Amica’s creative platform, “Empathy is our best policy,” and is meant to reflect the truth of who Amica is as a company by highlighting their compassion in times of need.
Amica came to Mother and Mother Design with two significant needs: awareness and growth. They sought to define what made Amica different, and establish that point of difference in a way that would engage new customers. Better known in the Northeast, Amica wanted to grow a national presence in a cluttered category that often relies on gimmicks, mascots, and savings-focused messaging.
The solution: to position Amica as the aspirational alternative to others in a distrusted field. Employing the line “Empathy is our best policy” in concert with design tenets of clarity, approachability, and focus – Mother Design developed an identity system that pulled inspiration from Amica’s past and prepared it for future growth. Instead of distracting people with humor and savings chatter, the new work highlights their compassion in times of need.
Noteworthy elements of the rebrand include the following:
- Inspired by Amica’s logo history, a new wordmark was designed to communicate stability and optimism. The implied infinity loop in the ‘A’ serves as a reminder of Amica’s mission to build enduring relationships.
- In a category dominated by red and blue, a teal-centric color palette, with a ‘teal thread’ woven into all art direction, serves as a departure from the norm.
- Amica Rhymes (by Maxitype) and Aperçu (by Colophon Foundry) work together as the brand’s typographic voice.
- Static imagery is used to communicate at multiple levels of complexity, context, and subject matter. To do so, the designers created three categories – Photography, Pictograms, and Iconography – to clearly and effectively communicate Amica’s story.
The new system is currently rolling out across key touchpoints, including updates to direct mail, the website and other marketing materials throughout the year.
