Borrowell needs a cohesive, scalable brand identity to increase trust and establish a strong and memorable presence within the finance and fintech industries. The target audience is adults in Canada, specifically individuals driven to build their credit to reach their financial goals, as well as those actively seeking financial products like loans or mortgages.
Instilling a sense of wealth, calm and stability
I joined Borrowell as the founding graphic designer. At the beginning, I created graphics on an ad hoc basis, based on some existing branding that was developed by an agency. Once the teams I supported had some initial assets to start with, I took a step back to assess the overall brand, identify inconsistencies and how the company wanted the brand to evolve.
Using blues and purples in our colour palette instill a sense of wealth, calm and stability, aligning with the mission. We chose to use both illustrations and photography, as graphics performed better in our emails and imagery in our ads. These also helped differentiate us from the big 5 banks.
As the team grew, I art directed a junior designer and freelancer to help evolve the brand further. We introduced textures and imperfect shapes to incorporate a human touch. We created character illustrations that reflected the vast diversity of Canadians who use our services. Brand architecture became important as we launched new products under the Borrowell brand, such as Credit Builder and Rent Advantage.
Voice & tone guide
Brand strategy
Brand identity
Brand architecture
Illustrations
Character design
Graphic design
UI kit: Web & email design
Motion design
Scaled design output by 21%
Scaling design output through templates for presentation decks, ads, email and social media ensured teams adhere to brand standards and automate repetitive tasks. It also enabled the ability to ship and test copy faster.
