New Product Launch
Credit Cards Project
Building brand guidelines & member journeys for a complex portfolio.
Project Summary
In-house, creative lead, 5 cards, messy launch, human comms… Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit. Consectetur adipiscing elit quisque faucibus ex sapien vitae. Ex sapien vitae pellentesque sem placerat in id. Placerat in id cursus mi pretium tellus duis. Pretium tellus duis convallis tempus leo eu aenean.
My Role
Creative Strategy
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Creative Umbrella
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80+ Emails
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Stakeholder Management
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Team Leadership
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Credit Card Design
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From Strategy to Execution
1. Personas → 2. Creative Umbrella → 3. Assets & Deliverables → 4. Results
1. Personas
We created a unique persona for each of the 5 new cards. This allowed us to cater the imagery and messaging to the most likely adopters of each card.
Rewards Signature Card: The Everyday Optimizer
Persona summary
A busy spender who wants easy rewards on daily purchases without tracking categories or rules.
Imagery direction
- Adult 25–50
- In motion: grocery store, coffee shop, gas station, checkout moments
- Warm, energetic lifestyle photography
Message / tone
- Friendly, straightforward, efficient
- “Set it and forget it” energy
Essential Platinum Card: The Credit Builder
Persona summary
Someone actively building or rebuilding credit and looking for a reliable, supportive starting point.
Imagery direction
- Adult 20–40
- Approachable, optimistic expressions
- Real-life moments: first apartment, budgeting on a phone, everyday errands
Message / tone
- Encouraging, supportive, confidence-building
- Focus on progress and momentum
- Plainspoken, never condescending
Simply Platinum Card: The Rate Minimizer
Persona summary
A practical, budget-conscious member who wants to keep interest low and finances predictable.
Imagery direction
- Adult 30–50
- Calm, neutral expressions
- Everyday settings: kitchen table, home office, paying bills, reviewing mail
Message / tone
- Clear, reassuring, no-nonsense
- Emphasize simplicity, control, peace of mind
- Avoid hype or urgency
Lifestyle Signature Card: The Experience Seeker
Persona summary
A member who prioritizes dining, travel, and experiences and wants their spending to feel rewarding.
Imagery direction
- Adult 25–45
- Confident, expressive, aspirational but attainable
- Dining out, travel prep, concerts, city scenes
Message / tone
- Energetic, aspirational, upbeat
- Focus on enjoyment and flexibility
- Polished but not flashy
Business Signature Card: The Business Professional
Persona summary
A small business owner who wants straightforward rewards and clear separation between business and personal spending.
Imagery direction
- Adult 30–60
- Professional but approachable
- Small business environments: storefronts, medical facilities, hands-on work
Message / tone
- Confident, efficient, respectful of time
- Emphasize value, clarity, and control
- Practical over promotional
One Message. Five Voices.
The overall message of the portfolio remains consistent across the creative umbrella, but the tone and voice change slightly to speak clearly to each card and persona.
Core Message: Find the card that fits your life.
2. Creative umbrella
A shared framework that aligned strategy, design, and messaging across five distinct credit cards—without fragmenting the brand.
Built on existing credit union guidelines, the Creative Umbrella gave internal teams and external partners a single source of truth for how each card should look, sound, and show up across channels.
What the Umbrella Enabled
- Clear roles and positioning for each card in the portfolio
- Consistent design and voice across digital, branch, print, and email
- Faster alignment across marketing, leadership, and agency partners
- Reduced member confusion during a complex rollout
How it Worked
- Shared layouts and hierarchy across all card materials
- Color-led differentiation to distinguish each card at a glance
- Subtle gradients and layered forms to signal progress and momentum
- A circle motif to reinforce continuity and “fit” across life stages
Card Designs
Five cards. Skills utilized: stakeholder and vendor management & communications, expanding on creativity of brand guidelines. Challenge: staying on-brand while meeting stakeholder expectations
Photography Mood Board: Rewards Card & the Everyday Optimizer
Yes, these are iStock photos used to create a mood board illustrating the types of photography recommended for the “Everyday Optimizer” persona associated with the Rewards Card. These are the folks looking to save money and get deals on the things they do every day. Photography style should show normal people doing everyday tasks. Natural lighting is best. Casual postures and positive facial expressions are also ideal.
3. Assets & Deliverables
This project included numerous deliverables and assets. A few of the highlights are demonstrated below:
- Web: “Hub” Landing Page
- Emails: 3 Examples
- Small Flyer/Handout
- Window/Door Decals
- Teller Guide
Web: “Hub” Landing Page
Scroll for an example of the main landing page for the credit cards portfolio. All copy & designs have been recreated for this portfolio, but provide a good example of the type of work I helped put together for the project.
All Other Assets: 3 Emails, Handout, Window Decal, Teller Guide
4. Results
While quantitative results were still emerging, this launch delivered meaningful structural and experience improvements across members, teams, and partners.
Results Snapshot
Before
After
Impact By Audience
Members
From fragmented information → clear, confident choices
- Clearer understanding of which card fits their needs
- Less jargon, more real-life context
- Greater confidence during application and onboarding
Internal Teams
From informal knowledge → shared direction
- Shared framework for positioning and creative decisions
- Faster alignment across marketing, branch, and leadership
- Less rework and fewer one-off decisions
External Partners
From open-ended execution → clear guardrails
- Clear guardrails for brand, tone, and visuals
- Easier handoffs and collaboration
- More consistent execution across channels
Key Challenges & How We Addressed Them
Lack of Centralized Ownership and Direction
Challenge: The credit card portfolio had historically been managed by a third party, with limited internal marketing strategy or unified messaging—leaving teams without a shared framework to work from.
Resolution: Established a marketing-led Creative Umbrella that defined personas, positioning, visual language, and tone, giving internal teams and partners a single source of truth.
Aligning Many Stakeholders During a High-Visibility Launch
Challenge: Multiple internal teams, leadership groups, and external partners were involved, with overlapping responsibilities and evolving requirements that made alignment difficult.
Resolution: Used the Creative Umbrella as a decision-making tool to guide conversations, streamline approvals, and keep work moving forward without losing consistency.
Navigating Technical Constraints and Member Experience Risk
Challenge: Backend and platform limitations introduced friction during rollout and onboarding, increasing the risk of member confusion and dissatisfaction.
Resolution: Leverage clear, frequent, and plain-language communications across email, digital, and branch channels to set expectations, guide members through the transition, and maintain trust.