Cassa di Risparmio di Parma

The Cassa di Risparmio di Parma, now acquired by the group Crédit Agricole, was the oldest and most important bank in the city. It was founded by Marie Louise, archduchess of Austria. Parma, a modem and active city, continues to respect its traditions. The Cassa di Risparmio sums up the complex and heterogeneous aspect of a city that is both agricultural and industriai. This savings bank, though boasting its longevity, had not been distinguished by a single and appropriate emblem. For over a century it had been accumulating various insignia and typefaces as a result of the requests made by its officials to local typesetters. Nor did its emblem correspond to the modem requirements of a image. The symbol of the bee, when enlarged for a display sign or poster, became a monster. Nevertheless the allusion to bees recalled the idea of savings and thrift, and it was suitable to retain it. In the new emblem created by Ricci, the bee has given way to a stylized hive inscribed in a square, a metaphor for urban space, the city. 

The result is a graphic symbol that preserves a traditional element and at the same time is unified, eff ective, and modem. Alongside the hive, the logotype of the Cassa di Risparmio is printed in Bodoni type. This graphic combination has been used for all the stationery (letterhead, envelopes, diaries, etc.), for signs, deposit books, and checks.