As a result of rapid client influx following the 2020 pandemic, Meridian Bank's established brand identity became inconsistent and visibly outdated. The need arose to immediately update and revitalize the brand to match the growth, project sophistication, and align the visual identity with the bank's increasing market value and new, high-value client base.
Strategy: Consolidation for Sophistication
My strategy was to move Meridian Bank from a fragmented, traditional look to a unified, contemporary, and sophisticated brand presence. The approach focused on two key areas:
Systemic Consistency: Consolidate all disparate visual and verbal brand elements into a single, cohesive system that could be easily deployed across all channels, from physical branches to mobile applications.
Elevated Aesthetics: Introduce modern design principles and new visual elements to reposition the bank as forward-thinking and trustworthy, capable of competing with larger national financial institutions.
Creative Execution
Serving as Creative Director, my role was to architect this brand overhaul, incorporating new elements to elevate the brand while ensuring seamless continuity during the transition.
Brand Identity Overhaul
We established a new visual identity system—including a refined logo, a sophisticated color palette (moving away from bright primary colors), and modern typography—to achieve an elegant and professional appearance.
Incorporating New Elements
To elevate the brand's perception, we integrated contemporary elements:
Photography & Tone: Defined new guidelines for photography, emphasizing authentic, modern client interactions and community involvement, replacing dated stock imagery.
Rollout & Consistency
I created and managed comprehensive Brand Guidelines, ensuring all internal departments (Retail Banking, Commercial Lending, Marketing) and external vendors were equipped with the tools and instruction necessary to maintain consistency globally, revitalizing the overall client experience.
Impact & Results
The brand consolidation successfully future-proofed Meridian Bank's identity. The unified and sophisticated look was immediately adopted across all touchpoints, significantly improving brand recall and trust metrics among new clients. By elevating the aesthetic and ensuring consistency, the brand now accurately reflects the modern service level and growth trajectory of the bank, supporting client retention and long-term market expansion.
Creative Direction
