Riverset Credit Union
Digital Strategy, Rebranding, Logo Design, Custom Website Design & Development
Riverset Credit Union is one of Pittsburgh’s oldest credit unions, but they came to Blue Archer at a turning point. In a time when banking and financial institutions are rapidly changing due to emerging technology, they needed to establish a capable, sustainable brand in order to drive new members and retain current accounts.
Our team worked with key Riverset stakeholders to explore value propositions and differentiators, analyze customer personas, identify project goals, and establish key performance indicators. The final project included complete rebranding, website redesign and custom functionality, and marketing collateral print design.
Developing Personas
Initially in the strategy phase, it was important for us to gain a complete understanding of Riverset’s customer base. This deep analysis would create the foundation we needed to develop strategic messaging, craft a user-centered design, construct intuitive content architecture, and ultimately build a new Riverset brand.
We identified and studied 7 unique personas that captured the identities of Riverset’s vast current and prospective membership base. From an established loyal customer to a serial bank hopper, our analysis included the evaluation of users’ lifestyle, financial goals, service and website needs, and more.
From the Client
"We have had nothing but compliments on our new look from all of our vendors and partners. The functionality of our new site is light-years from where we were. A job well done!"
- Devin, Business Development and Marketing Manager
Card Sorting
Riverset’s current sitemap was crowded and complicated, leaving users frustrated and unaware of where to find the content important to them. We needed to simplify the navigation of the site for both prospective members and the current members looking for additional service opportunities. To facilitate the reduction of pages on the new site and streamline the user-experience, our team needed a way to examine the relationship between services, keywords and concepts we uncovered in our initial strategy meeting.
We conducted a card sorting exercise to begin categorizing terms and concepts. Following the exercise, we defined an initial version of the sitemap. Ultimately, we refined it to the final site architecture through persona and user-flow testing.
Logo Redesign
We began the logo redesign process with an explorative meeting where we discussed stakeholder visions and preferences. The initial insight our design team gathered lead us to an ultra-sophisticated text logo with a small bridge illustrative mark – communicating the connection of rivers in the name Riverset. The logo concept was sharp, but when we reviewed the direction with the persona cards and strategy documents we had developed, we realized the logo was too literal and risked communicating a sense of exclusivity that might dissuade new members from applying for membership. After reviewing the strategy findings, we went back to the drawing board to explore more abstract design directions that would mirror the friendly atmosphere of the branch and staff but also convey validity and professionalism.
Abstract logo marks should always communicate a feeling, independent of the text component. So, our design team explored marks that represented anything from stable pillars to supportive cooperatives. The final design includes a mark that is both abstract and meaningful; we subtly included “RCU” for Riverset Credit Union within the design mark. After Riverset selected the mark, we worked through various color variations before settling on a blue gradient which we felt best represented stability and polish.
Complete Rebranding
When our project team visited the Riverset branch, we felt immediately at home. Their services felt accessible and their brand welcoming. Our challenge was to preserve the integrity of the supportive, congenial business that Riverset had built since 1934 while rebranding as a more professional, modern banking solution for customers who require customized banking services.
Our Blue Archer project team worked to rebrand Rievrset Credit Union as the local, community banking alternative where customers receive the same service opportunities they could have at national retail banks. By choosing Riverset, they would have partial ownership of a financial institution that partners with them through every stage of life.
Our marketing team developed a brand book to detail the strategic foundation for the rebranding initiative. We analyzed and developed Riverset’s brand vision, purpose, value propositions, and positioning. Our design team complimented the strategic brand book with a complete branding style guide.
Wireframing & Prototyping
Once our team established the new brand and simplified message, we moved on to website prototypes to identify key content and messaging and set the foundation for the new website design. Riverset wanted to expand market presence and increase visibility, increase new membership, and educate site visitors on products and service opportunities based on their unique needs. The site content and design on each page of the website needed to support these goals.
Blue Archer and Riverset worked together throughout the wireframing stage of the project through a project management software tool that facilitates design collaboration and development. Before we transitioned to the website design phase, we had a clear understanding of exactly how the page layouts and content would help to guide users through their site visit.
Designing for Conversion
With the visual brand and prototypes defined, we moved on to the site design. Our design team created a website moodboard that included photography direction and general styles including font. Friendly colors and inspiration photography would help to define an accessible, welcoming space to approach financial planning and tackle banking decisions.
The site design is clean and modern but maintains the community-oriented feel through imagery of a diverse user-base. It blends the friendly photography with strategic two-toned iconography throughout the pages. One of the most important sections of the homepage design was the banking life-cycle section that communicates Riverset’s services that support each stage of life – from just starting out until retirement. We designed and developed a timeline that would allow users to manually scroll through stages on the typical banking life-cycle.
The biggest challenge for our design team was creating the visual hierarchy to support various calls-to-action that addressed different users. We created many versions of the masthead image before finding the ideal balance you see on the homepage today that allows users to find an ATM, gain access to online banking, and review APR rates immediately upon entering the site.
Custom Functionality
Our development team built enhanced site features to compliment the user-experience. A comprehensive resource center, for example, was built to scale with Riverset so the admin team can easily add more resources as they create additional assets over time. The resource center is intuitive – showing high-level resource categories and allowing users to drill down to more niche support. Related resources at the conclusion of each resource help to keep the user engaged. A news database also helps to extend a users’ site visit. Riverset can easily upload news articles and posts and associate both tags and categories. They also have the ability to assign featured news stories that will appear on the homepage.
Marketing & Print Design
Because the rebranding completely overhauled the visual design of the Riverset brand, Riverset needed updated marketing and print collateral to ensure the new brand was cohesive across all consumption platforms. Our designers created new envelopes, pocket-folders, and 2 variations of business cards based on individual management level. Blue Archer Project Manager, Kiley, managed the entire print design process from the design and printing to the ultimate delivery to Riverset headquarters.
Riverset also required the development of screen designs and background imagery for their mobile app, which our designers refreshed to match the updated brand.
Conclusion
Riverset Credit Union needed to regain a simplified brand message and update their look to remain competitive in the saturated Pittsburgh market. The new logo, branding, website, and marketing collateral work cohesively to position the credit union as a stable market leader.
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