Creative Direction
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SmartAsset is a financial technology company that provides transparent, automated, and accurate advice on big personal financial decisions. It's a nimble, Y-Combinator startup established in 2011 by founders Michael Carvin and Philip Camilleri. After two years, the company's branding, digital products, and overall visual presence had become outdated. They needed a new visual identity, a refined mission and vision statement, branding materials, website redesign, and, most importantly, a complete overhaul of their financial products.
A competitive analysis kicked off the process to understand the company's market position and assess SmartAsset's strengths and weaknesses. I developed a working mission and vision statement to guide the new look and feel. I shared the redesign process with the company for their feedback and buy-in throughout the process. Product managers used quantitative and qualitative research methods to gain valuable insight for new features, language edits, and areas of improvement. Consistent collaboration with the development team helped ensure feasibility and an on-time launch.
The PR Director and I led the development of the company’s mission, vision, and guiding principles at the start of the redesign process. These informed the direction of the look and feel of the design system and set a clear direction for the company.
The redesign process included three design directions including, fonts, colors, and graph styles. I led a company-wide meeting to review the design options, gather feedback, and grow team confidence for the new design.
The redesign launched on time in January 2015. The redesign was well received by our users and partners. The look and feel reflected the main principles of the brand: financial, educational, and transparent. Friendly, bold, and refined fonts and colors were selected for the new style guide. We increased brand awareness through clear, educational communications and easy-to-use tools and calculators. Traffic to the website increased by 24% month-over-month.