Blossom for

European
Investment Fund

Creative finance.
Our way.
The language of finance is
complicated
The language of finance is
serious
And who told you that?

Certainly not EIF (European Investment Fund), a financial institution that is part of the European Investment Bank and facilitates the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises to support their creation, growth and development.

EIF was very clear about its identity: exuberant, out-of-the-box, fresh, on par with the young and dynamic companies they're addressing and a far cry from the stereotypical cold and stuffy businessman. They were searching for a partner capable of embracing this vision and giving life and soul to their unconventional identity, without compromising credibility.

Then, they met Blossom.

Turning convention on
its head and bringing out
the most authentic side of brands is what Blossom does best.
And that first encounter between these two similar mindsets marked the beginning of a long journey made up of small transformations and mutual trust. Always, unequivocally, together.

A different look

Artistic direction of Annual Reports

Blossom wanted to bring other adventurers on its journey with EIF. For the annual reports, we worked alongside prestigious illustrators (under Blossom’s artistic direction) capable of seeing reality with the same unconventional perspective as EIF and of breathing life into the reports with a strong visual style: recognisable, playful, but assertive, too. So that EIF could finally reveal its true self to the world.

  • annual report 2019

    Report2019

    Inside the little big
    worlds of Simon Landrein.
     annual report 2019
  • annual report 2020

    Report2020

    Apart, but close.
    Nazario Graziano's collages.
     annual report 2019
  • annual report 2021

    Report2021

    Where is EIF? Let’s play
    with Jacopo Rosati.
     annual report 2019
Simon
Landrein
It all began with the 2019 report, which aimed to highlight EIF's achievements and data from the past year, giving them due credit.
We called on Simon Landrein, a French illustrator with an ironic style (very much in line with EIF’s) and minimalist stroke.
In his illustrations, Landrein created an array of mini worlds, symbols of small and medium-sized enterprises that still have a significant impact on global issues. Each illustration is crossed by a magenta tube to convey the idea that you need to connect with others and act across multiple fronts to achieve a better future.
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Chapter
Nazario
Graziano
For the 2020 report, we brought on Nazario Graziano, an Italian graphic designer with a surreal imagination.

To tell the story of 2020, a difficult year in which we were all separated yet united, Graziano used the technique of collage, his distinctive and signature style.
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Chapter
Jacopo
Rosati
The 2021 report saw a return of illustrations, this time by Jacopo Rosati, who emphasised EIF’s playful side by including a character with an EIF T‑shirt in each illustration and inviting the reader to find it amidst the many characters in each composition.

Where is EIF?

Sharpen your eyesight, find the character wearing the EIF T-shirt and click on it.

Found it!

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Chapter

Make it
simple

Thematic campaign concepts

Blossom has also developed thematic campaigns launched by EIF to communicate different messages to diverse target audiences, mainly through social media. The aim was to present complex topics linked to the financial world in a simple and appealing way, remaining faithful to EIF's distinct personality. The bar was getting higher. And the challenge all the more appealing.

The campaign for the Baltic Innovation Fund (BIF) launched by EIF was directed at the world of finance and entrepreneurs and sought to highlight the Balkan region as a prime spot for investing.

The concept of growth in the Balkan region – made possible through investments – was represented with a very strong visual metaphor: three drops of water, in the shape of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which join together to become a single larger drop.

The goal of this campaign was to show how small and medium-sized enterprises play a key role in the fight against climate change. To convey the idea, Blossom came up with a powerful concept to showcase small and medium-sized enterprises doing their part.

We created a strong headline Players of Change and utilized eye-catching typography to communicate the theme of climate change impact in a single glance. All combined with clean and bold graphics to highlight messages and the human element.

The Climate Crisis font

Climate Crisis is a font specifically designed to address climate change issues. Using different weights, the font symbolises the melting of glaciers from 1979 to 2020.

In the Players of Change campaign, the Climate Crisis font was used in its most "deteriorated" version for keywords related to negative concepts, while the most "complete" version was used for positive concepts.

1979
2019
2040
Phones img Phones img Phones img Phones img

Someone
to run with

On this journey we’ve embarked upon together, EIF has given Blossom a wealth of ideas to work with and the freedom to experiment and propose out-of-the-box solutions. At the same time, Blossom has contributed boundless creativity and strategic vision, helping change the way we talk about finance and positioning EIF uniquely in the financial world. It's not easy to find someone who will listen to you and understand your vision. Blossom and EIF met, got to know one another, and found common ground.

And then we set off running.

Would you like to know more?

Find out what we do for our customers

Case Studies

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