Mortgage lending done right.
CARDINAL FINANCIAL Brand Refresh
Cardinal Financial had grown from a small consumer direct mortgage lender (250 employees), to a nationally recognized lender in 5 years (4,000 employees), diversifying its channel offering from solely consumer direct to include retail lending and third-party originations.
The Cardinal brand was strong but begging for an eye-catching identity to energize Cardinal’s presence in the industry, bringing forth a more meaningful and vibrant aesthetic. Brand enhancements included:
Refined logo to reflect new brand styling
Solidified tagline and adopted a fresh, new tone
Brightened color palette and modernized typography
Emphasized “life in action” imagery and footage to deeply reflect brand personas
My roles: Senior Designer (brand book, swag + apparel, packaging, and vendor management); Art Director (design guidance, website stakeholder, and video strategy)
Additional contributors: Creative Director, Copywriter, Senior Multimedia Designer, Graphic Designer, Project Manager
As a result, we became bolder, wiser, and a little more CF.
The refresh was launched during the pandemic, so we embraced our current state with a touch-less delivery experience, shipping brand guides in custom-designed pizza boxes (containing the guide), along with assorted values stickers, and a notecard.
With brand books in-hand, we invited leadership and teams to watch the refresh unfold via a virtual hype video and a link to order one of six complimentary brand values t-shirts from the Company Store.
