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Your next Visa credit card will have a new look, as Visa has changed its logo for the first time in over 30 years. While the blue, white and gold colors are the same, the blue and gold horizontal bars that framed the “Visa” name have disappeared, and the letters themselves have taken on a new look.The new logo is in use immediately on all Visa materials.

Susanne D. Lyons, Chief Marketing Officer of Visa USA offered this explanation for the change: “Visa has evolved beyond credit cards to become the world leader in electronic payments including debit, commercial, and small business credit cards.

The new logo and card design reflect these changes, and provide Visa and our Members with the flexibility to adapt to new innovations like contactless cards, payments by cell phones and whatever the next new technology may be.” (How exactly the new logo reflects these changes is unclear, but it’s unlikely a marketing person is going to explain a change by saying, “The logo looked old and boring.”)

In addition to a new logo, Visa is redesigning the look of its credit cards. The dove hologram used for security purposes will move to the back of the card and be integrated into the magnetic stripe. And for those who shop online or by phone often, the three-digit security code that merchants often use to verify a consumer’s possession of the card, known as the CVV2 code, will be printed on a separate panel next to the signature panel, making it easier for consumers and merchants to read.

Published 01/05/06 (Modified 05/07/12)