Catalysing Growth

Clifford Capital was a new company established to provide project financing to globally competitive Singapore based companies. Unlike sovereign EXIM (Export Import) facilities elsewhere, it was an independent private institution operating on commercial principles. Guaranteed by the Government of Singapore, Clifford Capital was funded by a Temasek-led consortium involving DBS Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Prudential Singapore and Manulife Financial Corporation’s John Hancock unit.

Our challenge was to define a distinctive positioning that would differentiate Clifford Capital from existing EXIM Banks while enthusing and inspiring all associated with it.

Working closely in workshops with Clifford Capital’s senior management, we learned the company's immediate focus would be on plugging existing gaps in funding for Singapore based companies and playing a pivotal role in generating inbound and outward capital flows.

The name itself reflected this. It came from Clifford Pier, Singapore’s historic entry point for visitors and migrants. Just as Clifford Pier had once been pivotal in facilitating entry and exit into Singapore, Clifford Capital would now be a catalyst helping Singapore based companies venture forth internationally.

This inspired our brand positioning. We defined the essence of Clifford Capital as a Singapore-based project finance company that catalyses global growth and success for leading Singapore companies. Clifford Capital provides access to opportunities through the provision of long-term financing and advice as they step onto the international stage. Fully independent, it is backed by the Singapore government, with an initial focus on infrastructure demand and growth opportunities in Asia and in other emerging markets.

We summated this purpose as Catalysing Growth and supported it with three values:

Partnership: Clifford Capital is committed to helping its clients succeed on the global stage by working with them to deliver customised products and solutions specific to unique project needs.

Strength: Clifford Capital is a fully independent commercially run entity whose ability to serve the interests of its clients and stakeholders with absolute integrity is enhanced by the backing it enjoys from the Government of Singapore.

Commitment: Clifford Capital channels its resources wholly towards expanding the external wing of Singapore’s economy by helping Singapore-based companies evolve from strong domestic brands to global champions.

To bring everything to life, we created stylised wings that suggest Clifford Capital’s role in strengthening the external wing of Singapore's economy by catalysing companies on to a global stage from whence they take flight and soar.

The convergence and divergence at their central hinge indicates the company's pivotal role as a gateway through which clients venture forth and returns flow back.

The lines convey the company’s dynamism and the diversity of its clients; their intricate weave highlights the company’s role as an enabler, bringing together Singapore-based companies and assisting in their growth overseas.

Senior dignitaries attended Clifford Capital’s November 2012 launch from Government, the company’s corporate investors, and other representatives of Singapore Inc. The Guest of Honour – Singapore's Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Channel NewsAsia and other leading local and international media gave the event extensive coverage.

Our Brand Identity design for Clifford Capital received an award in GDUSA's American Graphic Design Awards 2012 and Silver in New York's Graphis Design Annual 2014.