Sunrise Banks
Intro
A Social Engine for Good.
Sunrise Banks has been serving the urban core of the Twin Cities community since 1986. While they had been serving this often-overlooked sector of the financial ecosystem, their brand never really embraced it, nor did their site adequately answer the needs of their audience. Sunsrise had always strived to not look like a “bank” but the ways in which they had done this online had lead to some pretty sticky situations for people looking for financial wellness on their website.
A small team from Sunrise had blazed a new path internally at Sunrise, a mission of being a Social-Engine for Good and fully embracing the communities they serve. My job was to help create an external identity for that mission, and craft an online experience that emboldens its user base and builds trust in the community.
My impact at a glance:
😊 Accessibility
WCAG AA compliant. Here's to financial empowerment for everyone.
👥 Happier Users
The bounce rate has been sliced in half, dropping from about 65% to 33%.
💪 Stronger Brand
We're telling a story of compassion, trust, and difference-making.
In order to truly portray Sunrise Banks as an authentic relatable brand, I directed a photoshoot with Gamut One, where we were able to capture the real people who make Sunrise Banks special.
Research
Who’s using the site?
Before we began any of the brand positioning or site strategy, we started researching the types of users that would be using the site. For Sunrise, and many other banks for that matter, we found a variety of different user types; however, we found a few unique personas that would be interfacing with the Sunrise brand. Some of the notable personas included: people in under-served communities that may struggle with staying technologically up-to-date, socially-conscious financiers who care more about what their money supports and where it goes, and a higher amount of people with usability barriers, including people speaking english as a second language, as well as people with physical handicaps.
“We don’t see ourselves as bankers – we see ourselves as a social engine for good.”
A new brand for a new type of bank
Financial empowerment for everyone.
Throughout the branding process we were able to draw out the things that set Sunrise Banks apart from their competitors. We wanted to craft an identity that matched the heart of the bank, one that embodies community, fun, trust, and empowerment. We made a brand that welcomes everyone and a website that does the same.
