A UK barrister — known as a King’s or Queen's Counsel — wears a black silk gown, a tailored black coat and waistcoat, a stiff white collar, and a wig. The outfit originated 700 years ago and is the same regardless of gender. You won't see many people walking around in powdered wigs from centuries past outside of a British courtroom or a theatre, though. That's what helps people make the connection between a barrister's attire and their profession.
For most other professions, uniforms and dress codes have changed with the times. The long-term trend is actually toward less-formal dress in business situations. A 2023 Gallup poll found that only 3% of workers polled describe their work clothes as formal business wear. Greeting customers in a blazer and dress slacks conveys that you work in business, but what could be more important is what a generic formal appearance won't convey to them about your bank, its values, and the quality of service they can expect.
Visual Branding and What Really Matters
When asked, most US consumers can describe the general look of a uniform from Best Buy, Staples, or the US Post Office. Consumers feel these uniforms send a message of expertise, authority, trustworthiness, and professionalism, while also making it easier to spot employees. Further, most consumers associate a branded look with large, well-established companies.
There's some psychology behind this perception. Staff presentation, tone, responsiveness, and consistency across multiple locations all help shape how customers experience a business. Clients aren’t nearly as interested in whether employees wear formal business attire as they are in whether their experience is focused, cohesive, and predictable across many interactions.
On the contrary, a casually dressed person visiting a branch might feel disconnected from an employee wearing a suit or a dress. A branded uniform is an opportunity to achieve a stronger relationship with anyone visiting a branch by wearing the logo, mission, or values of your community financial institution (CFI) on your clothing. For a brand that thrives on being personable, approachable, and accessible, consistent branding of employee appearances can be a great way to communicate what your CFI stands for and remind the customer that their values align with your business' approach.
Creating Brand Ambassadors
When workers wear matching or cohesive outfits, they become a team of brand ambassadors. They're more connected with each other and have a consistent reminder that they're all working toward the same goals. This type of visual branding, alongside signs, logos, brochures, and business cards in your branch, reinforces customer impressions about your reliability and competence as an organization and can therefore boost clients’ desire to do business with you.
First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) takes a deliberate approach to making this visible. The bank equips its employee ambassadors with what Regina DeMars, the bank's director of content marketing and social media strategy, describes as "cool swag and on-trend branded items" — tangible, wearable expressions of the bank's identity that employees carry into the community. The goal is to humanize the brand in an authentic way: when customers encounter an FNBO employee, they're not just meeting a person in business attire, they're meeting someone who visibly represents what the bank stands for.
Branded apparel is one way to approach the task of creating a consistent, cohesive visual message. Some institutions are using branded, business-casual apparel to balance professionalism, approachability, and employee flexibility while also reinforcing corporate identity and reducing pressure on staff to meet traditional expectations for business dress.
The Benefits of Branded Apparel
The clothes people wear to work can even affect their performance. Employees who dress professionally report that they feel more productive, decisive, and authoritative, compared with those who dress casually.
A uniform or limited menu of approved clothing also makes getting dressed easier for employees. Limited choices mean less puzzling over what to wear, while also evening out the playing field between employees with different clothing budgets.
"A well-executed uniform program doesn’t erase individuality—it strengthens identity," says Lands End about financial institution uniforms. "It allows every employee, in every role, to present themselves in a way that feels authentic to their work while reinforcing the professionalism customers expect."
When it comes to visual branding, consistency breeds recognition, dependability, and trust with customers. Employees can become a part of that visual branding by donning a selection of branded apparel that is designed to balance team camaraderie with your company's mission and values.
