Motion

A brand that moves money, needs an identity that moves too.

Principles

Follow these 3 simple principles to ensure we flow just as the world’s currencies do.


Snappy

Wise is revolutionising banking by challenging old systems that restricted money. In motion we communicate breaking away from institutions with snappy, simple, fast and satisfying movements. Like flipping a coin.

But it’s not hyperactive, erratic or rushed. Let’s not give people motion sickness.

Fluid

Wise is on a mission to make money borderless. For money to become borderless it takes on a fluid state. In motion we communicate fluidity with organic and flowing movements.

Fluid is not a kite in the wind — unstable and directionless, with nothing to hold on to.

Intuitive

People are leading increasingly global lives, yet the tools available for managing money remain outdated. At Wise, we prioritise transparency, speed, and ease of use in the services we offer to our customers. Through motion, we convey our human-centric approach with a natural pace and a sense of physical weight in movement.

Intuitive isn’t crudely handmade, polished to perfection or complicated, intuitive is natural.

Applying principles

Here is a deeper dive into how to apply the motion principles. These aren’t rules, but tips on how to make motion feel distinctly Wise, and how to avoid going too far.

One graph is titled 60% snappy, the second graph is titled 30% fluid and the third graph is  titled 10% intuitive.

Speed graphs

Our motion should feel natural and human, like the swipe of a finger. Motion shouldn’t feel stiff or mechanical.

Visual intensity

Snappy allows us to be visually bold and exciting. But be careful not to become inaccessible and disorientating.

Critical banner UI component
The colour red used as a background colour.

Repetitive fluidity

Our motion should be fluid and rhythmic, which means hitting the right beats. Motion that doesn't land or rest becomes nauseating.

Tapestries in Motion

Our tapestries are bold and expressive. But with motion, they really come alive.

Illustration in motion

Add an extra dimension to illustrations with motion. Both objects and tapestries can move to bring them to life. Just make sure things feel fluid, appropriately paced and looped to get the best desired effect.


Animating tapestries

We’ve applied distortions to our tapestries to create areas of fast and slow movement, giving each a slightly magical way of moving. We achieve this by warping the object UVs to create areas of high and low tension. In Cinema 4D this can be done simply by distorting the UV mesh slightly with soft selection turned on, or by using the ‘weld and relax’ command with a only a few discreet edge cuts.

A detailed UV mesh highlight the globe illustration

Animating form

To make the most of our message we can also animate the form of the illustration itself. This can be a slippery slope, so here's a few tips on to stay on your feet (and on brand).

Accessibility

All video content should be accessible to people with visual and/or hearing impairments. Below are a four ways you can make your videos more inclusive and compliant. 

The caption sentence is placed at the bottom of the image in the foreground. The text is white and background colour is back.
A list of time stamps next to sentences.
A icon of set of headphones

Caption best practices

Below are a few best practices when using captions on your videos. For more information you can also refer to our typography page or the UK government accessibility guidelines.

White caption text in the Inter font is positioned at the bottom of the image, highlighted with a black background for visibility.
White caption text in the Inter font in all caps writing is positioned at the bottom of the image, highlighted with a black background for visibility. All caps writing is not legible.
White caption text in the Wise sans font is positioned at the bottom of the image, highlighted with a black background for visibility. The wise sans font is hard to read.