Common Good Reinvigorates Credit Union Westerra with Brand Refresh

Common Good has redesigned all branding and marketing for Westerra, a credit union that’s on a mission to positively impact lives through personal attention and financial education. The refresh modernises and celebrates Westerra’s 85+ years of history and values for its 120,000 customers and 300 employees. 

While credit unions tend to focus on community and education, they’re still burdened with that indistinguishable and lifeless presence of traditional banks. A human approach to service - a brighter, more caring way of doing business - has always been Westerra’s way, and the redesign needed to convey that point about the experience to differentiate the brand.

While we all desire a sense of belonging, money tends to distance us from one another. Therein lies the challenge for marketing a financial brand.

“We brought to life the values of this modern credit union through an iconic, new identity and uniting principles that ignite a sense of belonging and community among existing and new members—as well as employees,” said creative director Andy Dutlinger. “The logo mark in particular reflects the inclusive community Westerra has been committed to serving since the 1930s.” 

The new look and tone of voice helped Westerra evolve into the modern financial community that it has always been at heart. The optimistic color palette of reds, blues, and neutrals, straightforward typography style, and inclusive photography direction brought out the credit union’s humanistic qualities. 

Simplified mountains formed by interlocking lines of equal weight create a sense of balance and connection. This imagery coalesces with a bright, energetic marketing campaign that presents the best of the credit union’s offerings to the world. An interactive culture book allows employees to keep Westerra’s new ethos on hand.

With the new tone, website, logo, graphic, brand and photography standards in place, the internal creative team at Westerra had the exact playbook they needed to execute additional marketing and advertising in a cohesive way.