Nour Lending Services
Commerce
Toronto, Ontario
2021
This project for Nour Lending Services was a complete brand build for a women-led mortgage division operating under a national bank. Inspired by the symbolism of The Queen’s Gambit, I worked closely with the founders to evolve their original concept of a chess piece into a more timeless and empowering visual identity—a crowned female silhouette within a shield, representing strength, strategy, and leadership.
Summary
Nour Lending Services, a women-led mortgage division operating under a national banking institution, approached me to develop a comprehensive brand identity that balanced trust, strength, and feminine leadership. The initial inspiration stemmed from The Queen’s Gambit—specifically the strategic symbolism of the queen chess piece. While early concepts explored literal game pieces, the direction evolved into something more timeless and powerful.
I developed a custom crest featuring the silhouette of a woman’s profile crowned within a shield, representing wisdom, protection, and regal authority. The icon speaks to both the leadership of the founders and the supportive role they play for clients navigating high-stakes financial decisions.
The brand system includes:
- Primary & Secondary Logos
- Custom Shield Iconography
- Editorial Typography (Skolar Latin & Proxima Nova)
- Color Palette (Gold, Black, White)
- Stationery, Marketing Collateral, and Website UI
- Instagram Grid System for Launch Strategy
The final deliverables ensured versatility across digital and print applications—from storefront signage and brochures to social content and web UX. The result is a bold, elegant identity that reinforces the company's mission: to empower clients with clarity and confidence in their lending journey.
Challenge
One of the early challenges in this project was translating the clients’ initial inspiration—a literal chess piece—into something more refined and enduring. While the queen from The Queen’s Gambit served as a strong conceptual foundation, using an actual game piece risked feeling too on-the-nose.
The goal was to evolve that idea into a symbol that still carried the same meaning but felt elevated and timeless. At the same time, the brand needed to strike a careful balance between feminine strength and financial professionalism—avoiding clichés while still reflecting the women-led nature of the business. With no existing visual system in place, the entire identity had to be created from the ground up, including everything from core brand assets to a fully responsive website and print collateral.
Solutions
To move the brand beyond a literal interpretation, I reimagined the queen motif as a shield crest—merging the ideas of strategy, protection, and leadership into one elegant icon. The final mark features a crowned female silhouette, nodding to the original inspiration while presenting a more timeless and powerful symbol.
A warm gold paired with bold black and white created a premium visual tone that remained approachable and inclusive. From social graphics to print materials and web design, every touchpoint was built with consistency in mind—ensuring the brand felt cohesive, professional, and versatile across all platforms.