Abuzz for Apis: designing for emerging markets financial services

‘Busy as a bee’ is the expression that is particularly suitable for Apis, an emerging markets financial services investment firm we’ve been working with for almost a year. With teams working across Europe, Africa, South America and Asia, Apis is a truly global business.

It’s also a deeply admirable one, working across cultures and borders to find companies to partner with.

We’ve just completed work on a new visual branding and website project and it’s been fascinating learning about these endeavours at the cutting edge of e-commerce and online payment technologies.

Emerging markets: the place to bee

We’ve worked on design projects for a series of financial services businesses recently that put ethical investment at their heart. The most recent has been our branding and website work for Horizon Private Wealth, for whom business and corporate responsibility go hand in hand. Then, we’ve completed a series of projects for AlgoMe Consulting who offer management advice on ESG.

However our work for Apis Partners breaks new ground, with offices and investments that span the world. As we began the project it was clear that the business was keen to focus as much on their investment expertise as the investments they make. Striking that balance – where the site is about what Apis do, rather than put the work of their portfolio companies at the forefront of the messaging – was central to the brief.

Having spent a good part of the last year working with Apis, it’s hard not to be completely won over by the way in which the impact of their investment and ‘returns with responsibility’ credo defines everything about the company. It makes collaborating with them on this project not merely a pleasure personally but professionally.

Cross pollination

One of the challenges of the brief was that the portfolio companies Apis invested in and the imagery around those businesses had been front and centre. The new Apis site needed focus on both the end result but also the process and people. In short, Apis needed a way of presenting themselves that retained their identity but reframed the look of the business online. With the honeycomb already at the core of the logo design, we considered a number of options which expanded the branding and bought to life. To do this we devised a set of graphic interpretations to which we added subtle animation.

Each of the key pages of the site move: our honeycomb animations hint at the content of the page, subtly enhancing the messaging and bringing the focus to the background of each project and the company’s expertise in emerging markets financial services investment.

Our animations are swift to download and pin-sharp across every device, meaning the site feels fresh, crisp and incredibly modern. We’ve used Apis’ core branding and colour palette, while adding a new approach to typography, using the elegant open-source font Inter. The end result feels on-brand, fresh and businesslike.

No sting in this tale

The finished website project is deeply satisfying. It positions Apis as a company with deep experience, with a series of major investment funds closed over almost a decade in business. The firm has a diverse workforce operating in cities as far afield as Cairo, Milan, Lagos and Singapore: they needed to present themselves online as the firm they are at work. Our new site does just that.

Most of all, the site states its case with confidence. It puts ethos and responsibility on a par with sector expertise. The branding and modern, minimal design we’ve created serves to enhance that message of an emerging markets financial services investor with real style.

Interested in web design for emerging markets financial services?
Look no further.

If you’re an investor in emerging markets, finding the right balance between hard-nosed investment and working with businesses across the world can be a delicate balance. We believe a people-first approach is usually a good start, but why not get in touch to discuss a wide range of different approaches? We can work on designs from the simple to the sophisticated, depending on your brief and budget.

Call us on 020 7351 4083 or email us direct.

Visit the Apis website

Our portfolio page about the project

More of our work for financial services firms