Case Study: BVS Mortgages and Financial Services
BVS Mortgages and Financial Services first approached us in the summer of 2018 looking to bring their new to life.
Their short term goal was for us to create some printed assets and signage for a community event they were pitching at.
Since the event, their brand really took off and we very quickly became their design partners on a brand development journey which continues to thrive.
Designing a new website
Since the launch event in 2018 we continued to work very closely with BVS because we love their willingness to really get their brand out there in creative ways.
We recently redesigned their website which we initially launched towards the end of 2018 as merely a landing page (or digital business card as we like to call it.)
We stripped back the gradients and the overuse of the lighter tones and decided to instead use darker tones, contrasting these with white and gold.
This gave the website a much more clean and crisp aesthetic and made each section of the website much more defined, focused and improved concentration on key areas by using colour contrasts.
It is super important for them to begin the process of building relationships with their customers as quickly and as easy as possible.
So we decided to implement a call to action communication button which appears at the bottom right throughout the website on all devices. This allows readers to call, email or connect with BVS on social media within a tap or click.
Before:
After:
Improving 'approachability'
Because of the nature of the business, the concept of mortgages and life insurance can be quite full on for some audiences.
This posed a challenge to us as we wanted to give the website a touch of 'warm and fuzzy' without losing the dignity or credibility of the context.
So what we decided to do was to create a very linear information architecture using just three layers (home -> secondary content -> tertiary content.)
This added simplicity to the website and made sure that factual content was very easy to find and understand. Once a reader has ease of interpretation they are more likely to engage more with the content.
After this, we decided to use characters and assigned each character to a different topic on the website to give the impression that the character was a personal adviser engaging in a monologue with the reader.
We continued this throughout the website by using flat icons and illustrations rather than stock imagery which can come across as quite dull, 'samey' and forced.
Using illustrations, especially for high significance topic areas gives the reader the freedom to interpret the content in their own way and at their own pace without being influenced.
The redesign process
In all, the website took 11 days to complete from concept to client sign off. The process was made a lot simpler by outlining a clear information architecture as the first phase of development.
What we love the most working with BVS is the creative freedom they give us and the belief in our craft.
Their respect and expectation that we will deliver a product or service that marries their strategic goals with our vision of the brand drives us on in each project we work on together.
We thoroughly enjoyed this project and believe that we got the balance just right between brand credibility and 'approachability.'
What else have we done for BVS?
Over the last two years, we have worked with BVS to complete the following:
- A complete brand overhaul which included a new logo and colour scheme
- A brand new website
- Social media designs and campaigns
- Leaflets
- Booklets
- Business cards
- Digital designs
- Email promotions
- Large scale event banners
Branding and creating the logo
Firstly it was my goal to understand the services and ethos of the company.
In my opinion, any re-branding projects need to begin with a comprehensive understanding of what the company aims to deliver so the branding can tie into that thought process.
Looking at the financial sector brands seem to be increasingly edging towards to simplicity, clean lines and a regal-like feel when it comes to font type to pursue the air of credibility which so many financial services strive for.
The polygonal logo is symbolised by what is commonly recognised as a shape of a house with 4 lines going in the opposite way which creates an enveloping concept suggesting coverage, safety, protection or insurance.
A slight gradient was added the logo and the BVS text to add a sheen to it strengthening its reputation of gold, first, credible, regal. The font-type used for the core content of the brand is Lato chosen for its cleanliness and ease of legibility.
Event materials
The Managing Director of BVS Mortgage and Financial Services wanted to launch his company at a showcase of local organisations in July 2018.
Therefore a lot of the assets that he wanted us to develop was offline marketing materials to initiate a word of mouth buzz.
We designed and printed all of the marketing materials used at the event making sure that there were clear consistencies in the branding.
Printed assets
We designed and printed the following assets for BVS Mortgages and Financial Services:
- A5 Leaflets – both single and double sided
- A4 Leaflets
- Letterheads
- Business cards
- C-fold brochures
- Free standing roller banners
- Large PVC event banners
All our products were designed and printed to the highest quality using a combination of finishes from; matte, gloss and feather.
The paper/card quality were all 240gsm or more meaning they were all produced to a premium finish.
What were the results?
First and foremost, BVS were incredibly happy with the level of detail and quality of the designs and print which are traits that we have become so proud to hold. BVS received all the marketing materials well in advance of the showcase event which went off without a hitch.
We look forward to continuing to help grow the brand with a new website and improved digital presence on the horizon.